Turfgrass wars

By Emma Peterson. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to choosing a grass for a lawn, especially in a transition zone — but there are things to consider!  

Most homeowners look outside at their lawns and simply see grass. But in the landscaping and agronomics industries, we know that the real story of a lawn is much more complex. There are countless different species of turfgrasses that are used in lawns in all different climates. In general, there are two categories:  

1. Warm season turfgrasses: These are turfgrasses that thrive in regions that get more consistent warm weather. Examples of these grasses includes Bermudagrass, St. Augustine and Zoysiagrass. 
2. Cool season turfgrasses: This category includes plants like Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass and can be generalized as turfgrasses that can handle extreme temperature fluctuations.  

These classifications can be helpful when it comes to designing a lawn that will thrive in the region it is located in (in general warm season is good further south, where cool season is better in the north). But what happens if you’re somewhere in-between climate-wise? Say, Arkansas? 

Arkansas is what is called a transition zone climate-wise. In terms of planting turfgrasses, this means that, according to the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture, “Both warm-season turfgrass (Bermudagrass, Zoysiagrass, Centipedegrass, St. Augustine) and cool-season turfgrass (bluegrass, tall fescue, ryegrass) can be grown.”  

This presents both an opportunity and a challenge – working within a transition zone gives you more options for designing a lawn, but it also requires more preplanning and thought. Here are some things to consider when picking a turfgrass for a lawn in a transition zone: 

• Growth rate: Different turfgrasses will grow at unique rates throughout the year. In general, “Warm-season grasses grow quickly in the summer, are slow growing in spring and fall and dormant in winter,” while cool-season grasses grow more steadily. 
• Cold and heat hardiness: One of the challenges in transitional zones like Arkansas is that “summer in Arkansas is too hot for cool-season grasses to perform well and winters are often cold enough to injure or kill warm-season grasses.” Consider grass options that have been proven to survive this fluctuation, like Zoysiagrass. 
• Drought-tolerance: All across the United States, it’s becoming more important to build drought-tolerant or low-water landscapes. This not only lowers homeowners water bills, but it also lowers the environmental impact of a lawn.  
• Soil chemistry: The soil a turfgrass is planted in plays a huge factor in whether it will struggle to grow or not. In general getting a pH reading of your soil is a great way to get an idea of what grasses to consider. For example, Centipedegrass would be a better choice than St. Augustine if your pH is more acidic (less that 7.0 on the scale of 1-14).  
• Recuperative capacity: This refers to a grass’s ability to regrow and survive damage. These damages can come from everything like high foot traffic (think if there are going to be pets and children running around a yard) to heat, drought or cold. The ability to recover from events like this is especially important in transitional zones (like Arkansas) that will experience a variety of extremes in terms of weather. 
• Light level needs: Most turfgrasses need plenty of light to truly thrive. The University of Arkansas found that “most of the grasses listed, except Bermudagrass, will grow in filtered pine tree shade or if they have at least four hours of full sun per day. Tall fescue and St. Augustinegrass are the most shade-tolerant grasses recommended for Arkansas.” 
• Maintenance requirements: You also need to consider the maintenance a grass will require from the homeowner. In general, most grasses will need mowing, watering and fertilizing. What needs to be considered is that those faster growing grasses, like the warm-weather grasses in the summer, will require more frequent mowing and fertilization in comparison to some of the more slow and steady growing grasses. 
• Appearance: Last but not least, a big consideration when choosing a turfgrass is its appearance. Different grasses can vary in color from pale green to deep blue-greens. Furthermore, they also have different textures. While the appearance of the grass should not determine the choice, it is an important consideration. 

Overall, there is no magic grass that is perfect for every situation. But by thinking about factors like plant tolerance and climate factors, you can help your clients build a beautiful, lush lawn that meets their needs.  

If you are interested in learning more about working with turfgrasses in a transitional zone, make sure to check out the University of Arkansas System's fact sheets and calendars for the topic!