St. Augustine

Good for Central and South Texas regions, thrives in heat, does poorly in cool climates. Excellent to fair under drought conditions. Moderately good under heavy foot traffic. Somewhat shade tolerant. Can be used in moist, semi-fertile soils. At the moment, most common installation method is thru sodding.

HIGHLIGHTS: Compared to finer textured grasses like the Bermudas, St. Augustine has large flat stems and broad coarse leaves. It has an attractive blue-green color and forms a deep, fairly dense turf. It spreads by long above-ground runners.While it is aggressive, it is easily controlled around borders. It produces only a few viable seeds and is therefore commonly planted by sodding.

St. Augustine grass is a big thatch producer, more so than other types of grass. It also requires plenty of moisture and is best suited to humid regions. Has good shade tolerance, but is susceptible to fungal diseases. 

Most common forms of St. Augustine grass in Texas are:

·  Palmetto: Good in coastal and island areas and is rapidly being positioned as a standard St. Augustine, having proved itself repeatedly since 1994. Prefers heat but will handle cold better than other types of St. Augustine. Performs well in both full sun and partial shade; has a natural resistance to cinch bugs.

·  Raleigh: somewhat more cold-hardy, but does not hold up to summer heat as well as other St. Augustine's. Has been adapted to grow in heavier, clay-like soils.

·         Texture: coarse

·         Cold Tolerance: Poor (damage possible below 20)

·         Shade Tolerance: tolerates moderate levels of shade, but will become thin under dense shade conditions.

·         Traffic Tolerance: not recommended for high traffic areas

·         Rate of Establishment: Medium/Fast

·         Planting: sod

·         Watering: needs weekly watering for optimal appearance, but will survive drought conditions

·         Mowing Height: 3.5" - 4" for normal St. Augustine cultivars

·         Common Pests: grubs, chinch bugs, mole crickets, sod webworms, armyworms, and cutworms

WARNING: an ingredient in many weed/feed products (2,4-D) that were designed for cool-season grasses like Bermuda and  can kill St. Augustine. If you intend to use a weed/feed product, make sure it is labeled for St. Augustine grass use.

Fertilizing Newly Planted St. Augustine Sod

According to university studies, it is best to wait at least one month before fertilizing newly placed St. Augustine grass sod. During that first month, there is little root development or activity. This means that the turf grass is not actively absorbing the nutrients and it is more likely that these nutrients will migrate away from the roots and there is greater risk these elements may enter the watershed.

Bermuda

Common Bermuda grass is drought resistant, grows on many soils, and makes a good turf if fertilized and mowed right. Common Bermuda grass produces many unsightly seed heads, but in spite of this fault, it frequently is used on home lawns due to the ease and economy of establishment.

Bermuda grass is also a major turf species for sports fields, parks, golf courses, and general utility turfs.

Prefers full sun, drought resistant, can withstand heavy traffic.

Turns brown with the first drop in temperature. There are more cold tolerant varieties available. In warmer tropical areas, Bermuda retains a beautiful green color year round. This is a very aggressive grass and flower beds or other areas will be quickly overrun if not kept in check. Once established it is very difficult to remove due to its extensive root system.

·         Texture: common Bermuda has a medium texture. Hybrid Bermuda is fine

·         Cold Tolerance: good (some more than others)

·         Shade Tolerance:: not recommended for shady area

·         Traffic: good

·         Watering: tolerates drought, but needs water weekly to remain green

·         Mowing Height: varies between 1/2" — 2"

First mowing of the season: after danger of hard freezes has passed, set your mower to lower than normal to remove as much dead top-growth as possible. Normally in mid-March when the soil temperature is around 55. Don't mow below 1/2" or you could damage the plant. Bag the clippings for this first mowing. Lawn will turn green when soil temperature warms to 60-65. Once the lawn has greened, mow at your normal height (2" for common and 1 — 1-1/2" for hybrids).

Never reduce the height of your lawn by more than one-third when mowing. Removing more than this can cause scalping and may take a long time to recover, during which, the grass is more susceptible to stress and further damage.

·         Pests: dead spot, mole crickets, sod webworms, armyworms, and dollar spot

·         Aeration: may be aerated any time during the growing season as long as the lawn is not experiencing a drought. Aeration is not recommended after the lawn has gone dormant.

Hybrid Bermuda Grasses:

Compared with common bermuda, these grasses have more disease resistance, greater turf density, better weed resistance, fewer seed heads, finer and softer texture and a more favorable color. They also produce no viable seed and must be planted by vegetative means of sodding.

The hybrids also require more intensive maintenance for best appearance. Frequent fertilization and close mowing, edging, and dethatching are needed to keep them attractive.

·         Tifway (419)– dark green, fine texture, dense

·         Tifway II– dark green, fine texture, dense, tolerates colder temperatures

·         Tifgreen (328)– medium green, fine texture, very dense

·         Midway– dark green, medium texture, dense, tolerates colder temperatures

Over seeding Bermuda Grass

Bermuda grass can be over seed to maintain a green appearance throughout the winter months by planting a cool season grass such as annual rye. Annual rye cannot withstand the summer heat and will die as temperatures rise.

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Buffalo grass

Buffalo grass is, perhaps, our only truly native turf grass in North America. Its tolerance to prolonged droughts and to extreme temperatures together with its seed producing characteristics enables Buffalo grass to survive extreme environmental conditions.

Buffalo grass is not adapted to shaded sites or to sites that receive heavy traffic. Also, under intensive management Bermuda grass and other more aggressive grasses tend to replace Buffalo grass in the lawn.

Buffalo grass does offer many advantages for a low maintenance turf and is gaining acceptance and popularity in the South. Buffalo grass thrives in neutral or alkaline clay soil, even heavy clay soil. It is native to our short grass prairie region. Drought tolerance is its best feature. A lush buffalo grass turf requires only 50% of the water requirements than most other grasses.

Buffalo grass Maintenance

Mowing requirements are infrequent; once a month is sufficient, once a year for a naturalistic landscape. Fertilization is not only unnecessary, but harmful. Topdressing your buffalo turf with ½" to ¾" of compost in the fall is helpful.

Water: occasionally

Fertilization: little. Too much fertilizer (nitrogen) actually weakens the plant

Mowing height: 2" — 3"

Pests: chinch bugs, leaf spot

Zoysia grass

Zoysia grass is extremely drought tolerant. Although it does turn straw colored under severe drought conditions, it has the capacity to respond to subsequent irrigation or rainfall. Its water requirements are similar to those of Bermuda grass. The leaf blades of Zoysia grass are among the first to roll under drought conditions, thus it tends to conserve moisture more effectively than other species. Zoysia grass also has a deep root system allowing it to more effectively extract water from greater soil depths.

Zoysia grass is nearly as salt tolerant as Bermuda grass. It is widely grown along sandy seashores where drainage is adequate. Zoysia grass does not tolerate poorly drained soils whether they are saline or otherwise.

Zoysia grasses are among the most wear tolerant turf grasses. However, their slow rate of growth gives them poor recuperative potential.

·         Shade tolerance: fair/good

·         Cold tolerance: good

·         Traffic: fair/good

·         Rate of establishment: slow

·         Fertilization: regular feeding

·         Watering: weekly regular, but will tolerate some drought conditions

·         Mowing height: 3/4" - 2"

• Overseeding: is not recommended for Zoysia lawns. The lawn's dense structure prohibits the growth of any cool-season grasses to maintain a green appearance throughout the winter months

First mowing should be done while the Zoysia is still dormant. Mow at about the 1" height to remove as much dead top growth as possible. This should only be done after danger of a hard freeze has passed. The dormant grass blades acts as insulation.

Pests: Zoysia patch, mole crickets, grubs, sod webworms, armyworms

Fertilizing Newly Planted Zoysia Sod

According to university studies, it is best to wait at least one month before fertilizing newly placed Zoysia grass sod. During that first month, there is little root development or activity. This means that the turfgrass is not actively absorbing the nutrients and it is more likely that these nutrients will migrate away from the roots and there is greater risk these elements may enter the watershed.

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