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What is the Best Turf Grass for North Texas?

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What is the Best Turf Grass for North Texas?

There is not a perfect turf grass for North Texas.  The most common turf grasses for lawns in North Texas include Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysias.

Common Bermuda grass is the most popular.  It is inexpensive, easy to install, holds up well to foot traffic, and has a pleasant appearance.  Common Bermuda is not shade tolerant.  It requires approximately six (6) hours of sunlight.  Common Bermuda grows easily, and spreads.  It will invade your planting beds if you do not have a barrier.  It can be planted from seeds or sod.  Bermuda can stand up to our hot summer sun and is also very winter-hearty.

St. Augustine grass is the next most popular.  It is also inexpensive, easy to install, an holds up fairly well to foot traffic, but not as well as Common Bermuda.  The appearance is pleasant and it has a thicker blade than Common Bermuda.  St. Augustine is more shade tolerant than Common Bermuda, and requires only four (4) hours of sunlight.  St. Augustine grows easily, and spreads.  It is also invasive to your planting beds if you do not have a barrier.  St. Augustine can only be planted as sod.  St. Augustine is the lion of the grasses.  St. Augustine will over-take Bermuda or Zoysias.  St. Augustine needs more water than Bermuda, can stand up to our hot summer sun, but is not as winter-hearty as Bermuda.

Zoysias are still being tested.  Zoysia is showing promise, as it is in between the Common Bermuda, and St. Augustine.  So far, it can stand up to our hot summer heat, and has been cold tolerant.  Zoysia is not as shade tolerant as St. Augustine, but is more shade tolerant than Common Bermuda.  Unfortunately, there is just not enough experience with Zoysia to name it as a great grass for North Texas.  It will take at least another decade to determine the ranking for Zoysia in North Texas.

Selecting the Correct Grass for Your Landscape

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Selecting the Correct Grass for Your Landscape

Selecting the correct grass for your specific landscape, and soil, is very important to having a successful landscape.  First, you should take a soil sample from each area of your landscape and have it tested.

There are home soil test that can be done.  Usually, garden centers, nurseries, Home Depot, and Lowes have home testing kits.  Also, many county extension services offer soil testing.  Contact your county extension agent, or lawn care professional, to see if they offer soil testing and for their procedure.

Grasses are divided into two categories.  There are Warm Season grasses and Cool Season grasses.  Warm Season grasses include St. Augustine, Bermuda, Buffalo, Centipede, Zoysia Japonica, and Zoysia Matrella.  Cool Season grasses include Annual Bluegrass, Annual Ryegrass, Canada Bluegrass, Chewing Fescue, Colonial Bentgrass, Creeping Bentgrass, Hard Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Red Fescue, Rough Bluegrass, Sheeps Fescue, and Tall Fescue.

Selecting the correct grass for your landscape will depend on your location, soil composition, and specific landscape need.

Bermuda Grass

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Bermuda Grass

Bermuda grass is a Warm Season grass.  Bermuda is a strong grass in warm climates.  It has a low shade tolerance, usually requiring a minimum of six (6) hours of sunlight.  Its water requirement is medium to low compared to other Warm Season grasses.

Bermuda grass has a medium to high tolerance to salinity, and a medium tolerance to cold, usually not surviving temperatures less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  Additionally it has a high tolerance to traffic, and has a medium to low disease potential.  Bermuda grass should be mowed every three to seven (3-7) days, and should be maintained at a height of one inch to two inches (1.0” – 2.0”).

Bermuda grass can be grown from seed or from sod.  There are many different varieties on Bermuda grass.  The Common Bermuda is mostly adapted for lawns, however, there are also many hybrid varieties including Celebration Bermuda, Quickstand Bermuda, Texas Turf 10 Bermuda, Tifgreen 328 Bermuda, Tifway 419 Bermuda.

In the correct areas of the country, Bermuda grass is one of the strongest grasses available.