Successful New Lawns Begin With Choosing The Right Turf
No matter how we decide to grow a new lawn, whether by seed or by sod, the future health and success of our new lawns and how they will perform over the years can depend on many varying factors.
Such considerations will be having the right soil preparation done prior to installing the new turf, caring for the new lawn during its establishment period, correct watering and fertilizing, as well as other care factors that are necessary for all lawns.
However, whenever starting a new lawn, the very best thing we can do to ensure the least problems and greatest success of our lawns for years to come is to first choose the right lawn type for our needs.
Choosing the right lawn is simply a matter of knowing the right types of grasses that are best suited to our region and climate, taking into account any types of special environmental conditions such as water restrictions, how much time we're willing to put into lawn care, and how the lawn is to be used - for example, will the lawn be subjected to heavy traffic conditions such as dogs or kids playing on the turf.
Shade and sun conditions are also equally important when choosing the right lawn for our homes and yards.
So let's take a brief look at each of the most popular warm season grasses that are available for our home lawns, and their most well known traits.
If after reading this article and deciding on a lawn type, it would then be strongly encouraged that the reader do further research into the different brands of grass that are available in each turf category, looking into the strengths and weaknesses of each to make a final decision on turf.
Bermuda Grass Bermuda grass, also known as Couch grass in other parts of the world, is a long established and favourite lawn variety that has been used for decades for home lawns.
The main characteristics of Bermuda grass are its fine leaf, its quick repair capabilities, and its love of full sun conditions.
Bermuda should be mowed at low heights to maintain its thatch layer in check, and edging along garden beds will be necessary to keep the grass from spreading into unwanted areas of the yard.
Couch has both above and below ground runners, and the underground runners, known as rhizomes can and will travel under fences as well.
Bermuda grass is great for a general purpose home lawn and will easily tolerate all types of general activity from both kids and pets.
Bermuda grass is not suitable for shaded conditions, and will often become weak and stringy, or otherwise thin out or even die off in areas of shade.
Saint Augustine Grass Very well known for its wide leaf blade, its shade tolerance and its thick thatch layer, Saint Augustine grass is another family favorite lawn variety used around the world.
Saint Augustine grass is best suited to turf areas where light, medium to even heavy shade is to be expected.
In such areas, St Augustine will flourish in full health, with maximum leaf softness and least thatch.
This grass really should be considered as about the best shade grass available, with an approximate shade rating of around 70%.
In contrast, when grown in full sun conditions, thatch will increase more rapidly, the lawn will suffer more general conditions of poor health, and will never reach that peak of maximum turf quality that we want from our home lawns.
Saint Augustine really is best kept with some sun protection and in at least some shade.
With no underground runners, St Augustine grass will never burrow under fences, however standard garden edging will be necessary to stop the grass from spreading into garden beds.
If excess thatch starts building up in the turf, then a once a year cut back of the thatch each year in the Spring is recommended to remove some of the extra thatch.
Saint Augustine grass will stand up well to normal wear conditions expected in most home yards.
Kikuyu Grass Kikuyu is a very fast growing lawn type, and is known for its very fast repair abilities, making Kikuyu a perfect lawn type for homes and yards that are under heavy wear and tear conditions from sports, hard playing kids and big dogs or other pets.
With a 10% shade tolerance, which is about the same as Bermuda grass, Kikuyu grass will never stay healthy in shade, and will thin out or die out in any shady areas, and is therefore recommended for full sun conditions only.
Having such a vigorous growth rate, combined with its stolons and rhizomes (above and below ground runners) - Kikuyu will need regular maintenance and care to ensure that it doesn't quickly invade unwanted areas of the garden, or spread onto neighboring lawns or native vegetation areas.
Common Kikuyu can also easily spread via its very fine and sticky seed heads that can attach to clothing, shoes and pets fur.
With its high maintenance requirements, fast growth rates and ability to quickly spread into unwanted areas, Kikuyu grass should be considered as a specialty turf, to be used only when conditions specifically require a vigorous, quick repair lawn type.
Zoysia Grass Zoysia grass is about the best overall lawn type for use as a warm season lawn.
Requiring less water, less mowing, less fertilizer, and being more naturally resistant to many weeds, pests and diseases, Zoysia grass really should be considered first as a home lawn in warmer regions.
The leaf of Zoysia is slightly wider than that of Bermuda grass, and has a minimum color variation than the standard Bermuda lawn does.
The strengths of Zoysia grass continues past the wonderful traits already discussed.
Zoysia grows slower than other grass types, so in this respect it can be slower to repair after damage - but having said that, Zoysia grass is extremely tough and hard wearing and so will not damage as easily as any of the other popular grass types.
This legendary toughness and durability of Zoysia grass is due to a high level of silica present in the leaves and stems of this grass, and which is lacking in other turf types.
The shade tolerance of Zoysia grass is excellent, with a maximum shade tolerance rating of 40%, making Zoysia grass far superior to Bermuda or Kikuyu when grown in shade, but not quite as good as Saint Augustine.
So for all lawns that are to be grown in a mixture of shade and sun, once again Zoysia grass will be the best lawn variety to choose.
Summary Of Choosing A New Lawn Type A beautiful, healthy and strong home lawn for the entire expected life of the lawn really does come down to carefully choosing the right lawn type to grow in our regions and for our needs, and for the local environments in our yards.
Choosing the correct lawn type will also ensure the lowest maintenance and most easy care lawn possible.
The final step in choosing a new lawn variety, will be to look around at the other lawns in our neighborhoods.
Looking at those that are the healthiest, and those that are struggling.
Taking note of the different lawn types and their general condition of health.
This will give us a great head start in knowing which lawn types consistently do the best in our own local areas.
Such considerations will be having the right soil preparation done prior to installing the new turf, caring for the new lawn during its establishment period, correct watering and fertilizing, as well as other care factors that are necessary for all lawns.
However, whenever starting a new lawn, the very best thing we can do to ensure the least problems and greatest success of our lawns for years to come is to first choose the right lawn type for our needs.
Choosing the right lawn is simply a matter of knowing the right types of grasses that are best suited to our region and climate, taking into account any types of special environmental conditions such as water restrictions, how much time we're willing to put into lawn care, and how the lawn is to be used - for example, will the lawn be subjected to heavy traffic conditions such as dogs or kids playing on the turf.
Shade and sun conditions are also equally important when choosing the right lawn for our homes and yards.
So let's take a brief look at each of the most popular warm season grasses that are available for our home lawns, and their most well known traits.
If after reading this article and deciding on a lawn type, it would then be strongly encouraged that the reader do further research into the different brands of grass that are available in each turf category, looking into the strengths and weaknesses of each to make a final decision on turf.
Bermuda Grass Bermuda grass, also known as Couch grass in other parts of the world, is a long established and favourite lawn variety that has been used for decades for home lawns.
The main characteristics of Bermuda grass are its fine leaf, its quick repair capabilities, and its love of full sun conditions.
Bermuda should be mowed at low heights to maintain its thatch layer in check, and edging along garden beds will be necessary to keep the grass from spreading into unwanted areas of the yard.
Couch has both above and below ground runners, and the underground runners, known as rhizomes can and will travel under fences as well.
Bermuda grass is great for a general purpose home lawn and will easily tolerate all types of general activity from both kids and pets.
Bermuda grass is not suitable for shaded conditions, and will often become weak and stringy, or otherwise thin out or even die off in areas of shade.
Saint Augustine Grass Very well known for its wide leaf blade, its shade tolerance and its thick thatch layer, Saint Augustine grass is another family favorite lawn variety used around the world.
Saint Augustine grass is best suited to turf areas where light, medium to even heavy shade is to be expected.
In such areas, St Augustine will flourish in full health, with maximum leaf softness and least thatch.
This grass really should be considered as about the best shade grass available, with an approximate shade rating of around 70%.
In contrast, when grown in full sun conditions, thatch will increase more rapidly, the lawn will suffer more general conditions of poor health, and will never reach that peak of maximum turf quality that we want from our home lawns.
Saint Augustine really is best kept with some sun protection and in at least some shade.
With no underground runners, St Augustine grass will never burrow under fences, however standard garden edging will be necessary to stop the grass from spreading into garden beds.
If excess thatch starts building up in the turf, then a once a year cut back of the thatch each year in the Spring is recommended to remove some of the extra thatch.
Saint Augustine grass will stand up well to normal wear conditions expected in most home yards.
Kikuyu Grass Kikuyu is a very fast growing lawn type, and is known for its very fast repair abilities, making Kikuyu a perfect lawn type for homes and yards that are under heavy wear and tear conditions from sports, hard playing kids and big dogs or other pets.
With a 10% shade tolerance, which is about the same as Bermuda grass, Kikuyu grass will never stay healthy in shade, and will thin out or die out in any shady areas, and is therefore recommended for full sun conditions only.
Having such a vigorous growth rate, combined with its stolons and rhizomes (above and below ground runners) - Kikuyu will need regular maintenance and care to ensure that it doesn't quickly invade unwanted areas of the garden, or spread onto neighboring lawns or native vegetation areas.
Common Kikuyu can also easily spread via its very fine and sticky seed heads that can attach to clothing, shoes and pets fur.
With its high maintenance requirements, fast growth rates and ability to quickly spread into unwanted areas, Kikuyu grass should be considered as a specialty turf, to be used only when conditions specifically require a vigorous, quick repair lawn type.
Zoysia Grass Zoysia grass is about the best overall lawn type for use as a warm season lawn.
Requiring less water, less mowing, less fertilizer, and being more naturally resistant to many weeds, pests and diseases, Zoysia grass really should be considered first as a home lawn in warmer regions.
The leaf of Zoysia is slightly wider than that of Bermuda grass, and has a minimum color variation than the standard Bermuda lawn does.
The strengths of Zoysia grass continues past the wonderful traits already discussed.
Zoysia grows slower than other grass types, so in this respect it can be slower to repair after damage - but having said that, Zoysia grass is extremely tough and hard wearing and so will not damage as easily as any of the other popular grass types.
This legendary toughness and durability of Zoysia grass is due to a high level of silica present in the leaves and stems of this grass, and which is lacking in other turf types.
The shade tolerance of Zoysia grass is excellent, with a maximum shade tolerance rating of 40%, making Zoysia grass far superior to Bermuda or Kikuyu when grown in shade, but not quite as good as Saint Augustine.
So for all lawns that are to be grown in a mixture of shade and sun, once again Zoysia grass will be the best lawn variety to choose.
Summary Of Choosing A New Lawn Type A beautiful, healthy and strong home lawn for the entire expected life of the lawn really does come down to carefully choosing the right lawn type to grow in our regions and for our needs, and for the local environments in our yards.
Choosing the correct lawn type will also ensure the lowest maintenance and most easy care lawn possible.
The final step in choosing a new lawn variety, will be to look around at the other lawns in our neighborhoods.
Looking at those that are the healthiest, and those that are struggling.
Taking note of the different lawn types and their general condition of health.
This will give us a great head start in knowing which lawn types consistently do the best in our own local areas.
