Choosing the Right Turfgrass for Your Lawn

With several varieties available for each turfgrass type, selecting the best one for your situation can be challenging. The following information, adapted from a University of Georgia publication, breaks down the major options for Georgia lawns.

Cool-Season Grasses

Cool-season grasses thrive in temperatures of 60–75°F and may go dormant or suffer injury in summer heat.

Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea)

Perhaps the most popular grass in Georgia's mountain and upper Piedmont regions. This perennial bunch-type grass grows rapidly, requiring frequent mowing in spring and fall. It needs more water than warm-season grasses to stay green in summer but establishes quickly from seed and tolerates full sun to moderate shade. It adapts to a wide range of soils but prefers pH 5.5–6.5. Lawns tend to thin and become "clumpy," requiring reseeding every 3+ years.

Kentucky-31 (K-31) is the old common cultivar. Newer "turf-type" tall fescues have narrower blades, slower vertical growth, greater density, and better shade tolerance than K-31, producing superior turf when properly managed. See Extension Leaflet No. 354 for more details.

Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis)

Medium leaf texture with bright, pleasing color. Many varieties grow well in and north of the upper Piedmont. It can become semi-dormant in hot weather and prefers fertile soil with pH 6–7. Best in partial shade but tolerates full sun with adequate moisture.

Ryegrasses

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) serve as temporary cool-season turf throughout Georgia. Used for winter cover on new lawns or overseeding warm-season grasses. Overseeding can damage the permanent grass if not managed correctly in spring due to competition for moisture, sunlight, and nutrients. Perennial ryegrass varieties may behave as annuals or perennials depending on conditions. Annual ryegrass dies as summer approaches; also known as common, winter, domestic, Oregon, or Italian ryegrass.

Warm-Season Grasses

Warm-season grasses grow best at 80–95°F in spring, summer, and early fall, going brown and dormant in winter.

Bermudagrasses (Cynodon spp.)

All bermudas thrive in heat but perform poorly in shade. They spread rapidly via above- and below-ground runners, making them difficult to contain around beds and borders. With adequate fertilizer, they require frequent mowing. Adapted statewide with wide pH tolerance.

Common Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)

Drought-resistant, grows on many soils, produces a good turf if fertilized and mowed correctly. Produces many unsightly seedheads but is widely used due to easy, economical establishment. Can be planted from seed or sprigs; with intensive management provides high-quality turf, though hybrids are generally superior.

Hybrid Bermudagrasses

Compared to common bermuda, hybrids offer: more disease resistance, greater density, better weed resistance, fewer seedheads, finer/softer texture, better color, and no viable seed (must be vegetatively planted). They require more intensive maintenance: frequent fertilization, close mowing, edging, and dethatching.

All improved bermudas listed below were developed cooperatively by the UGA Coastal Plain Experiment Station and USDA, products of Dr. Glenn W. Burton's breeding program.

• Tifway (Tifton 419) – Dark green, stiffer leaves than Tifgreen, more frost-resistant, stays green longer in fall, greens up earlier in spring. Used on football fields for its ruggedness.
• Tifway II – Improved mutant of Tifway; denser, more frost-tolerant, earlier spring green-up, slightly better quality.
• Tifgreen (Tifton 328) – Low-growing, rapid spread, relatively disease-resistant, dense weed-resistant turf. Fine texture and soft green leaves make it excellent for golf greens.
• Tifdwarf – Vegetative mutant from Tifgreen nursery. Very short with tiny leaves hugging the ground. Softer leaves, fewer seedheads than Tifgreen. Used on golf greens; less desirable for lawns.
• Tifsport (Tifton 94) – Emerald green, retains dark color later in fall. Low-growing, rapid spread, resists traffic injury.

Carpetgrass (Axonopus affinis)

Perennial, coarse-leaved, creeping grass for central/southern Georgia. Grows better on low, wet soils than other grasses. Tolerates sun or shade but less shade-tolerant than St. Augustine or centipedegrass. Planted by seed or sprigs. Not winter-hardy north of middle Georgia. Recommended only for wet, low-fertility, acid (pH 4.5–5.5) sandy soils where ease of establishment outweighs quality. Chief disadvantage: rapid seedhead production.

Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides)

Low, medium-textured, slow-growing but aggressive grass producing dense, attractive, weed-free turf. More shade-tolerant than bermuda but less than St. Augustine or zoysia. Spreads only by surface runners, easily controlled around borders. Well-adapted as far north as Atlanta and Athens.

Ideal for homeowners wanting an attractive, low-maintenance lawn. Needs little fertilizer or mowing, generally resistant to insects and diseases. Responds well to good management. Established from seed or sprigs; slower to cover than bermuda or St. Augustine.

Subject to "decline" problems preventable by proper management: avoid overfertilization, prevent thatch accumulation, irrigate during drought (especially fall), maintain 1–1.5 inch mowing height. Adapted to low-fertility soils pH 5.0–6.0 but grows best at 6.0–6.5. See Leaflets No. 313 and No. 177.

Zoysiagrasses (Zoysia spp.)

Several species/cultivars available in Georgia. Most adapted statewide, forming excellent turf when properly established and managed. For best appearance, most require reel mowing, periodic dethatching, and more frequent irrigation than other warm-season grasses. Form dense, attractive turf in full sun and partial shade but may thin in dense shade. Very slow-growing compared to other grasses. Usually established by sodding, plugging, or sprigging. 2-inch plugs on 6-inch centers cover in 12 months with proper care.

• Zoysia japonica – Japanese/Korean lawngrass or common zoysia. Coarse leaf texture, excellent cold tolerance like bermudas, can be seeded.
• Meyer zoysia (Z-52) – Improved selection of Z. japonica. Medium leaf texture, good cold tolerance, spreads faster than other zoysias. Often advertised as "super grass" – claims are partially true but not the whole story.
• Zoysia matrella (Manilagrass) – Less cold-tolerant than Z. japonica or Meyer but more than Emerald. Finer texture than Z. japonica/Meyer, coarser than Emerald.
• Emerald zoysia – Hybrid of Z. japonica and Z. tenuifolia developed in Tifton, GA. Dark green, very fine leaf texture, good shade tolerance, high shoot density, low growth habit. Develops excess thatch quickly if overfertilized; cold tolerance makes it susceptible to winter injury north of Atlanta. After mowing, new growth originates from plant base, leaving few brown stems. Moderately winter-hardy, fairly shade-tolerant, but grows slower in shade. Difficult to overseed due to thick growth.
• El Toro – Developed in California, resembles Meyer. Fastest-growing zoysia, tolerates rotary mowing, produces less thatch than Meyer. Winter hardiness not yet well established.

Zoysiagrasses are: (1) slow to cover completely (more costly to establish); (2) less drought-tolerant than common bermudagrass; (3) recommended only when homeowner accepts required maintenance. See Leaflet No. 395.

St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum)

Large flat stems, broad coarse leaves, attractive blue-green color, deep fairly dense turf. Spreads by long above-ground stolons; aggressive but easily controlled around borders. Few viable seeds; commonly planted vegetatively.

Most shade-tolerant warm-season grass in Georgia. Very susceptible to winter injury; plant with caution north of Atlanta/Athens. Greatest disadvantage: sensitivity to chinch bug, requiring frequent insecticide applications.

Common varieties: Bitter Blue (best shade tolerance, sensitive to chinch bugs and SADV), Floratine (finest leaf texture, susceptible to chinch bugs and SADV), Floratam (coarsest texture, resistant to chinch bug and SADV, less shade-tolerant).