Page Index:

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

Grasses used in Minnesota generally consist of bluegrass or bluegrass mixtures.

Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky bluegrass is the most widely used turfgrass in Minnesota. With proper management, it forms a long lasting lawn, and it is an aggressive sod former. Bluegrass grows rapidly during cool, moist weather, with slower growth during hot, dry weather. When rainfall is not adequate, watering is necessary to maintain high quality. All cultivars respond well to a mowing height of 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches.

Many cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass are available, and new selections are constantly being introduced. Cultivars may differ in color, disease resistance, vigor, and amount of care required for best performance. Unfortunately, no single cultivar provides ideal performance under every condition. Even disease resistance can change as new strains of diseases appear.

Fine-leafed Fescues
Fine-leafed fescues are cool season turfgrasses that are more tolerant of shade and infertile, droughty soils than Kentucky bluegrasses. The fine-leafed fescues are best adapted to dry, shady sites and will not tolerate wet, poorly drained soils. Compared to bluegrasses, fescues require minimal levels of management, including less fertilizer and water. Excessive fertilization or irrigation can cause a severe thinning of a fine-leafed fescue lawn. Leafspot diseases can also cause an extensive thinning of the lawn during midsummer. For these reasons, fine-leafed fescues are seldom grown alone, but are primarily used in mixtures with bluegrasses. Red fescue, chewings fescue and hard fescue are the three fine-leafed fescue species grown in Minnesota. Red fescue is a sod former, while chewings fescue and hard fescue are bunch-type grasses.

Perennial Ryegrasses
Perennial ryegrasses have an erect bunch-type growth habit with rapid seed germination and establishment. Medium levels of fertility and well-drained soils are preferred. Both common and improved perennial ryegrasses are available. Common or unimproved types tend to be short-lived, due to lack of winter hardiness. These common types also have a coarse appearance and a tough fibrous leaf with poor mowing quality. Improved cultivars developed for turf use have greater winter hardiness and better mowing characteristics. Only these improved cultivars should be considered for a lawn where rapid cover and wear tolerance are required. Ryegrasses may be seeded in combination with bluegrasses to establish a lawn on sloping areas where erosion is a potential problem.

Rough Bluegrass
Rough bluegrass forms a light green prostrate turf that is adapted to moist, shaded conditions. It is superior to Kentucky bluegrass in establishment vigor, but will not tolerate traffic or hot, dry conditions. It does not blend well with most turfgrasses, due to its light green color. Rough bluegrass is not recommended except for wet, shaded sites where fine-leaved fescues will not persist.

Turf Type, Tall Fescues
A new generation of finer textured, tall fescues has been introduced. These grasses have shown to be very wear and drought tolerant. Disease and insect problems have been minimal and performance on dry, sandy sites has been very good. They will also perform well in sun and shade. Winter hardiness seems adequate in southeast Minnesota, but hardiness in other areas is unknown. Tall fescues are bunch type grasses and should not be used for overseeding or mixed with other grass species. At this time, turf type, tall fescues should be used on a trial basis.

Below is the USDA Zone Map for Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best Grasses For Minnesota
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
Maximum	Rough Bluegrass Blend	Cool Season	Lawns - Shady in Wet Areas

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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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.

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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:

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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.

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