Grass Seed Types

A front yard without a lawn, seems awfully bare to me. But the thought of growing and maintaining a lawn seems like a very tiring prospect, especially if one is short on time and help. For an un-kept lawn looks just as bad as a bare front yard. To address this particular need, plenty of grass hybrids and cultivars have been developed, allowing individuals to pick as per their requirement and needs. Grass seed types come with their own characteristics, which makes them perfect for different needs.

Grass Seed Types

Grass is a herbaceous plant with narrow leaves and each blade growing directly from the ground or base. The different species of grass belongs to different families such as Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Juncaceae. Grasses used for lawns, turf, pitch or field all add either to an ornamental or utility value. Thus many grass seed types are available to suit different requirement; coarse grasses to much finer, softer grasses.

Grass Types
Grass types are classified as per their climatic suitability. Thus, it is very important to understand the climatic conditions of your location. The amount of rainfall, drought or hot duration, snowfall or frost and irrigation availability play a role in deciding the types of grass. Grass is basically classified as follows:

• Warm Season: This type of grass does exceed well with lots of heat and sunlight, but tends to brown when temperature drops.
• Cool Season: As the name suggest, they do well in cool winters, with regular intervals of rain, but do not thrive in very hot weather.
• Transitional Zone: This type is usually a combination or a mixture of the above two.

Warm Season	Cool Season	Transitional Zone
Buffalograss	Perennial Ryegrass	Thermal Blue
Carpetgrass	Annual Ryegrass	Tall Fescue
Zoysiagrass	Kentucky Bluegrass	Perennial Ryegras
Bahiagrass	Red Fescue	Zoysiagrass
Bermudagrass	Bentgrass	Kentucky Bluegrass
St. Augustinegrass	Rough Bluegrass	Bahiagrass

Grass Seed Planting
Once you have decided upon the grass seed type, it is time to prepare the lawn for seeding or sowing seeds. Using seeds is the most inexpensive way to grow grass as compared to other methods. Work with the seed vendor to determine the quantity of seeds. For smaller areas, one can sow seeds by themselves, but larger spaces either need equipment or personnel help.

The time of sowing is determined by the type of grass seeds. Till the soil and amend pH balance or fertility by adding the required fertilizers or organic compost. Level the soil by removing all soil lumps or gravel. Scatter seeds, one can do it with hands or use a mechanical seed dispenser. Scatter evenly, too much crowding or thinning will result in an uneven growth. Once the seed is scattered, rake lightly to cover and finally compact the seeds. It is advisable to mulch with straw and water, to speed the germination process. Grass sprigs will sprout within a week or so.

Growing grass well needs regular watering, and timely fertilizing, weeding and mowing. While choosing grass seed types one must pay good attention to its intended use, climate and environmental (temperature, rainfall and exposure to sunlight) adaptability.