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Grass Guide 411

By: Felicia Feaster

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Find out all you need to know about the best types of lawn for your region, lawn alternatives and how to care for your grass.

zoysiagrass

Photo: Image courtesy of Bayer CropScience

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Zoysia Grass

Heat-tolerant zoysia grass is a good option for homeowners with tough soil conditions.

Buffalo Grass

Photo: Image Courtesy of Bayer CropScience

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Buffalo Grass

Buffalo grass is a warm season grass that is low-maintenance and drought-resistant.

Kentucky bluegrass

Photo: Image courtesy of Bayer CropScience

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Kentucky Bluegrass

Thick, vibrant Kentucky bluegrass is a classic choice for homeowners.

Rye grass

Photo: Image courtesy of Bayer CropScience

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Rye Grass

Fast-growing and resilient, rye fares best in areas with a consistent temperature and lots of moisture.

Bermuda Grass

Photo: Image courtesy of Bayer CropScience

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Bermuda Grass

Bermuda is a hardy, drought-resistant grass perfect for high traffic areas.

Fescue

Photo: Image courtesy of Bayer CropScience

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Fescue Grass

Fescue is shade tolerant and popular due to its adaptability to both warm and cool climates.

When it comes to cutting the grass, less is more. Don’t scalp your lawn, especially cool season varieties or “bunch” grasses- as they may not recover. A good rule of thumb- never cut more than the top third of the blade off; otherwise, it could stress the plant and cause unsightly browning. Cool season grass has an ideal height of around 2-4 inches tall. Warm season grasses are shorter and may require more sessions pushing that mower!

Photo: Flynnside Out Productions

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How to Mow

Now that you've chosen the perfect grass, it's important to learn the best way to mow.

Rotary spreader with Fertilizer

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Lawn Care Tips

Regular lawn care, such as fertilizing, will help keep your yard in great shape.

Traditional Garden Beds and Lawn Inside a Brick Wall

Photo: Mary Palmer Dargan ©

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Show Off Your Lawn

Clean edges help set off your lawn and make it an attractive, inviting space.

Thatch is essentially dead or dying grass shoots and a little bit (less than ½ inch) of it is actually good for your lawn, but too much thatch can suffocate it. For warm season grasses, early spring is the perfect time to rake away this debris that can encourage pests and disease. An intense removal of thatch can be rough on your lawn so make sure you do it at the beginning of a growth period so your lawn can recover properly. For heavy thatch removal (more than 1” thick), consider a power rake; otherwise, a stiff yard rake should do the trick.

Photo: Flynnside Out Productions

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Prep for Winter

It's not all about mowing in the summer: lawns need TLC when cold season approaches too.

Dandelions Growing

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Lawn Weeds

Unfortunately, more than dandelions can plague a lawn. Get acquainted with all lawn weeds and how to eradicate them from your space.

Stone Pavers in Lush Lawn With Surrounding Trees

Photo: D.A. Horchner/Design Workshop, Inc.. From: Mike Albert

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Less Grass!

Reduce lawn care tasks by exploring alternatives to traditional grass lawns, such as sections of pavers.

Plants and Flowers Along Stone Walkway

Photo: Jan Johnsen

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More Groundcovers

Many plants, such as yellow Japanese forest grass, will fill in around lawn paths.

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