In this article, we will discuss southern grass in detail, and discover each grass variety and how to care for it.
What are Southern Lawns
Southern grass is summer grass. They grow strongly during the summer. These grasses are less hardy and usually turn brown in winter. They thrive in the softer winter climates of the southeast and southwest United States.
They thrive in warm temperatures of between 80° and 95° F. They should be fertilized once they have started growing in the spring and throughout the summer. You can plant them in late spring to summer.
What Grasses Grow Best in The South
To Choose the best turfgrass for your southern lawn, you should pay attention to the following two factors; how much sun your lawn will receive and also take into account the geographic location within the warm season lawn area.
The following are the main grass choices for southern grasses, including: bermudagrass, St Augustine, centipedes, zoysia, tall fescue, and buffalograss.
Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon).
This grass is dark green, smooth, and thick. The character of this grass is, like moisture and acid soil, drought and heat resistance.
However, you will need to water, fertilize and trim them regularly to make them look better. Bermuda grass grow very quickly, so be careful not to attack your flower beds.
Zoysia
Zoysia grass (Zoysie japonica), this dark green to gray green grass, is a fine grass that requires good drainage and acidic soil.
It likes to grow in full sun, bright shade. Highly heat and drought tolerant, this grass grows so dense that it locks out weeds. Zoysia is also resistant to cold weather.
Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum)
It likes moist conditions and acidic soil. South America is their origin. This grass is hairy and rough and dark green in color. Bahia grass has a deep root system and is also drought tolerant and poor soil tolerant.
The nutritional requirements of this grass are low. It turns brown in winter. This grass is not suitable for growing in areas with salty air.
St Augustine (Stenotaphium secundatum)
This blue-green grass grows coarsely in moist and acidic soil. It can grow in full sun, and shade. It tolerates salty sea breezes and sandy soil, so it is very popular in Florida and along the Gulf Coast. St Augustine is a very cold-hardy warm season grass.
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides)
Buffalo grass is a perennial native to the Great Plains from Montana to New Mexico. Buffalo grass is smooth, hairy and gray green in color. It likes dry conditions and alkaline soil. It will not grow well in the shade.
Centipede grass (Eremuchloa ophiuroides)
This grass is light green in color. It is from Southeast Asia and China. Characteristics of thick, rough, and likes moist, sandy, and acidic soil. This grass does not require much fertilization. Grows in the sun and in the shade. In winter, the grass is still green.
How to Take Care of a Southern Lawn?
You can take care of it by mowing, watering, removing hay, aerating, and fertilizing your lawn regularly. Mowing is important in the spring and summer when the grass is growing the most.
Beware of moss. Moss can be an indicator of poor drainage. If your lawn holds rainwater, you can do aeration, remove hay, or install a drainage system
Water your warm-season lawns in the spring to help them out of the dormant winter months. Keep an eye on the amount of rainfall each week.
Try to aerate and remove straw annually in late spring. Aeration and dethatching are especially important if your area has heavy clay.
Fertilize during active growth, that is, in the summer. Fertilization can be done every 4 to 6 weeks. The last fertilizer is applied about 8 weeks before the first cold weather.
Seed and keep an eye on your southern lawn in late spring or early summer.
So, you know about what are southern lawns, hopefully this article is useful. Happy gardening