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WARM VS. COOL SEASON GRASSES
| TYPE |
Texture |
Kind of
Lawn |
Maintenance |
Major
Usage |
Cost of
Seed Establishment |
| Bentgrass |
Fine |
Exhibition |
High |
Golf putting |
High |
Bluegrass
Kentucky |
Medium to
Fine |
Average
to Good |
Low |
Lawns |
Low |
Fescue
Tall |
Medium |
Average
to Good |
Medium |
Lawns - Sports |
Low to
Medium |
Fescue
Creeping |
Fine |
Medium - Exhibition |
Medium |
Lawns |
Medium |
Ryegrass
Annual |
Fine |
Low |
Low |
Mixes in Lawns |
Low |
Ryegrass
Perennial |
Medium |
Low |
Low |
Lawns
- Sports |
Medium |
| TYPE |
Texture |
Kind of
Lawn |
Maintenance |
Major
Usage |
Cost of
Seed Establishment |
| Bahiagrass |
Coarse to
Medium |
Average
to Good |
Low |
Lawns -
Erosion & Wear areas |
Low |
| Bermuda |
Fine |
Average |
Medium |
Lawns - Golf & Sports- Dry |
Low |
| Carpetgrass |
Medium |
Low |
Low |
Wet areas |
Low |
| Centipede |
Medium |
Low - Medium |
Low |
Lawns |
Medium |
| St. Augustine |
Coarse |
Medium |
Medium |
Lawns |
High |
| Zoysiagrass |
Med - Fine |
Medium - Exhibition |
High |
Lawns |
High |
Cool Season grasses are used extensively though-out the Northern areas of the USA.
As with all cool season grasses their best growth periods are in the Spring and Fall.
Summer time and winter brings on dormancy in these grasses.
Many of the cool season lawns planted in the North today are cultivars of improved varieties of the three major cool season grasses -- i.e.: Bluegrasses, Fescues & Perennial Ryegrass. These improved variety mixes work together in special ratios of each grass to provide a better lawn in the various different conditions that exist across many lawns.
Warm Season grasses are planted throughout the South from an area west of Texas to as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.
Transition grasses are nothing more than either Warm Season or Cool Season grasses. Sometimes they are specific mixtures of different types of grasses.
Within the transition zone, no one type of grass will do well in all weather conditions (heat / cold). This makes for a difficult situation where either more intensive maintenance of a cool season grass is required, or the use of a summer time warm season grass which goes dormant (and brown in color) in the cool days of fall & winter.
During the summer months, the cool season grasses decline due to the hot weather in Transition zones. Planting one of the more "cold hardy" warm season grasses can help keep your lawn in shape and 003366 through the summer. Cool season grasses must be inter-seeded in these lawns to maintain a 003366 appearance during spring and fall/winter seasons.
The best way to determine a good "warm season" grass to plant in your lawn for summer purposes is to see what your neighbors have good luck with. Areas can vary so much within the transition zone due to temperature differences and soils that using "suggested" grasses for your specific area can be misleading. What works best is usually what others plant successfully.
Which is best?????
Zoysia, Bermuda and Buffalograss are three of the more commonly planted warm season grasses used in the cooler transition zone areas. Fescues, Ryegrasses and Bluegrasses are also very popular and used quite extensively in the transition zone. While there is no one rule of thumb about which grass works best, cool season grasses seem to be the more popular choices for the majority of lawns planted in the transition zone.
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The three general areas at right showing where Warm (yellow) and Cool season (blue) grasses are used within the USA.
In the transition zone (purple), a mixture of these two grass types is sometimes required. However the Transition zone generally favors the cool-season grasses over the warm season ones. |
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|
FERTILITY REQUIREMENTS |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
Low |
Bentgrass |
High |
| Centipede |
Low |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Medium - High |
Fine Fescue |
Low |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
High |
Ryegrass |
Medium |
| St Augustine |
Medium |
Tall Fescue |
Low - Medium |
| Tall Fescue |
Medium |
|
|
| Zoysia |
Low - Medium |
|
|
|
LEAF TEXTURE |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
Fine |
Bentgrass |
Fine |
| Centipede |
Medium - Coarse |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Medium |
Fine Fescue |
Fine |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
Fine |
Ryegrass |
Medium |
| St Augustine |
Coarse |
Tall Fescue |
Medium |
| Tall Fescue |
Medium |
|
|
| Zoysia |
Fine - Medium |
|
|
|
SHADE TOLERANCE |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
Low |
Bentgrass |
Medium |
| Centipede |
Medium - High |
Bluegrass |
Low - Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Low |
Fine Fescue |
High |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
Low - Medium |
Ryegrass |
Low - Medium |
| St Augustine |
High |
Tall Fescue |
Medium |
| Tall Fescue |
High |
|
|
| Zoysia |
Medium - High |
|
|
|
WEAR RESISTANCE |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
Medium - High |
Bentgrass |
Low |
| Centipede |
Low |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
High |
Fine Fescue |
Medium |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
Medium - High |
Ryegrass |
High |
| St Augustine |
Low |
Tall Fescue |
Medium - High |
| Tall Fescue |
Medium |
|
|
| Zoysia |
High |
|
|
|
MOWING HEIGHT |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
High |
Bentgrass |
Low |
| Centipede |
Medium - High |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Medium |
Fine Fescue |
Medium |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
Low |
Ryegrass |
Medium |
| St Augustine |
High |
Tall Fescue |
Medium |
| Tall Fescue |
High |
|
|
| Zoysia |
Medium |
|
|
|
COLD TOLERANCE |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
High |
Bentgrass |
Low |
| Centipede |
Medium - High |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Medium |
Fine Fescue |
Medium - High |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
Low - Medium |
Ryegrass |
Medium |
| St Augustine |
Low |
Tall Fescue |
High |
| Tall Fescue |
High |
|
|
| Zoysia |
High |
|
|
|
HEAT TOLERANCE |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
High |
Bentgrass |
High |
| Centipede |
High |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
High |
Fine Fescue |
Low - Medium |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
High |
Ryegrass |
Low - Medium |
| St Augustine |
High |
Tall Fescue |
High |
| Tall Fescue |
Medium |
|
|
| Zoysia |
High |
|
|
|
DROUGHT TOLERANCE |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
High |
Bentgrass |
Low |
| Centipede |
Low - Medium |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Medium - High |
Fine Fescue |
High |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
Low - Medium |
Ryegrass |
Low - Medium |
| St Augustine |
Medium |
Tall Fescue |
High |
| Tall Fescue |
Low |
|
|
| Zoysia |
Medium - High |
|
|
|
THATCHING TENDENCY |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
Low |
Bentgrass |
High |
| Centipede |
Medium |
Bluegrass |
Low - Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Low |
Fine Fescue |
Low - Medium |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
High |
Ryegrass |
Low |
| St Augustine |
Medium - High |
Tall Fescue |
Low |
| Tall Fescue |
Low |
|
|
| Zoysia |
Medium - High |
|
|
|
TOLERANCE TO ACID SOILS |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
Low |
Bentgrass |
Medium - High |
| Centipede |
High |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
Medium |
Fine Fescue |
Medium - High |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
Medium |
Ryegrass |
Medium |
| St Augustine |
Low |
Tall Fescue |
High |
| Tall Fescue |
High |
|
|
| Zoysia |
Low - Medium |
|
|
|
SALINITY TENDENCY |
|
WARM SEASON |
COOL SEASON |
| Buffalo |
High |
Bentgrass |
High |
| Centipede |
Low - Medium |
Bluegrass |
Medium |
| Common Bermuda |
High |
Fine Fescue |
Medium |
| Hybrid Bermuda |
High |
Ryegrass |
Medium - High |
| St Augustine |
High |
Tall Fescue |
High |
| Tall Fescue |
High |
|
|
| Zoysia |
High |
|
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INTERPRETING GRASS SEED LABELS
The ability to understand seed labels is critical when selecting good seed. The
information on the seed label will help you determine if the seed is of high quality.
Table 2 lists the preferred ranges of items found on the seed label.
Purity
The purity figure indicates the percent, by weight, of pure seed of each component in the
mixture. Not all the pure seed is live seed.
Germination
The germination figure indicates the percent of pure seed that has been tested for
germination and should grow when seeded.
Crop
The crop figure indicates the percent, by weight, of seeds in a package that are grown as
a cash crop. Examples of crop may include orchardgrass, timothy, redtop, clover, and
bentgrass which are considered weeds in turf.
Weed
The weed figure indicates the percent, by weight, of weed seeds in the package. A weed is
any seed that has not been included in pure seed or crop.
Noxious Weeds
This defines the number per pound or ounce of weed seeds considered legally undesirable.
Inert
Inert indicates the percent, by weight, of material in the container that will not grow.
Date Tested
Check the date on the seed label. This date should be within the last eighteen months.
| Table 2. Preferred ranges for
items on the label of a good quality seed lot. |
| . |
Preferred |
| Item |
Range |
| Purity |
>98% |
| Germination |
>85% |
| Crop |
<0.5% |
| Weed |
<0.3% |
| Noxious Weed |
0 |
| Inert |
<2% |
| Date Tested |
last 18 months |
Final Thoughts
Avoid the following when purchasing seed:
- Buying out of bulk bins
- Seed from the weekend newspaper circulars
- Seed mixes that contain 'Linn' perennial ryegrass
- Seed mixes that contain annual ryegrass
The best bet on getting good quality seed is to buy name brands from a reputable seed
house or garden shop. Generally, the more expensive the seed, the better quality it is.
Paying a few extra cents per pound for good quality seed is insignificant when compared to
the added expense of trying to maintain an attractive lawn that was from poor quality
seed.
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