Page Index:

• Grass Used in Florida
• USDA Zone Map
• Best Grasses for Florida
• Grass Characteristics
• Grass Characteristics Continued
• Grass Seed Calculator
• LazyMan Product Line

Grasses used in Florida can be divided in to two groups: warm season grasses and cool season grasses. Perhaps the most important factor in developing and maintaining an attractive and problem-free lawn is to choose a grass that is adapted to your area and has the qualities you desire. Florida has widely differing geographical areas and local climates. A grass that will do well in the southern part of the state may not survive winter in the mountain area. Conversely, cool-season species are not suited to the hot, humid summer of the Coastal Plain area. First, let's distinguish between cool-season and warm-season species.

Cool-season grasses:
Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Tall fescue will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, but like most turfgrasses grows best with a soil pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Turf-type tall fescue can only be used in shady areas in North Florida as full areas are too hot for fescue to survive.

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Ryegrass is suited for overseeding warm season grasses throughout Florida. They can be used as a temporary winter cover on new lawns that have not been permanently established. Ryegrasses are also used for overseeding, that is, to provide a green cover on a warm-season grass during the winter.

Warm-season grasses:
Bermudagrasses (Cynodon Spp). All bermudas thrive in hot weather but perform poorly in shade. Bermudas spread so rapidly by both above-and-below-ground runners that they are difficult to control around flower beds, walks and borders. If fertilized adequately, they require frequent mowing. The bermudagrasses are adapted to the entire state and tolerate a wide soil pH.

Carpetgrass (Axonopus affinis). Carpetgrass is a perennial, coarse-leaved, creeping grass which grows in the central and southern regions of the state. It grows better on low, wet soils than do other grasses. It will grow well in either sun or shade but is less shade tolerant than St. Augustine and centipedegrass which it resembles. Carpetgrass may be planted by seed or sprigs. It is not winter hardy and should not be planted north of middle Florida.

Carpetgrass is recommended only for lawns on wet, low fertility, acid, (pH 4.5-5.5) sandy soils where ease of establishment and care is more important than quality. Its chief disadvantage is rapid seedhead production.

Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides). This is a low, medium textured, slow growing but aggressive grass that can produce a dense, attractive, weed-free turf. It is more shade tolerant than bermudagrass but less shade tolerant than St. Augustine and zoysiagrass. Since centipede produces only surface runners, it is easily controlled around borders of flower beds and walks. It is well adapted as far north as Atlanta and Athens.

Centipede is the ideal grass for the homeowner who wants a fairly attractive lawn that needs little care. Centipede does not require much fertilizer or mowing, and compared to other lawn grasses, is generally resistant to most insects and diseases. It will, however, respond to good management and provide a very attractive turf. Centipede can be established from either seeds or sprigs. Since it is slow growing, it takes longer than bermuda and St. Augustine to completely cover. Centipede is used in North Florida and Panhandle areas.

Centipede is subject to "decline" problems that can be prevented by proper management. This includes care not to overfertilize, prevention of thatch accumulation, irrigation during drought stress, particularly in the fall, and maintaining a mowing height of 1-1 1/2 inches. Centipede is well adapted to soils of low fertility with a pH of 5.0 to 6.0 but grows best, like most grasses, at a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5.

Zoysiagrasses (Zoysia Spp). Several species and/or cultivars of zoysiagrasses are available in Florida. Most are adapted to the entire state and form an excellent turf when properly established and managed. For the best appearance, most zoysias require cutting with a reel mower, periodic dethatching, and more frequent irrigation than other warm season turfgrasses. The zoysias form a dense, attractive turf in full sun and partial shade, but may thin out in dense shade. Most zoysias grow very slowly when compared to other grasses.

The zoysiagrasses are (1) slow to cover completely, thus more costly to establish; (2) less drought-tolerant than bermudagrass; and (3) recommended for lawn use only when the homeowner is willing to provide the required maintenance.

Seashore Paspalum. An extremely salt tolerant warm season turfgrass, Seashore Paspalum has outstanding turf quality, a bright green color, and a beautiful, uniform appearance. Ideal for temperate to hot, humid coastal climates, Sea shore Paspalum also affords excellent drought tolerance and good shade tolerance. Excellent for use on turfgrass areas irrigated with effluent water or subject to naturally high saline conditions.

Bahiagrass. Bahia can be found throughout Florida on roadsides, pastures and industrial type lawn situations. Pensacola bahia has a narrower leaf than Argentine Bahia, but it not considered to make a nice residential type lawn. It is used in areas of lower maintenance type lawns. Like Argentine its seed head production is objectionable from a maintenance standpoint. It is probably a little more drought tolerant than Argentine and overall is the most drought tolerant grass for Florida use.

Below is the USDA Zone Map for Florida so you can determine which zone you reside in. Below that are our picks for your state which will do best in your area. Next on this page are tables which list various grasses and their characteristics so you can compare before you decide on your purchase. Click on the product name (ie. La Prima) for more information about that grass and to make your purchase.

USDA Zone Map For Florida

Best Grasses For Florida
Product Name	Species	Category	Applications
La Prima	Bermuda Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun
Yukon	Bermuda Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun
Centipede	Centipede Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun
Zenith	Zoysia Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun
Compadre	Zoysia Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun
Carpet	Carpet Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Partial Sun Lawns - Wet Areas
Seashore Paspalum	Seashore Paspalum	Warm Season	Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun
Bahia	Pensacola	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun
Combat Extreme	Fescue - Turf Type	Cool Season	Lawns - Shady Areas
Champion Ryegrass	Rye Grass	Cool Season	Lawns - Winter Overseed

Compare Various Grasses For Their Characteristics
Cool Season Grasses	Leaf Texture	Establish Rate	Nitrogen Use	Water Use	Drought Tolerance	Salinity Tolerance	Shade Tolerance
Bentgrass - Creeping	Fine	Moderate to Fast	Low to Moderate	High	Poor to Moderate	High	Poor to Moderate
Bentgrass - Colonial	Fine	Moderate to Fast	Low	Moderate	Poor to Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Bluegrass - Kentucky	Moderate to Fine	Slow	Moderate to High	Moderate to High	Good	Moderate	Poor
Bluegrass - Rough	Moderate to Fine	Slow	Moderate to High	Moderate to High	Poor	Moderate	Excellent
Fescue - Chewings	Fine	Moderate	Moderate to Low	Moderate	Good to Excellent	Low	Excellent
Fescue - Hard	Fine	Slow to Moderate	Low to Very Low	Moderate	Excellent	Low to Moderate	Excellent
Fescue - Creeping	Fine	Moderate	Low to Moderate	Moderate	Good	Low	Excellent
Fescue - Turf Type	Moderate to Coarse	Moderate	Moderate to High	Low to Moderate	Excellent	Low	Good to Excellent
Ryegrass - Perennial	Fine to Moderate	Very Fast	Moderate to High	Moderate to High	Good	Poor to Moderate	Poor to Moderate
Warm Season Grasses	Leaf Texture	Establish Rate	Nitrogen Use	Water Use	Drought Tolerance	Salinity Tolerance	Shade Tolerance
Bahiagrass	Coarse toVery Coarse	Slow to Moderate	Low	Low	Excellent	Excellent	Moderate to Good
Bermudagrass	Fine to Moderate	Moderate to Fast	Moderate	Moderate to High	Excellent	Very Good	Poor
Blue Grama	Fine to Moderate	Slow to Moderate	Low	Low	Excellent	Moderate	Very Poor
Buffalograss	Moderate to Coarse	Slow to Moderate	Low	Low	Excellent	Moderate	Very Poor
Carpetgrass	Coarse	Moderate to Fast	Low	High	Low	Low	Excellent
Centipedegrass	Moderate to Coarse	Slow	Low	Low	Good	Moderate	Moderate to Good
Seashore Paspalum	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Excellent	Excellent	Good
Zoysiagrass	Fine to Medium	Slow to Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Excellent	Good	Moderate to Good

Compare Various Grasses For Their Characteristics - Continued
Cool Season Grasses	Fertility Needs	Wear Resistance	Mowing Height	Cold Tolerance	Acid Soil Tolerance	Thatching Tendency	Heat Tolerance
Bentgrass - Creeping	High	Low	Low	Low	Medium to High	High	High
Bentgrass - Colonial	High	Low	Low	Low	Medium to High	High	High
Bluegrass - Kentucky	Medium	Medium to High	Medium	High	Medium	Medium	Medium
Bluegrass - Rough	Medium	Medium	Medium	High	Medium	Medium	Medium
Fescue - Chewings	Low	Low	Medium	Medium to High	Medium to High	Low to Medium	Low to Medium
Fescue - Hard	Low	Low	Medium	Medium to High	Medium to High	Low to Medium	Low to Medium
Fescue - Creeping	Low	Low	Medium	High	Medium to High	Low to Medium	Low to Medium
Fescue - Turf Type	Low to Medium	Medium to High	Medium to High	Medium	High	Low	High
Ryegrass - Perennial	Medium	High	Low to Medium	Medium	Medium	Low	Medium to High
Warm Season Grasses	Fertility Needs	Wear Resistance	Mowing Height	Cold Tolerance	Acid Soil Tolerance	Thatching Tendency	Heat Tolerance
Bahiagrass	Low	Medium to High	High	Low	Low	Medium to High	High
Bermudagrass	Medium	High	Low to Medium	Low to Medium	Medium	Medium	High
Blue Grama	Low	Low	High	High	Low	Low	High
Buffalograss	Low	Low	High	High	Low	Low	High
Carpetgrass	Low	Medium to High	Low	Medium to High	Medium to High	High	Low
Centipedegrass	Low	Low	Medium to High	Medium to High	High	Medium	High
Seashore Paspalum	Medium to High	Medium to High	Low	Medium	Low	Medium to High	High
Zoysiagrass	Low to Medium	Medium to High	Low to Medium	High	Low to Medium	Medium to High	High

---

There are two methods to calculate the square feet of the area you are planting. Method 1: measure the size of your yard or yards that you want to purchase grass seed for. If you have circles or triangles you may have to get out the old math book to determine the length and width. Method 2: enter the measures for you lot in the first section. Enter measures for your house, garage, and other buildings in section 2. In section 3, enter other dimensions of areas you will not be seeding such as driveways and sidewalks. The calculator will subtract the area you are not seeding from you lot size to determine the amount of square feet that you will be seeding. After you have entered your dimensions, scroll down to the next section and choose the grass seed you want to purchase and enter the seeding rate into the calculator.

Yards / Lot Size	Buildings if using lot size	Other if using lot size
Yard 1 Width: ft. Yard 1 Length: ft. Yard 2 Width: ft. Yard 2 Length: ft. Yard 3 Width: ft. Yard 3 Length: ft. Yard 4 Width: ft. Yard 4 Length: ft.	Building 1 Width: ft. Building 1 Length: ft. Building 2 Width: ft. Building 2 Length: ft.	Other 1 Width: ft. Other 1 Length: ft. Other 2 Width: ft. Other 2 Length: ft.

---

Quick Reference Guide For Calculating Your Seed

Once you have typed in the dimensions of your lot or yards up above, it is now time to find the grass seed you are interested in and how many square feet that grass seed will cover. To do this, simply look at the list below of the grass seeds we offer. Find the grass you are interested in and the look to the right to see how many square feet one pound of seed covers. For thicker turf and quicker establishment, choose the smaller number. Take that number and type it into the calculator where it says, "1 Pound Covers." Hit the "Calculate" button and then just look to the right to see how many pounds of seed you will need to cover your yards. Round up to the nearest package size that we offer.

Cool Season Grasses:
Type of Grass:	Name of Grass:	Square Feet Covered
Bentgrass, Colonial	Highland	500 to 1000
Bentgrass, Creeping	Nu Penn or Penncross	500 to 1000
Bluegrass, Creeping	True Putt	350 to 500
Bluegrass, Kentucky	Midnight or World Cup	350 to 500
Bluegrass, Rough	Maximum	350 to 500
Envirolawn	Envirolawn	750
Fescue, Fine	Hard, Creeping, Sheeps or Legacy	150 to 200
Fescue, Turf Type Tall	Combat Extreme	100 to 125
Mixtures, Turf Type Fescue & Kentucky Bluegrass	Combat Blue	175 to 200
Mixtures, Ryegrass & Fine Fescue	Garland	125 to 175
Mixtures, Ryegrass, Bluegrass, & Fine Fescue	Showtime	175 to 250
Mixtures, Rough Bluegrass & Supina Bluegrass	Poa Supina	350 to 500
Ryegrass, Perennial	Outsidepride Blend	100 to 140
Warm Season Grasses:
Type of Grass:	Name of Grass:	Square Feet Covered
Bahia	Pensacola	175 to 200
Bermuda	Laprima, Princess, or Riviera	350 to 500
Blue Grama	Bad River	350 to 500
Buffalo	Cody or Supreme	350 to 500
Carpet	Carpet	200 to 250
Centipede	Coated	1000 to 2000
Seashore Paspalum	Seashore Paspalum	1000
Zoysia	Companion or Zenith	500 to 1000

Area Covered By One Pound Of Seed: 1 Pound Covers: sq. ft. ~

—— Calculated Area: ——
yard 1 Area: sq. ft. yard 2 Area: sq. ft. yard 3 Area: sq. ft. yard 4 Area: sq. ft.	Total Area WITHOUT Other and Buildings substituted Total Area: sq. ft. Total Area WITH Other and Buildings substituted Total Area: sq. ft.
Total Pounds Needed:

---

Before you leave our web site with your grass seed, please be sure to check out our LazyMan Liquid product line. No need to rent aerators and dethatchers any more! Just spray on and let the products do the work for you and enrich your soil at the same time.

BACK TO TOP