A Guide to Florida-Friendly Landscaping A Guide to Florida-Fr ...

CHOOSING A LAWN GRASS
Grass is a good choice for areas with high recreational use, for erosion control or
for use in a swale to manage stormwater runoff. The table on page 39 provides
specifics on lawn grass types in Florida. When planning a grass area, be sure to
carefully consider which type is best for your site conditions and how much
maintenance each type will require. Groundcovers may be more successful and
practical in heavily shaded areas (such as under trees) or on steep slopes where
grass is difficult to maintain. Keep the factors below in mind when choosing a lawn
grass:
■ Drought tolerance. St. Augustinegrass will not thrive in some sites without
supplemental irrigation in dry times. Bahiagrass will survive without
supplemental irrigation by going into drought-induced dormancy, but it may
not form a lawn as dense as other grasses. Centipedegrass and zoysiagrass can
go for some time without water but require supplemental irrigation during
extended drought.
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Shade tolerance. St. Augustinegrass is generally the best lawn choice for
shady spots, but it does better with at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Dwarf
St. Augustinegrass cultivars such as ‘Delmar’ and ‘Seville’ are best for shaded
areas. For an area with less light than this, consider a more shade-tolerant
groundcover.
Wear tolerance. St. Augustinegrass and bahiagrass will show signs of wear
with repeated heavy use in the same spots. Most zoysiagrass cultivars wear
better.
Fertility requirements. Centipedegrass and bahiagrass have lower fertilizer
needs than St. Augustinegrass and zoysiagrass. A grass with higher fertility
needs generally requires more watering and pest control. When choosing a
grass type, the time and money you are willing to spend on maintenance is an
important consideration.
■Salt tolerance. St. Augustinegrass and zoysiagrass generally tolerate some salt
spray or saline water application, although a lot may hurt the grass over time.
Bermudagrass and seashore paspalum are more salt tolerant, but these species
are often too high maintenance for home lawns. Salt from some irrigation
sources will limit the use of bahiagrass in coastal areas.
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Climatic conditions. All the warm season grasses perform well in most parts of
Florida, although most centipedegrass cultivars do best in the northern parts of
the state.
Width of grass blade. Leaf textures may be coarse, medium or fine. Although
often preferred, the fine-textured leaf blades have higher maintenance
requirements.
Pest problems. Each species has some insect or disease problem that can
limit its use. St. Augustinegrass can have problems with chinch bugs, while
zoysiagrass is prone to hunting billbugs and brown patch disease. Bahiagrass
and centipedegrass typically have fewer pest problems.
Turfgrass Selection:
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