Lawn Grass Comparison Chart - © Copyright 2008

Types of Grass Review and Comparisons - Which Grass is Best For Your Lawn?
	Bahia	Bentgrass(fine)	Bermuda	Buffalo	Carpet	Centipede	Tall Fescue	St. Augustine	Zoysia
Season Type	Warm	Cool	Warm	Warm	Warm	Warm	Cool	Warm	Warm
Ideal For:	Low maintenance, poor soils, and mild winters.	Low to moderate traffic and a luxurious look and feel in moist, cooler climates.	High traffic, barefoot play, and beautiful green color.	Low maintenance and dry weather in the Great Plains.	Low effort groundcover in damp areas with moderate traffic.	Thick, low maintenance lawn in the Deep South.	Deep green color, luxurious look, and active play tolerance from mid-Georgia to southern California northward.	Coastal areas, very warm temperatures, and moist soils.	High traffic, moderate maintenance lawns as far north as D.C. and Little Rock.
Soil Types	Clay, sand, loam, or mix	Light clay, sandy or loamy mix; well-drained.	Clay, sand, loam, or mix.	Clay and loam; No sand or salt.	Sandy or damp soils but no salt.	Sandy, clay and loam.	Clay and loamy soils.	Sandy and loamy soils. Extra work for clay.	Sand, clay, or loam but with good drainage.
Soil Ph	5.5 - 6.5	5.5 - 6.0	5.5 - 7.5	7.0 - 7.5	5 - 5.5	4.5 - 5.5	5.5 - 6.5	6.5 - 7.5	6.0 - 7.0
Summer Temps	To 115º F 90º+ for best growth	To 90º F	To 115º F 90º+ for best growth	To 100º F	To 85º F	To 110º F	To 100º F	To 115º F	To 115º F
Winter Temps	To 10º F	To 15º F	To -8º F	To 15º F	To 35º F	To 30º F	To -20º F	To 35º F	To 0º F
Sun / Shade	Partial Shade to Full Sun	Light Shade to Moderate Sun	Full Sun	Full Sun	Partial Shade to Moderate Sun	Light Shade to Full Sun	Partial Shade to Full Sun	Moderate Shade to Full Sun	Light Shade to Full Sun
Density	Thin to Moderate	Moderate	Moderate to Thick	Moderate	Thick	Moderate	Moderate to Thick	Thick	Thick
Ideal Mow Height	1.5 to 3 inches	.75 to 1 inches	.25 to 1.5 inches	2 to 3 inches	1 - 2 inches	2 - 3 inches	2 - 4 inches	2 - 3 inches	2 - 3 inches
Mowing Frequency (growing season)	6 - 10 days	Twice weekly w/ reel mower	1 - 2 times per week	Weekly	1 - 2 weeks	6 - 8 days	Weekly	Weekly	1 - 2 times per week (reel mower is best)
Bag or Mulch	Mulch	Either	Alternate	Either	Mulch	Bag	Mulch	Alternate	Alternate
Thatch Problems	Low	High	Moderate	Low	Low	Moderate	Low	Moderate	Low to Moderate
Drought Tolerance	High	Low	Moderate - High	High	Low	High	Moderate	Low	Moderate
Disease Problems	Low	Low	Low to Moderate	Low	Moderate	Low	Moderate	Moderate	Low
Common Diseases / Pests	Mole crickets, dollar spot	Dollar spot	Nematodes, white grubs, spring dead spot	Mealybug, webworm, chinch bug	White grubs, mole crickets, armyworms, brown patch	Nematodes, ground pearls, dollar spot and brown patch	Brown patch, Pythium blight, nematodes, ants, slugs, and moles	Chinch bugs, St. Augustine Decline (SAD)	Zoysia patch, mole crickets, grubs, sod webworms, armyworms
Weed Issues	High	Low	Moderate	Moderate, particularly broadleaf weeds	Low	Low	Moderate	Low	Low
Kid / Pet Friendly	Yes, for large pets. Wear shoes. Grass is coarse.	No. Does not tolerate traffic well.	Yes though dog urine kills the grass.	Yes, for large pets. Wear shoes. Grass is coarse.	Yes, but thrives in wet, soggy areas that may not be ideal for play.	Somewhat. Is a low traffic grass.	Yes, very much so!	With lighter traffic, yes.	Yes.
Fertilizer Demands	3 times per year	3 times per year	Every 1 - 2 months during growing season	Twice during growing season	Once per year	Once or twice per growing season	4 - 5 times per year	3 times per year	3 - 4 time per year
Seed, Sod, Plugs	Seed, Sod, Plugs	Seed	Seed (common or improved), Plugs & Sod (hybrid)	Seed, Sod, Plugs	Seed	Sod, Plugs	Seed, Sod	Sod, Plugs	Seed (not ideal), Sod or Plugs (best)
Average Cost for New Lawn	Low	Low to Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Low	High	Low (seed) - High (sod)	Moderate	High
Overall Effort To Maintain	Low	High	Moderate - High	Low	Very Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate