Six Types of Drought-Resistant, Low-Maintenance Grasses
- Bermudagrass. Well-known for its drought resistance, its ability to grow from many different types of soil, Bermuda grass has been a popular choice for usage in outdoor sports fields, ...
- Zoysia grass. This does well either in the shade or with full sun, and fares particularly well in the southern region.
- Fescuegrass. Fescuegrass is actually a cold weather grass, but is also highly drought-resistant. ...
- Buffalograss. This grass loves sun and lots of it, and is very drought-tolerant. Perfect for a Texas summer! ...
- St. Augustine grass. Think of St. Augustine grass as the darling of the bunch. It is gorgeous and absolutely gorgeous. ...
- Bahiagrass. Bahia is very thick, but can cover a wide expanse of area, and requires less maintenance than St. Augustine.
What is the best low maintenance grass?
WATCH: The Best Types of Grass for Your Lawn
- Bahia Grass. The Southern Living Garden Book describes this drought-tolerant warm-season grass as a "tough, rather coarse grass used for lawns."
- Bermuda Grass. ...
- Buffalo Grass. ...
- Carpet Grass. ...
- Centipede Grass. ...
- Seashore Paspalum. ...
- St. ...
- Zoysia Grass. ...
- Kentucky Bluegrass. ...
- Perennial Ryegrass. ...
What is the best low water grass?
Drought Tolerant Grass Alternatives
- Moss – In shady areas, moss is an effective ground cover. ...
- Sedum – Succulents, such as low growing sedum, are perfect as ground cover and require little moisture. ...
- Thyme – Thyme is a water miser that thrives in bright, dry, sunny conditions. Once it takes off, the plant will create a tight network of color. ...
What is the best low maintenance grass seed?
Warm-Season Grasses
- Bermudagrass loves full sun and has excellent traffic tolerance. ...
- St. ...
- Zoysia grass tolerates sun and shade but is slow growing compared to Bermuda and St. ...
- Centipede grass is "apple-green" or "lime-green" in color and although slow growing, makes an attractive, low maintenance lawn once established. ...
What type of grass is best for your lawn?
Types of Grass and Their Features
- Bahia Grass. Due to its ability to withstand the heat and humidity of the South, Bahia grass is best suited for Southern states such as Louisiana or Florida.
- Bermuda Grass. ...
- Kentucky Bluegrass. ...
- Centipede Grass. ...
- Fescue Grass. ...
- Perennial Ryegrass. ...
- St. ...
- Zoysia Grass. ...
What grasses are drought tolerant?
It is not well-known to perform well in the southern regions, but has been proven thrive where other species cannot. 4. Buffalograss. This grass loves sun and lots of it, and is very drought-tolerant.
What type of grass is best for outdoor use?
1. Bermudagrass. Well-known for its drought resistance, its ability to grow from many different types of soil, Bermuda grass has been a popular choice for usage in outdoor sports fields, such as baseball, football, and even golf courses.
What Type of Grass is Right for my Lawn?
Many lawns across the country have Kentucky bluegrass, and is also one of the most commonly known. Considered a cool season grass, it typically will not fare well in hotter, drier weather, since this type of grass will require more water to sustain itself.
Is Bahia grass drought resistant?
Augustine. This grass loves the sun and the warm weather and is highly drought- resistant. Bahiagrass has even been found thriving in areas with little to no irrigation!
Does Zoysiagrass go dormant?
It is also holds up well under heavy foot traffic. The downside is that Zoysiagrass will go dormant in the winter and stay brown until as far as March.
Is it too small to handle lawn care?
This is why you should talk to a professional about your desires and what you would like to achieve for your lawn. There is no scenario too small or large for us to handle.
Do you need to water your lawn in the spring?
At Perm-O-Green there is a common misconception among many homeowners about their lawns is that grass requires constant watering, especially as the spring and summer months start coming around. However, as the popular adage goes: “everything in moderation” and that most assuredly applies to your grass.
What is the best grass for a southern lawn?
Zoysia. A Zoysia grass lawn is one of the best options available to southern homeowners looking for a thick, uniform, low-maintenance lawn. A warm-season grass usually used for golf courses or play areas, it has the ability to take on coarse or fine texture.
What type of grass grows well in full sun?
Bahiagrass. Bahiagrass is a great choice if you have an area with infertile soil. This type of grass grows very well in full sun and produces a coarse and thick covering that will stand up to abuse from pets, children and your neighborhood block party.
What is the act of mowing grass clippings back into your lawn?
Mulch your grass clippings: Mulching is the act of mowing your grass clippings back into your lawn. Instead of bagging and removing your lawn clippings, you allow them to stay on top of your lawn. This adds nitrogen and makes it so that your lawn requires less lawn fertilizer meaning less maintenance for you.
How much nitrogen is needed for tall fescue grass?
Tall Fescue grass is a turf-type grass and requires less than one half of the nitrogen needed to grow Kentucky Bluegrass. Your Tall Fescue lawn will thrive with only one application annually, leading to a lot less work for you.
What is a lawn with a low growing clover?
This lawn is actually a mix of grass and a low-growing clover. The secret to this grass is that the clover takes nitrogen from the air and draws it into the soil, this fertilizes the grass without you lifting a finer, and helps to keep your yard green year-round.
What kind of grass is used in sod?
In regards to cool-season grasses, which are grown in many parts of the north and midwestern US, a sod lawn installation is usually comprised of a blend of bluegrass varieties.
How much less water does a sandbox grass need?
This grass withstand hot and dry weather, and amazingly it actually requires 75% less watering than traditional turf grasses.
What is wheat grass?
Western wheatgrass is a cool-season perennial grass native to the midwestern and western United States. It can tolerate most conditions found in arid climates, including cold snaps, spring flooding, hot summers, and partial shade. It does not grow well in temperate climates like that of the eastern United States. As a lawn grass, it is low maintenance, needing little water and only occasional mowing. It's a good choice if you're considering a no-mow lawn, since it's an attractive, long-lived species that grows only one to two feet tall.
Where is highway grass native to?
It's best adapted to the sandy, acidic soil of the Gulf Coast and southeast United States, and is native to South America.
What is Zoysia grass?
Zoysia grass is a slow-growing, warm-weather perennial grass that thrives in marine and temperate climates. It is highly drought tolerant, but still prefers high humidity. It tends to grow into a tight, matlike structure, and can form small mounds on the ground when it's left unmowed. Due to its dense, lush nature, it naturally resists weeds, and can make a great grass for foot traffic and active use. It goes dormant over winter, but returns to life early in spring, since it's one of the most cold-tolerant warm-season grasses.
How tall does prairie grass grow?
Left unmowed, it can grow to about a foot tall, and produce floral spikes.
Is red fescue a perennial?
Red fescue is a cool-season perennial grass that thrives in temperate climates and shady areas. In the United States, it grows best in the northeast. It's distinguished by its fine, needlelike leaves and springy nature. It's a good choice for unmowed yards, thanks to its lush, dense growing habits.
Where is Blue Grama native to?
Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) SharonFoelz / Getty Images. Blue grama is a warm-season perennial grass native to the prairies of North America. It's a hardy species that is highly drought resistant and an excellent choice for homeowners in the western United States looking to use native species in their lawns.
Is fescue grass a grass?
Like other fescues, it's a bunchgrass (a grass that grows in clumps rather than a uniform sod), and can form a bumpy landscape that isn't ideal as a walking surface. For lawns that don't get much foot traffic, though, it's a great choice that requires little in the way of water, mowing, or fertilizer.
What type of grass should I choose?
Your region’s seasonal temperatures will determine what type of grass will thrive in your lawn. To begin your low-maintenance yard transformation, determine whether you need warm-season grass, cool-season grass, or a mix of both.
No-mow and low-mow grass
Fine fescue is the most popular low-maintenance cool-season grass. Hard fescue and fine fescue mixes require very little maintenance. You’ll only have to mow your lawn once or twice a year.
Grass-like ground covers
Sedges ( Carex) are elegant, bunching plants with blade-like foliage. They’re quickly gaining popularity as an easy-care turfgrass alternative. Sedges are environmentally friendly: They need little water and no fertilizer when planted in their native regions.
Creeping thyme
If you’re feeling adventurous and craving a pop of color, creeping thyme ( Thymus praecox) may be the ground cover for you. With a low-growing mat of dainty pink, white, or purple flowers, it’s an eye-catching, sun-loving perennial that attracts a host of pollinators.
Dutch white clover
Clover isn’t a traditional turfgrass, but it sure will give you a green carpet. Plus, it’s a living mulch: When planted with other grasses, it will suppress weeds, keep the soil moist and temperate, and reduce erosion. As a legume, it fixes nitrogen to help fertilize other plants and keep them disease-free.
Choosing your grass alternatives
You may want to mix and match lawn alternatives based on your region and lawn aesthetic. Pairing ornamental grasses with creeping thyme can give your lush purple carpet an added height dimension. Likewise, microclover mixes well with Zoysia, filling in the lawn and giving Zoysia roots nutrients.
Why is grass so easy to maintain?
One of the key features of the grass that makes it so easy to maintain is that it has less of a vertical growth pattern, allowing for minimal mowing and maintenance compared to other varieties.
What is the most sold grass in the world?
Palmetto® St. Augustine is the most sold patented grass in the world with more than one billion sq. ft. sold—and for good reason! Its lush texture and vibrant green color make it beautiful while it is drought, cold, heat, frost and shade tolerant as well as disease resistant.
What to consider when buying sod for lawn?
Looking to buy sod for your lawn? There are tons of factors to consider: your regional location and climate, the shade and wear your grass will endure and the aesthetic look you desire. One of the most important factors on every homeowner’s checklist, though, should be maintenance.
Is Sod University turf grass low maintenance?
Sod University has listed several natural turfgrass varieties below that are really known for their low maintenance properties in comparison to other grasses. The answer to this question, however, greatly depends on what type of maintenance you are trying to avoid and which area you live in.
Is Palmetto grass a dwarf grass?
Palmetto requires less water than many of its competitors and does well when kept at higher mowing heights, making it easy to care for. Palmetto is a semi-dwarf St. Augustine, which allows for less mowing since it doesn’t grow quite as high as other grasses.
Does turfgrass require maintenance?
In fact, each grass type’s maintenance requirements differ from one another. As a living product, all natural turfgrass requires some form of maintenance such as mowing, watering, fertilizing, weed control, insect control and fungus control. However, some grasses are intentionally bred to require less maintenance in certain areas, ...
Is zoysia turf grass shade tolerant?
This turfgrass is also one of the most shade tolerant of options—a feature that is beneficial to many home lawns with trees or shade from other houses. Innovation consistently maintains a denser canopy than most other zoysias on the market such as Meyer, which makes it more likely to outcompete weeds. In turn, this saves you time and money on pulling weeds or making herbicide applications. Innovation:
Why do you not use a lawn mower?
So, when you have low- or no-mow grass, you do not use the mower as much, which ensures lower carbon dioxide emission, thereby reducing your carbon footprint.
Why is it important to run a gas lawn mower for 1 hour?
Environment-friendly: Running a gas lawn mower for 1 hour emits an equal amount of pollutants as a car does after driving for 100 miles. So, when you have low- or no-mow grass, you do not use the mower as much, which ensures lower carbon dioxide emission, ...
Can you mow fescue grass?
Eco Grass Blends (containing rugged and fine fescue seeds) No Mowing Grass. Growing Conditions: Can grow in full or partial sun as well as in full shade; Drought and disease resistant, reduces weed infestations, requires little watering or fertilizing. Mowing Need: Little or no mowing and maintenance.
