Page Index:

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

Grasses used in Ohio generally consist of only a few species of grass. The recommended species include: Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and fine fescue.

Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky bluegrass is the primary lawn turfgrass grown in Ohio. With proper management, Kentucky bluegrass forms a fine-textured, high-quality, long-lasting turf. This species produces rhizomes (underground stems) that give rise to new bluegrass plants. This ability enables bluegrass to rapidly recuperate from injury and fill in thin areas in the lawn. Kentucky bluegrass is winter-hardy and capable of withstanding temperature and moisture extremes. During hot, dry periods it tends to become dormant and lose color. If high quality is desired during the summer period, lawn irrigation is often necessary.

Kentucky bluegrass requires moist, well-drained soil to develop into high-quality turfgrass. It will not tolerate extremely acid or alkaline soils or heavy shade. Germination and establishment rates are slow, and weeds may develop if seeded in late spring or early summer. Kentucky bluegrass requires a medium to high level of management with routine applications of fertilizer. All varieties respond well to a mowing height of 2-2 1/2". Although Kentucky bluegrass performs best in full sun, some cultivars are adapted to shade. For moderate to heavy shade, seed a mixture of Kentucky bluegrasses and fine fescues. The improved cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass have resistance to leaf spot, melting out and other turfgrass diseases. For best results, seed blends of 2-4 cultivars. Because of its durability and exceptional appearance, Kentucky bluegrass is often used in establishing athletic fields.

Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass, like Kentucky bluegrass, is a fine-textured species with the potential to develop into a high quality lawn. Perennial ryegrass has rapid seed germination and seedling establishment qualities. This species has a bunch-type growth habit, which enables it to form density through tillering. The cold tolerance and disease resistance capabilities are less than for Kentucky bluegrass but are acceptable for most areas of Ohio. All perennial ryegrasses require well-drained soils of medium to high fertility. The maintenance, fertility and pH requirements are similar to the improved Kentucky bluegrasses. Perennial ryegrass has better drought tolerance than Kentucky bluegrass but normally requires irrigation to maintain quality during most Ohio summers. The optimal mowing height is 2-2 1/2" inches.

In recent years many improved perennial ryegrasses have been commercialized. These improved cultivars have greater cold tolerance, better density, darker color and better disease resistance than the older, common ryegrass selections. These new releases also have substantially better mowing qualities than the common types.

Tall Fescue - Turf Type
Tall fescue has been used traditionally as a low-maintenance grass in areas where a coarser texture is not objectionable. This species is coarser textured than the other recommended turfgrass species. Tall fescue tolerates soils of low fertility, persists well under low maintenance and possesses good tolerance to insects and diseases. This species germinates and establishes quickly but slightly slower than perennial ryegrass. When mature, tall fescue has excellent wear tolerance and, due to its deep-rooted nature, tolerates drought and will remain green throughout most Ohio summers without supplemental irrigation. Juvenile tall fescue seedlings are not cold-tolerant and will be prone to winterkill. However, well-established seedlings and mature lawns will endure most Ohio winters.

Recently, a number of improved "turf-type" tall fescue cultivars have been commercialized. These improved tall fescues are finer textured than the old "Kentucky-31" cultivar. These improved cultivars are less coarse, grow more upright, tiller more readily and exhibit a darker green color. All tall fescues grow rapidly in the spring and require more frequent mowing than Kentucky bluegrass. The popularity of the improved turf-type tall fescues is increasing and they are now being used on many lawn sites, playgrounds, parks and low-maintenance athletic fields where the use of coarser textured grasses is not objectionable.

Fine Fescue
Red, hard and chewings fescues are fine-leaved turfgrasses that grow well under conditions of shade, low soil moisture, low fertility, and soils with unfavorable pHs. The fine fescues require well-drained slightly dry soils with minimum levels of management. Excess applications of fertilizer, frequent irrigation or establishment on poorly drained soils will result in a decline in quality and plant density.

With correct management, the fine fescues can make an attractive turf of fair to good quality. In Ohio, the fine fescues are seldom seeded alone, or intended to be the principle species where other cool-season grasses can be cultured. Fine fescues are commonly used in mixtures with the other cool-season turfgrasses on low maintenance or shady lawns.

Below is the USDA Zone Map for Ohio 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 Ohio

Best Grasses For Ohio
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
Garland	Rye, Fine Fescue Mix	Cool Season	Lawns - Partial to Full Sun
Combat Extreme	Fescue - Turf Type	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

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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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