With the ideal soil preparation, starting a lawn in a bright, open area that receives full sun can be as simple as binder some grass seed and watering it frequently. In case you’ve got a great deal of sun, live in an area with ample rain and imprisoned on your yard infrequently, maintaining the grass healthy is probably no problem. Many homeowners, nevertheless, struggle to seed and grow a lawn in a yard that’s shady, dry or sees a lot of foot traffic. In these scenarios, it’s important to plant the right type of seed or seed blend. There are lots of options for homeowners who have to seed a problem area within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 and 9. The best grass seed for you can handle the unique conditions found in your yard.
Color
Since most grasses adore sun, it can be difficult to grow seed in nesting areas of the yard. Fine fescue (Festuca) is one of the few shade-loving bud varieties available. These grasses are often utilized in shade-grass blends because they can thrive in very shady locations. Fescues will tolerate warm slopes as well as cold winters, blend well with other grasses and require little in the way of watering or fertilizing. Some specific fescue varieties to search for are creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra), chewing fescue (Festuca rubra commutate) and sheep fescue (Festuca ovina). Other shade-tolerant bud varieties include rough-stalked bluegrass (Poa trivialis), carpet grass (Axonopus affinis), centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides), seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) and bahia grass (paspalum notatum).
High Traffic Areas
Certain grass varieties are somewhat delicate and don’t succeed in high traffic locations. Lawns that often see children, dogs or sporting actions have to be seeded with grass that may take some abuse and still thrive. Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) both hold up in high traffic locations. A possible disadvantage of ryegrass is that its clumping growth pattern prevents it from spreading as readily as Bermuda grass. This does, however, make ryegrass a lot easier to keep out of flower beds and stone walkways. Another high traffic option is turf-type tall fescue (Festuca elatior). Fescues typically do badly in high traffic areas, but tall fescue is the exception to this rule. Tall fescue does require dense seeding, however, because it also rises in a clumping pattern.
Drought-Prone Regions
If you live in a drought-prone place, then it’s necessary to plant drought-tolerant grass seeds. Otherwise, your lawn is going to be a big brown bare spot each summer once the rain does not come. Although all grasses may battle during prolonged dry periods, planting drought-resistant seed will possess your yard looking green and lush more than lawns with greater water requirements. Turf-type tall fescue, bahia grass, Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum all work well in drought-prone places. Other drought-tolerant varieties include zoysia grass (Zoysia), buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) and blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis).
Low Maintenance
Some people today live for yard work. They discover peace and comfort whilst tending the garden and mowing the lawn. If you’re none of these people, select a very low maintenance grass seed which lets you enjoy a lush, green yard without devoting all of your free time to its maintenance. Most fescue varieties, such as tall fescue, buffalo grass, bahia grass, zoysia and centipede grass are very low maintenance. Another easy-care alternative is St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum). Unfortunately, St. Augustine grass has to be started with plugs or sod, because the plant does not seed reliably and it’s very difficult to locate St. Augustine in seed form.