A lush, beautiful lawn is possible practically anywhere you live. You just need to select the right type of grass.
As with any plant, the amount of water, sunlight and soil type play a big part in the success of your lawn.
What works for your neighbor might not work for you. How often you use your lawn and what it is used for is another consideration.
Picking the right grass does more than optimizing the chances of your yard looking good. It also helps you do what you want to do outside at home — while minimizing the amount of time, effort and money spent maintaining your lawn.
And, who doesn’t want that?
Turfgrass Types and Tips
There are two turfgrass types that are categorized by climate: cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses.
-
- Cool-season grasses grow best in temperatures that fall between 60° and 70° and include grasses like fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and rye.
- Warm-season grasses grow best in hot temperatures that reach 80-95° and include grasses like zoysia, St. Augustine, bahiagrass, centipede and Bermuda.
- To determine the best grass to plant where you live, make sure you understand the growing zone that you live in.
- If you experience cool nights and plenty of rain, fescue or Kentucky bluegrass might be the best grass for you. But, if you live in a hot, arid part of the country, drought-tolerant Bermuda or Buffalo grass might be wise choices.
- Warm-season grasses are considered to be easier to maintain. They stand up to activity better and, generally speaking, require less watering.
- Cool-season grasses normally cost less to install because you have the option to overseed. However, a cool-season lawn typically costs more to maintain because you have to aerate and overseed it every year — and, you’ll probably have to contend with weeds and disease more than you would with a warm-season lawn.
About Done-in-a-Weekend Projects
Whatever your yard needs, the Exmark Original Series, Done-In-A-Weekend Projects, is loaded with DIY project tips and expertise.
The series host, landscape designer, Doug Scott, addresses all the steps you need to take to make your dream backyard a reality.
And the best part? These are quick-hit videos that cut to the chase. So, you can spend less time watching and more time creating and enjoying your backyard life.
Watch more on exmark.com/backyard.