Top 5 Things You Must Know About Warm Season Grass
Warm season grass as the name suggests, are those grass species that grow well in warm season. They’re usually sun loving, drought resistant and durable. Lawn owners who don’t have enough time for lawn care often find warm season grass as a suitable choice. Warm season grasses are usually found in the southern part of the United States, where temperatures can range as high as 80 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months.
Warm weather grass is easy to maintain despite the warm and sometimes hot temperature of the locations where they are often found. While some species are indigenous, others were originally imported from other geographical locations.
In this article, we have discussed the top 5 things you must know about warm season grass. You will learn more about various grass species in this category, their specific features and attributes and why choosing them could be great for your lawn yard.
Let’s get started right away!
Why Warm Season Grass?
If you’ve ever asked, ’what are warm season grasses?’ The meaning is in the name. Grasses that perform well in warm climates are known as warm season grasses. Examples include Buffalo grass, Bermuda grass and St. Augustine grass. Planting grass species that grow in the cold season in warm season locations will be disastrous. The grass will simply not fare well compared to a warm season one.
5 Top Things to Know About Warm Season Grasses
In our experience, these are the top 5 things to know about this category of grass in order to get lovely results:
Mowing Height Is Important
Proper mowing is important for the health of lawn grass. If lawn grass is cut too low, it can affect the health and growth of the lawn. Though warm season grass can endure low cutting, doing it frequently can lead to problems. By far the most common problem of cutting low is balding and patchy growth.
When this happens, the likely solution is to overseed the lawn as soon as possible to trigger fresh growth of new grass. While cutting your lawn, do not cut less than 2-3 inches of length of the grass. Cutting lower than this means scalping which isn’t good for the lawn’s health. Hiring a lawn mowing service for professional mowing is often the best way to handle lawn mowing.
Be Attentive During the Winter Months
Grass starts going dormant from autumn as the temperature drops. It’s important to observe your lawn as summer ends and autumn begins to be certain that it gets all the care and maintenance it needs. Winter season can be brutal even in locations where there’s little snow.
Prepare your warm weather grass, remove debris, overseed where necessary, add nutrient supplements and continue to water frequently. Winter lawn care is less involved than in other seasons so it’s important to take autumn lawn care a bit more seriously before dormancy sets in. With proper preparation in autumn, if dormancy sets in, the grasses will suffer a lot of strain.
Water Regularly
As much as warm season grass can do well even in heat, regular watering is still advised to keep it hydrated. The soil type, grass species and condition of the location will determine how often watering will be needed. Do not over-water the lawn and ensure it’s done at the right time of the day.
Early morning watering before 10 am when the sun is fully out is the perfect time to water the lawn. Absorption of water is high at this time of the day. Avoid evening lawn watering as it can cause fungal problems on the lawn. In terms of frequency, water when it looks like the grass needs it or simply space it out to 2 or 3 times a week for efficient results.
Sunlight is Important
Warm season grass loves the sunlight, a lot of it. On average, warm weather grasses need more sunlight than cool season grasses. Allow your warm season lawn to benefit from exposure to the sunlight as much as possible. If there are shade trees in your property, doing some pruning can improve sunlight penetration to the grass below. Remove all shades from the lawn if possible to give the grass a chance of having up to 6-8 hours sunlight daily. By doing this, the grass grows in good health, looks beautiful and enhances the general appearance of your turf.
Winter Requires Preparation
Unlike cool season grasses that thrive in winter, warm season grasses go dormant during winter. It’s important to prepare for the winter season ahead of time. Consult with a lawn care service on the effective ways to protect warm season grass against winter cold. Suggestions include eliminating drainage issues, mowing correctly and applying organic fertilizer in fall so the plants have enough nutrients during dormancy.
Common Warm Season Grass Species to Consider
Listed below are quality warm season grass species homeowners can consider for their lawn yards. These grass types grow well in warm climates and make a good lawn.
Buffalo Grass
This grass is native to Texas and loves sunlight. It is soft, drought-resistant, and heat-resistant and does well in heat. Buffalo grass is the go-to grass of southern lawn owners.
Bermuda grass
Bermuda grass loves sunlight, does well in heat, is drought-resistant and requires good water drainage. Bermuda grass doesn’t love shade.
Zoysia Grass
This beautiful grass special is sun-loving and tough but isn’t water resistant. In fact, Zoysia needs a lot of watering to grow in good health. It is shade tolerant too.
St. Augustine Grass
St Augustine Grass does everything well. However, it requires consistent lawn care to be at its optimum development.
For lawn grass to perform well, it has to be the right species for your climate. GOMOW Lawn Care Service provides lawn owners with an exceptional lawn care service in Texas. Knowing the above 5 top things about your lawn is important for a sustainable lawn care lifestyle.
Check out our lawn mowing service on GOMOW by visiting – https://gomow.com/lawn-care/
