Lawn areas around homes provide space for your family's outdoor recreational needs and offer aesthetically pleasing backdrops for other landscape plantings. Lawns and grass also contain many environmental benefits, for example:
- Stabilizes soil against water and wind erosion
- Increases water infiltration into the soil
- Helps recharge groundwater supplies
- Lowers storm water runoff
Research has demonstrated that storm water runoff from a healthy, relatively dense lawn rarely occurs, even on modest slopes. In fact, in all but very intense rainfall occurrences, stormwater runoff from a healthy, relatively dense lawn is at or near zero.
Proper mowing, watering, and fertilizing practices develop a lawn that needs less chemicals to control weed, insect, and disease problems. This is particularly true when you have established your lawn with improved grass type varieties. These improved grass types generally provide a denser grass cover that is more resistant to insect and disease damage, more tolerant of drought, and has lower fertility requirements.
The reduction of chemical use contributes to a more balanced natural environment. Buy a premium grass seed variety, mixture or blend suitable for your area.
There are many different grass types available. Below you will find some tips for selecting the right grass type for your lawn:
- Cool-season grass types are best for northern regions. Originally imported from Europe, examples of the main grass types found in the cool-season area today are Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, Fine Fescues, and Bentgrass.
- For mostly sunny areas (more than 4 hours per day) you should use a sunny mix grass type, for example Kentucky Bluegrasses, Perennial Rye and Fine Bladed Fescues.
For shaded areas you should use a shade tolerant grass type that is high in Fine Bladed Fescues and no Kentucky Bluegrasses. - Warm-season grass types are best for southern climates, for example in the USA this would be south of a line that extends from Arizona to North Carolina. Originally imported from Africa and the Caribbean, warm-season grass types include Bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, Bahiagrass, Centipedegrass, Carpetgrass, Zoysiagrass and Buffalograss.
Consult your local garden center to find the right mix of grass types for your lawn.
