St. Augustine Grass

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 St. Augustine Grass is a popular warm season choice, it is different than many of the other choices when it comes to maintenance. St. Augustine Grass is actually rated moderate to high when it comes to amount of upkeep required. The other concern is that it is not as adaptable to soil conditions as other warm season choices. For St. Augustine grass to do well the soil conditions must be fertile and there must be drainage present. This grass likes regular watering best as long as that drainage is in place. As is fairly common with other warm climate grasses, this choice does not do well with exposure to cold weather or drought conditions. What the St. Augustine grass is best known and loved for is its broad, dark green blades of grass. It also happens to be one of the most shade tolerant choices among the warm season grass choices. Not to mention it is also great with adapting to handle salty soil, salt spray and plenty of heat. St. Augustine is great because it only needs to be mowed about twice a month..

Strengths: Shade tolerance, drought tolerance, deep rooting potential, and rapid establishment.

Weaknesses: Cold tolerance, disease potential, traffic tolerance, and chinch bugs.

Recommended Mowing Height:  3.5-4.0  inches

Recommended Mowing Frequency: Weekly using a rotary mower

Fertilization Requirements: 2 to 4 lbs N per 1,000 ft2 per year. Single application rates should range from 0.5 to 1 lb of N per 1,000 ft2 applied during the summer growing season 

Bermuda grass is one of the most popular choices for warmer weather climates. Part of the reason for this is its ability to withstand heat. In fact, this type of grass is even ideal for potential drought conditions. Bermuda is a warm-season, fine-textured turfgrass that spreads laterally by rhizomes and stolons. It is an extremely drought-hardy, durable, and versatile turfgrass that can be used in many settings included golf courses, athletic fields, home lawns, and as utility turf. Due to its ability to establish and grow quickly, and withstand high traffic, this is also a popular choice for sports fields, Golf Greens, and Parks. This obviously means Bermuda grass is a great choice for your own yard if it will be seeing high traffic and outdoor use. The thing to keep in mind is that Bermuda grass is not ideal for shade and will begin to thin in shaded areas.

Strengths: Drought tolerance, heat tolerance, deep rooting potential, durability, good recuperative potential, salinity tolerance, rapid establishment rate, and low disease potential.

Weaknesses: Shade tolerance, frequent mowing requirement and a moderate to high fertilization requirement.

Recommended Mowing Height: Home Lawns: 1-2 inches (Rotary mower); Golf and Athletic Turf: 0.75 to 1 inch (Reel mower); Dwarfs & Ultra-dwarfs: ≤ 0.15 inches (Reel mower)

Recommended Mowing Frequency: Home Lawns: Weekly using a rotary mower; Golf and Athletic Turf: Daily to weekly using a rotary or reel mower; Putting Greens: Daily using a reel mower. 

Fertilization Requirements: 0.5 to 1 lb N per 1,000 ft2 per month during the summer growing season; 2 to 6 total lbs N per 1,000 ft2 per year. Single application rates should range from 0.5 to 1 lb of N per 1,000 ft2.

Centipede grass is known for its exceptional heat tolerance and very low maintenance requirements making it suitable for growing in warmer and humid regions, in less-fertile soils. . A preferred of lawn owners interested in minimal upkeep This grass is a medium-textured, low and slow growing but aggressive grass that can produce a dense, attractive, weed-free turf. It is more shade tolerant than bermudagrass but less shade tolerant than St. Augustine and zoysia. Since centipedegrass produces stolons but not rhizomes, it is easily controlled around borders of flower beds and walks.   Centipede, also known as ‘lazy man’s grass’, is a popular creeping lawn grass, Unlike other warm-season grasses, such as Zoysia, it can survive through mild winters, remaining green, though longer spells of cold weather may kill it.  Centipede  grows well in sandy, moderately acidic soil with a pH of 5 to 6. On the other hand, it responds poorly to alkaline soils that have a high salt content, resulting in an iron deficiency, thereby limiting growth. 

Strengths:Drought tolerance, heat tolerance, Low mowing and fertilization requirement, performs well in acidic soils, low maintenance, and low disease potential.

Weaknesses:Shade tolerance, cold tolerance, traffic tolerance, and high ph and herbicide injury.

Recommended Mowing Height: Home Lawns: 1.5-2 inches (Rotary mower)

Recommended Mowing Frequency: Home Lawns: Weekly using a rotary mower; 

Fertilization Requirements: 1 to 2 lbs of N per 1,000 ft2 per year. Single application rates should range from 0.5 to 1 lb of N per 1,000 ft2 applied during the summer growing season.