Ornamentals

Lawn grasses, cool- and warm-season

• There is a difference between cool-season and warm-season grasses. Cool-season and warm-season grasses actively grow at different times of the year. This affects when you should plant, mow, irrigate, and fertilize your lawn.

  Warm-season grasses
  Warm-season grasses perform best in southern climates where summers are hot and dry or humid and winters are mild. During the winter, warm-season grasses may go dormant and lose their green color if the average air or soil temperature drops below 50 - 55 F. Some warm-season turfgrasses will die if exposed to extended periods of subfreezing temperatures.

  Cool-season grasses
  Cool-season grasses do best in northern and coastal climates where summers are mild and winters are cold. Cool-season grasses thrive during the fall and early spring. They remain green year-round unless temperatures consistently fall below freezing.

  Grass species
  Some warm-season grasses may tolerate colder climates better than others. Likewise, some cool-season grasses tolerate warmer temperatures better than others do. When planting, choose a variety that best suits your conditions.

  Warm Season Grass	Cool Season Grass
  Bermudagrass	Annual ryegrass
  Buffalograss	Colonial bentgrass
  Kikuyugrass	Creeping bentgrass
  Seashore paspalum	Hard fescue
  St Augustinegrass	Kentucky bluegrass
  Zoysiagrass	Perennial ryegrass
  	Red fescue
  	Rough bluegrass
  	Tall fescue

  Learn how to choose and identify turf grass species.