
Grasses used in North Dakota generally consist of Kentucky bluegrass or Kentucky bluegrass mixes with fine fescue. Both bluegrass and fine fescue have exceptional cold tolerance. Native grasses are also used such as buffalo grass and blue grama grass although their growing season is very short and dormancy periods are long.
Cool-Season Grasses:
Kentucky bluegrass - Kentucky bluegrass is the most desirable turfgrass for North
Dakota lawns. Bluegrass has a vigorous underground rhizome system and is capable of rapid recovery
from heavy traffic. Bluegrasses
are slow to germinate and establish. They
are good at repairing damaged turf areas
because of their ability to spread. This
can be a problem when flower beds border
turf areas. Bluegrasses have a moderate
to high fertility requirement.
Fine fescues - Fine fescues include creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, and hard fescue. Fescues have the finest leaves of any lawn grass. They perform best in shady lawns in mixtures with shade-tolerant Kentucky bluegrasses. These grasses are excellent for overseeding poor lawns to improve turf quality. In mixtures with other grasses, they add disease resistance to the turf. Fine fescues are adapted to well-drained, infertile soils. Often they are grown on slopes and left unmowed to create a meadow effect. Their fertilization requirements are low to moderate. The creeping red fescues have a spreading or rhizomatous root system that will easily cover open soil areas to create a lawn. The chewings fescues are bunchgrasses that do not spread. They should be planted thickly enough to ensure a dense and even turf. The hard fescues are also bunch-type, make excellent turf, have extensive root systems, and are drought tolerate.
Perennial ryegrass - Turf-type perennial ryegrasses germinate and establish very rapidly. They are extremely wear tolerant, producing beautiful lawns that do not form thatch. Ryegrasses blend well with other grasses and add disease and insect resistance to bluegrass mixes. Ryegrass leaves are fibrous, requiring a sharp mower blade to avoid shredding or tearing the turf. Like Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrasses require moderate to high fertility levels. Ryegrass woudl be a small percentage of a grass seed mixture for North Dakota.
Warm-Season Grasses:
Buffalograss - These warm season
stoloniferous grasses, due to their drought
resistance, are becoming popular in the
West, even in cool season areas. Buffalograsses
are resistant to heat and drought.
They are well adapted to a wide range of
soils, but especially to alkaline conditions
and soils of low fertility. Buffalograsses
are slow to establish (1 to 3 years) and
they require infrequent mowing. Like
most warm season grasses, they have a
short growing season (4 to 5 months) in
the north due to their inability to withstand
cold weather. Hence, during half
the year or more in North Dakota, a buffalograss
lawn will be tan or brown in color.
Below is the USDA Zone Map for North Dakota 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 North Dakota | |
|---|---|
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| Best Grasses For North Dakota | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Name | Species | Category | Applications |
| Midnight | Kentucky Bluegrass | Cool Season | Lawns - Full Sun |
| World Cup | Kentucky Bluegrass | Cool Season | Lawns - Full Sun |
| Garland | Rye Grass, Fine Fescue Mix | Cool Season | Lawns - Partial to Full Sun |
| Legacy | Fine Fescue | Cool Season | Lawns - Partial 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 |
| Supreme | Buffalo Grass | Warm Season | Lawns - Full Sun |
| /catalog/Blue-Grama-p-17198.html | Blue Grama Grass | Warm Season | Lawns - Full 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 | |
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.
| 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. |