Page Index:

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

Grasses used in Kansas consist of cool-season grasses (Tall Fescue, Fine Fescues, Bluegrasses) are the norm throughout Kansas with the exception of the southern and western parts of the state where Bermuda, zoysia and some native grasses such as Buffalo grass are common. Buffalo grass would be the best grass for a lawn in areas of 15 inches or less rainfall a year.

Cool-Season Grasses:
Tall fescue - Turf Type - Due to its heat and drought tolerance, it is a good general purpose turfgrass for Kansas. Tall fescue is a tall-growing, coarse- to medium-textured, bunch-type turfgrass that can be established by seed or sod. Tall fescue resists heavy wear and high temperatures. When adequately irrigated, it can be grown successfully in all parts of Kansas. In warmer areas in the south, a tall fescue stand can be weakened and can deteriorate through the invasion of bermudagrass.

Kentucky bluegrass - The use of Kentucky bluegrass should be limited to the cooler parts of Kansas. Unlike perennial ryegrass, which is a bunch type turfgrass, Kentucky bluegrass spreads by rhizomes and withstands moderate traffic. Because of the rhizomes, Kentucky bluegrass recuperates well from wear injury. On athletic fields, it can be used in mixtures with perennial ryegrass and/or tall fescue.

Perennial ryegrass - Improved and newly released varieties of perennial ryegrass are well adapted to most of Kansas and thus their use has increased greatly. These varieties establish quickly and provide, good cold tolerance and winter color, but only adequate heat tolerance. Even when irrigated heavily, summers in southern Kansas can be too hot for perennial ryegrass to survive.

Fine fescues - Fine Fescue is a shade tolerant turf grass with a medium to dark green color. Adapted to the Pacific Northwest, Fine Fescue grows best in cool humid regions, coastal regions and in high elevations. All varieties require little maintenance and like to be mowed at 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches. They have the finest leaves, the most shade tolerance and the lowest fertilizer, mowing and moisture requirements of all the cool season turf grasses. Chewings Fescue, Red Fescue, Creeping Red Fescue, Sheep Fescue and Hard Fescue are popular varieties of Fine Fescue. These varieties can be found on lawns, in parks, along road sides and other turf grass areas and extensively used in grass seed blends and mixes for both sunny and shady areas. Fine Fescues are not recommended for sports fields and golf tees because they have a low wear tolerance. Most of these varieties have all the same characteristics. Chewings Fescue has a noncreeping, bunch-type growth habit unlike Red Fescue. All varieties germinate rapidly and are well adapted to poor, dry, sandy soils.

Warm-Season Grasses:
Buffalograss - This species is more drought tolerant and can be sustained on moderately less water compared with bermudagrass. Improved seeded buffalograsses are now available. They are denser and of higher quality (more attractive) than the older, dual-purpose forage varieties yet not as dense as traditional lawn grasses. Special care must be taken during establishment, especially in weed control.

Bermuda Grass - Bermudagrass is the species most adapted to and most frequently used in the lower elevations of southern Kansas. Many new and improved seeded varieties have been developed and released during the last 10 years. Users now have a choice of varieties that are denser and finer textured than the almost extinct seed of common bermudagrass. Bermudagrass spreads aggressively by stolons (aboveground runners) and rhizomes (belowground runners) and can become a nuisance when it invades flower beds and gardens. Also, cold-tolerant seeded and vegetative varieties are available that withstand lower winter temperatures.

Zoysiagrass - Improved zoysiagrass varieties have been introduced that establish more quickly than previous varieties. However, zoysiagrass still establishes slower than bermudagrass. The newer varieties are very dense and can be grown successfully in the cooler areas of Kansas.

Below is the USDA Zone Map for Kansas 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 Kansas

Best Grasses For Kansas
Product Name	Species	Category	Applications
Combat Extreme	Fescue - Turf Type	Cool Season	Lawns - Partial to Full Sun
La Prima	Bermuda Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun, South KS
Yukon	Bermuda Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun
Supreme	Buffalo Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun, South KS
Zenith	Zoysia Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun, South KS
Compadre	Zoysia Grass	Warm Season	Lawns - Full Sun, South KS
Midnight	Kentucky Bluegrass	Cool Season	Lawns - Full Sun
World Cup	Kentucky Bluegrass	Cool Season	Lawns - Full Sun
Showtime	Fine Fescue, Rye, Bluegrass Mix	Cool Season	Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun
Champion Ryegrass	Rye Grass	Cool Season	Lawns - Full Sun, Overseed
Legacy	Fine Fescue	Cool Season	Lawns - Partial Sun

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

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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
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

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