SOD TYPES
Warm Season Grasses:
Bermuda Grass – drought and cold tolerant, resistant to disease and spreads quickly. Perhaps the most widely used southern grass. It can thrive and survive in almost any soil type. The main drawback is that it’s the least shade tolerant of any warm season grass.
St. Augustine Grass – deep rooted, tough, and fast growing. Greatest attributes are shade and salt tolerance. Extremely popular in coastal areas. However, it’s susceptible to many diseases and produces thick thatch layers if watered and fertilized heavy enough.
Buffalo Grass – drought tolerant and low maintenance requirements due to slow growth. Weathers heat extremely well. Does not do well in sandy soils.
Zoysia Grass – attractive, drought resistant and resilient to wear. Often touted as a miracle grass, but it takes years to establish. Even though it requires little mowing, it’s actually a high-maintenance turf. It has poor recuperation abilities and needs plenty of fertilization.
Bahiagrass – good for acidic and sandy soils. Very wear and drought resistant. Most pets have trouble killing this grass. It’s difficult to mow because of its coarseness and requires lots of mowing due to fast growth.
Cool Season Grasses:
Kentucky Blue grass – great color and resilient to damage. Excellent adaptability with temperature and moisture extremes. However, it does go into dormancy in these conditions and loses its color. It’s sown by seed, but is slow to germinate. Grows well in full sun or slight shade. Maintenance requirements vary based on the cultivar planted.
Fine Fescue – takes less maintenance, has some shade tolerance and many types are cultivated with bug resistant endophytes. Forms an upright, dense turf that’s very attractive. However, they don’t stand up to wear or heat very well.
Perennial Ryegrass – can take a beating and is quick to establish.
Tall Fescue – head, shade and drought resistant and withstands high traffic.
Red Fescue – stable through droughts and tolerant to shade.