Warm season grasses are those that grow most actively when temperatures are between 80 and 95 degrees. They begin to green up late in the spring, grow through the summer and go dormant as temperatures fall in autumn.
These grasses make a great choice for warmer climates, but winter dormancy means they are brown much of the year. And some require a high degree of maintenance.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at warm season grasses. We’ll talk about where they grow and dive into the most common species used for home lawns.
Warm season grasses are native to temperate and tropical regions of the world. This means they are well adapted to areas with warm summers and mild winters.
In the United States, warm season grasses grow best in the southern third of the country. Florida, the Southeast, the Deep South, Texas, and the Lower Southwest are all optimal places to grow warm season grasses. Many species are cold tolerant enough to also be grown in transition zones, which extend through the middle of the country.
Warm season grasses grown in this upper zone tolerate the hotter summers in these regions better than cool season grasses. However, the colder winters mean that these warm season lawns are brown much of the year. Zoysia, Bermuda grass, and centipede grass are the most common warm season grasses used in transition zones due to their increased cold tolerance.
Some warm season species, specifically Bermuda grass, are often overseeded with cool season grasses to provide color in the winter. This is done most often in the South where winters are mild.
There are a number of different species of warm season grasses available to homeowners. Most of these come in a variety of cultivators with slightly different characteristics.
Below, we look at the general strengths and weaknesses of the most popular warm season lawn varieties.
Bermuda grass has excellent heat, drought, and self-repair capacity. Bermuda lawns have a deep blue-green color and thick, lush feel once they have had time to establish themselves. This grass spreads aggressively thanks to fast-growing rhizomes and stolons.
While highly tolerant of less than optimal conditions, Bermuda grass looks its best when well maintained. It requires a high degree of fertilization and a lot of water. This grass does not grow well in the shade and has minimal cold tolerance.
Bermuda grass grows best in tropical and subtropical zones. It can tolerate hot summers but will die off if exposed to freezing temperatures for too long.
Zoysia grass is unique among warm season grasses due to its shade and cold tolerance. It does well in hot environments and prefers to grow in areas with plenty of sun, but can tolerate partial shade. While it goes dormant in cool weather, it is much more likely to survive extended cold snaps than most other warm season species.
But Zoysia also has some major disadvantages. While this grass has a high traffic tolerance, it is extremely slow growing and struggles to self-repair when damage is done. Its slow growth habits also make it very difficult to establish zoysia lawns, especially when starting from seed.
Zoysia is a good choice for southern zones as well as transition areas. It has moderate water and maintenance needs. Zoysia comes in both thin and coarse leaf varieties, each producing a different look.
Bahia grass is a great solution for southern lawns with poor soil and shade issues. It grows well in poor draining soil as well as drought-prone areas. It has a fair shade tolerance and excellent heat tolerance.
Where Bahia falls short is in appearance. Like zoysia, this warm season grass grows relatively slowly and struggles to form thick sod. It does not require much maintenance but produces a thin lawn with a coarse texture and light green color.
Bahia grass is used almost exclusively in the Deep South and Florida because it prefers acidic, sandy soil. Most cultivators have limited to fair cold tolerance.
Centipede grass is a low-maintenance option that requires little fertilization or mowing. It has a high heat tolerance and fairly good drought tolerance. It forms coarse, light green, low-growing turf.
While centipede grass requires very little maintenance, it only grows under certain conditions. It has a low cold tolerance, requires a good amount of water, and can only handle partial shade. And it grows very slowly and is sensitive to foot traffic, making it a poor choice for high-use lawns.
Centipede grass prefers acidic, sandy soils, which limits where it can be used. It also requires hot summers and warm winters. In the US, this grass is limited to use in the deep Southeast and Hawaii.
Buffalo grass is a very unique warm season grass. That’s because this species is native to North America and is well adapted to the variety of climates found on the continent. While technically a warm season grass due to its active growth in summer, it is both heat and cold tolerant.
It also has great drought tolerance and requires little water for normal growth.
While fairly durable and easy to care for once it’s established, buffalo grass does require some work upfront. It takes time to fill in and is prone to weeds during the first few years after installation. While highly drought tolerant, it does turn brown and go dormant when water needs are not met.
Buffalo grass can be grown in northern, transition, and southern zones. Different cultivators are optimized for different areas of the country. Once established, this species forms an easy-care, fine-textured, blue-green lawn.
St. Augustine grass is very shade tolerant and establishes quickly to form a dense, coarse, deep green turf. It is an aggressive spreader and has decent self-repair abilities but is sensitive to traffic. Some cultivators are highly drought-tolerant and optimized for arid climates.
But this species has very limited cold tolerance which restricts its use to subtropical and tropical climates. When exposed to drought, this grass will turn brown sooner than many species but is more likely to survive extended drought.
Due to its inability to survive cold, the use of this grass is restricted to southern zones. It grows best on coasts, both in the East and West.
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