Identifying lawn grass which can be grown in your garden
If you are starting your lawn from the scratch or you want to add more grass to your existing lawn, you need to be clear about the type of grass you want to grow.
If you already have a lawn and you want to add more grass, then it is important to get grass of the same variety as the one on your lawn.
A few tips finding out the type of grass on your lawn are as below
- Take a sample of grass from your lawn, by scraping off a 2 inches area from your lawn, to the local cooperative extension society or the nearby nursery. People there would be able to help you identify the type of grass growing in your lawn.
- You can check up with lawn-service company nearby, using a sample from your lawn.
- If there is a master gardener in your community, you can take the sample to him for identification.
Deciding the on the type of grass
If you growing your lawn from the scratch, you have the independence of deciding upon the type of grass you want in your lawn.
The deciding factor is usually the climate. There are two types of grasses based on the climatic conditions in which they grow, they are
- Cold season grass
- Warm season grass
A description on each with examples is given below
Cold season grass
These varieties of grass grow well in regions where the summers are not too hot and winter is quite cold. So this grass is hardy to cold climates but cannot tolerate really hot summers.
If you are living more towards the north then it makes sense to go in for cold season grass.
A few examples for cool season grass with a little description on each is given below
Kentucky blue grass:
A very popular variety, they have a dark blue-green texture and have fine cone shaped grass.
The grow upto 2 inches long.
They need a lot of water but they are disease resistant. They cannot tolerate heat much and they don't like to a lot of treading.
Bentgrass:
A fine variety of grass which grows upto 1 inch in height mostly, the grass has bend at the top.
It has a green texture.
Keep this grass well mowed and it will give a good look. They need a lot of water though. This grass is in fact used in most golf courses.
Fescue:
This grass is fine texture and grows upto 2 inches in height.
It has a medium green texture and it grows like bristles.
If you like treading on your grass, then this is the one for you. It also requires less water and infrequent deep watering is good thing with this grass. Does not require a lot of sun either, and there are varieties which grow well in shade.
Warm season grass
As the name suggests this variety of grass is not tolerant towards cold climates. If your regions gets extremely cold during winter, then this is not the grass for you. Its good for mild climates where summers are hot and winters are mildly cold.
If you live along the southern parts or towards the gulf, you should go in for warm season grass.
A few examples of this variety are as below
Bahiagrass:
Very tough grass with a coarse texture. It grows up to 2 inches in height.
Does not require a lot of water though infrequent deep soaking works good. They are drought tolerant to a good extent and you can indulge in a lot of treading. Should be mowed with a reel mower.
Bermudagrass:
Fine textured grass with medium green color. They grow up to 1 to 2 inches in height.
Has drought tolerance and can be grown on sandy soil also. Grows quickly and covers your lawn fast. Requires frequent mowing with a reel mower.
Buffalograss:
Fine textured grass with light green color. Grows up to 2 to 3 inches in height.
Extremely drought tolerant and low maintenance grass. Can make do with couple of deep watering sessions in a whole month. It loves sun and is highly resistant to diseases and pest infections.
Centipede grass:
Fine to medium textured with a light green color. Grows up to 2 inches in height.
This grass can stand sun but is not very drought tolerant. Has shallow roots and require frequent watering. Resistant to pest and infections. Requires very little fertilizing and grows well in poor quality or acidic soil. It does not tolerate much treading and turns brown towards the onset of spring.
St Augustinegrass:
Coarse textured, broad grass with dark green color. Great for covering turfs with lush green grass. It grows up to 2 to 2.5 inches in height.
This grass is tolerant to drought, shade, acidic soil and heat. You can observe fast growth if you water it well and plenty. Not very tolerant to cold climates. Can get infected by pests due to its thick growth and does not grow well on soggy soil.