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Indiana Grass Seed

USDA Zone Map For Indiana & Best Grass Seed Choices

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Grasses used in Indiana are typically cool season grasses. Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, and perennial ryegrass are the most common with turf type fescue being used at the more southern portion of Indiana. Some people are using warm season grasses such as zoysia grass in Southern Indiana as well.

Cool-Season Grasses:
Kentucky bluegrass is by far the most popular species used in home lawns in northern Indiana, due to high quality appearance, hardiness, and recovery ability. Kentucky bluegrass spreads by rhizomes. Most cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass require moderate to high levels of maintenance (such as fertilizing, watering, etc.) to maintain high quality. Kentucky bluegrass prefers full sun, although a few cultivars have tolerance to light shade. Kentucky bluegrass is slow to establish by seed, and is also readily available as sod.

Fine fescues require less maintenance and many adapt to shade. The fine fescues include red and chewings fescues, sheep fescue, and hard fescue. Leaf width is narrow, and most are bunch-type grasses (red fescue has rhizomes). Wear tolerance (such as foot traffic) and recovery ability of fine fescues is fair. Maintenance levels are generally low, especially fertilizer needs, and fine fescues may decline in full sun when mowed frequently.

Perennial ryegrasses are bunching cool season grasses that are compatible in appearance with bluegrass, do not form thatch, have good heat tolerance and may be drought resistant. They tend to be disease prone and offer poor freezing tolerance if flooded or exposed to wind. Perennial ryegrasses is designed for full sun areas, but will tolerate some shade. Ryegrass is bred to give a pleasing dark green color, with a fine texture and excellent mowing qualities. Is also a very good choice for blends with Kentucky Bluegrass and Fine Fescue.

Tall Fescue - The new turf-type tall fescues are excellent for warmer areas of Indiana and the southern area. While they take a little while to establish or recuperate since they are a clump-type grass, they are extremely wear resistant, drought, heat, and salt-tolerant; and moderately shade tolerant. Tall fescues have few disease problems and require less maintenance that other grasses. Kentucky bluegrass is the first grass to brown out in the summer and tall fescue is the last.

Warm-Season Grasses:
Zoysiagrass - This is the only warm-season grass grown as a lawn in Indiana. Zoysia is easy to identify because its leaves are covered with stiff hairs. It remains brown well into the spring and turns brown again with the first fall frost. Zoysia is very invasive and is often a bone of contention between neighbors. Zoysia is not real popular because of the long dormant period in which Zoysiagrass is a brown color from fall to mid spring. While it is not really compatible with the cool season grasses above, it has still maintained some popularity because of its drought/heat tolerance vs the cool season grasses in Indiana's summers.

Below is the USDA Zone Map for Indiana 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. Midnight) for more information about that grass and to make your purchase.

USDA Zone Map For Indiana
Indiana Grass Seed Indiana Zones

Best Grasses For Indiana
Product Name Species Category Applications
Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Cool Season Lawns - Full Sun
World Cup Kentucky Bluegrass Cool Season Lawns - Full Sun
Champion Ryegrass Rye Grass Cool Season Lawns - Full Sun
Legacy Fine Fescue Cool Season Lawns - Partial Sun
Combat Extreme Fescue - Turf Type Cool Season Lawns - Partial to Full Sun
Garland Rye, Fine Fescue Mix Cool Season Lawns - Partial to Full Sun
Showtime Fine Fescue, Rye, Bluegrass Mix Cool Season Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun
Poa Supina Supina Bluegrass Mix Cool Season Lawns - Very Shady in Cool Zones

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

Grass Seed Calculator

To calculate the amount of seed you will need for your project, click one of the links below for the type of grass seed you are interested in. A dialog window will appear listing your selected coverage and providing options for calculating your seed.

If you already know the square feet, length/width or acreage of your yard or lot, you can use the 'Quick Calculator'. If you need to add multiple lots and/or subtract areas that will not require seed, you may use the 'Advanced Calculator.'

The dialog window can be moved by clicking and dragging the top 'title bar'. You may click different types of seed to recalculate without re-entering your data.

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
EnvirolawnEnvirolawn 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
CarpetCarpet 200 to 250
Centipede Coated 1000 to 2000
Seashore PaspalumSeashore Paspalum 1000
Zoysia Companion or Zenith 500 to 1000

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