What to Know About Austin’s Warm-Season Grasses?

Discover Best Practices for Your Texas Lawn 

Warm-season turf types dominate the lawns in the southern United States. Their geographic positioning provides superior resistance to drought and reduced maintenance. Another benefit? These turf types can maintain their green appearance even during peak summer heat.

There is so much to know about warm-season turf varieties! Keep reading for irrigation, fertilization, and mowing suggestions, plus ways to identify the different types of warm-season grasses and more. After all, understanding your turf and trusting Real Green can help you maintain a healthy lawn all year long.

Best Grass for Lawns in Austin, TX

Bermuda varieties produce the dense, mat-like turf that is seen when looking at well-cared-for southern lawns. Fine in texture and dark green in color, it is very aesthetically pleasing, tolerating full sun and heavy traffic with ease.

The downside? It requires regular maintenance. Regular mowing, proper fertilization, and drought watering become required. Bermuda spreads through underground stems, called rhizomes, and surface runners, called stolons, making it quick to recover after injury. It is moderately drought-tolerant once established but will go dormant and turn brown during winter when the temperatures start to drop below 50°F.

Zoysia has several cultivars, and it is a favorite among property owners because it produces dense turf, excludes weeds, and is soft to walk barefoot upon. Zoysia requires sun but will tolerate partial shade much better than Bermuda. It’s adaptable and will grow quite well on a range of soil textures. Whether your soil has heavy clay or is sandy, zoysia will perform well.

Zoysia grass grows very slowly, especially when compared to Bermuda. The good news? It requires less mowing than other types of grass. Perfect if you want nice-looking grass but not to spend a ton of time on it. Plus, some zoysia cultivars have proven cold-hardier than other warm-season options, which makes it perfect for Transition Zone homeowners.

St. Augustine has wider blades than Bermuda or zoysia, giving it a coarser texture. It is also the most shade-tolerant of the warm-season types. For this reason, it is the favorite choice for yards with many trees. St. Augustine spreads by stolons and is easy to establish.

The major disadvantage of St. Augustine is its water needs. It requires more irrigation than other varieties. It also tolerates heavy traffic poorly. In humid regions, certain insects and diseases (chinch bugs and brown patch fungus) especially like St. Augustine.

What if you mix grass types? For warm-season varieties, mixing usually doesn’t work as well as it can with cool-season grass. For instance, Bermuda is invasive and will crowd out zoysia and/or St. Augustine over time. Most turfgrass professionals recommend sticking with one type and staying that way.

However, you may find Bermuda and zoysia cultivars together in turf, but Bermuda dominates mostly in sunny spots, and zoysia prevails in shaded areas.

What Makes It a Warm-Season Grass? 

Southern homeowners likely have noticed that their lawns look their best from late spring into early fall. Most southern lawns are composed of warm-season turf species. Warm-season grasses love to grow when air temperatures are between 80°F and 95°F.

Warm-season types go about photosynthesis differently than cool-season kinds. They prefer high temperatures, which makes them resistant to very hot weather, full sun, and drought. They also slow down by going dormant when cold temperatures begin. Many remain green during winter months and others turn brown during winter and live beneath the surface.

Where Do Warm-Season Grasses Grow? 

The United States has that southern third, which offers the optimum conditions for the growth of warm-season turf. These species tolerate scorching summer and extreme heat with no instances of stress. They prefer to grow where winters avoid prolonged freezing temperatures that would affect their crowns.

The challenges begin a little further northward, in the Transition Zone. This middle-country area suffers through summer heat too intense for true cool-season types but winters too cold for warm-season types. It is the most difficult for property owners in this zone to determine how to meet their yard’s exact needs. Your lawn may turn brown in either summer or winter, depending on which type of grass you choose.

The Transition Zone is often planted to tall fescue or zoysia to better cope with extreme temperature fluctuations. This is by no means ideal, but it outperforms brown turf that cannot tolerate weather conditions for half the year.

Mowing Advice to Follow 

• Adjust frequency with seasons. During spring, mowing twice weekly may be required. During summer, every two to three weeks typically suffices since growth decelerates somewhat.
• Leave clippings on turf. Bagging clippings wastes time and strips nutrients from your lawn. Mulching mowers and side-discharge mowers effectively distribute clippings.
• Keep blades sharp. Sharper blades make cleaner cuts. Dull blades allow more chances for fungal diseases to take hold.
• Consider sunlight exposure. If your lawn is shady, mow 0.5 to 1 inch higher than the usual recommended height.
• Cut in recommended quantities: Never remove more than one-third of the blade height at one mowing. If you maintain your mower at 3 inches, mow when the grass height reaches 4 inches.

Follow these mowing recommendations for the best results. Mowing too short damages root development and allows insects, disease, dryness, and foot traffic to make bigger impacts. It also allows weeds to invade your lawn.

Want to learn more? Check out these mowing recommendations from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

Warm-Season Grass Identification Guide

Not sure what kind of grass is growing in your yard? Here are some tips that might help. 

• Leaf blade: Look at blade width and texture. St. Augustine has the widest blades at about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide with rounded tips. Bermuda grass has fine, narrow blades with pointed tips. Zoysia is intermediate with medium-width blades that are stiff to the touch.
• Color and texture: St. Augustine has a blue-green color and is coarse. Bermuda goes from deep green to gray-green and is fine. Zoysia is medium to deep green with thick, carpetlike texture, stiffer than Bermuda
• Ligule and auricles: St. Augustine has hair fringe where blade meets stem rather than membrane. Bermuda reveals white hair ring at the ligule. Zoysia has brief hairs along the ligule. None of these varieties possess noticeable auricles.
• Growth habit: Bermuda spreads vigorously through both rhizomes and stolons. This means, positively or negatively, it can dominate turf rapidly. St. Augustine spreads exclusively through stolons running above ground and rooting at nodes. Zoysia spreads through both rhizomes and stolons but develops more gradually than Bermuda.
• Seedhead: Bermudagrass produces distinctive seedheads with 3-7 finger-like projections emanating from a central point. St Augustine rarely produces seedheads in mowed turf. Zoysiagrass produces small, soft seedheads poking out like miniature brushes, but many varieties don’t seed significantly.

Telling the different types apart isn’t that difficult, especially if you look closely. Still not sure what’s in your yard? Just ask! A lawn care professional can tell you what kind of grass you have in a matter of seconds.

Fighting Weeds & Crabgrass 

Pre-emergent herbicides are the best option when it comes to preventing crabgrass and other problem weeds before they come through. This type of herbicide prevents summer annual weeds from germinating.

Apply when soil temperatures are between 55 and 60°F (usually mid-February to early March). Miss this window and you may fight crabgrass all summer.

Already seeing weeds pop up? Post-emergence herbicides kill actively growing weeds. The best time to do a spot spray on broadleaf weeds such as dollar weed, clover, and dandelions is late spring to early summer. That’s when they’ll more readily take in herbicide.

Also, autumn treatments may be effective. As the temperatures cool, plants absorb nutrients in preparation for winter dormancy.

Problems for Warm-Season Lawns

1. Pest infestations: grubs and chinch bugs can quickly (and quietly) destroy your yard. These insects consume grass, weakening or killing it in days or even hours. Several obvious signs of the lawn pest problem are wilting, yellowing, or dead sections.
2. Fungal diseases are prevalent in warm-season varieties, especially in hot and humid southern regions. St. Augustine and Zoysia are vulnerable to brown patch and gray leaf spot, while Bermuda can be impacted by dollar spot and spring dead spot. These typically appear as circular brown sections, thinning zones, or discolored turf. The simplest ways to prevent lawn disease in the South? Proper lawn maintenance. Water during early morning, mow at appropriate height, avoid over-fertilizing during peak heat, and monitor your lawn drainage.
3. Nutrient lockout sometimes causes yellowing or poor growth in turf growing in acidic southern soils. Soil testing will determine exact deficiencies and pH problems. Lime applications raise pH where necessary and sulfur lowers it, if you’re in regions with alkaline soil.
4. Compaction and thatch. These create several problems, especially in heavy clay soils. Aeration during late spring or early summer when your turf is actively growing, helps alleviate these problems while allowing the lawn to recover quickly.

What to Do About Thatch? 

For the health of your lawn, pay attention to how much thatch you have. You know, that layer of organic material forming right over the soil.

The good: A little. It helps insulate the soil and cushions it. The bad: Too much thatch blocks water and air penetration, ties up fertilizer, and encourages disease and insect issues.

Thatch forms from overfertilizing, overwatering, soil compaction, and simply time passing. Roots develop in the thatch layer rather than soil when it becomes too substantial. Since thatch retains minimal water, your lawn experiences heat stress, cold stress, and drought stress.

All About Winter Dormancy 

When it stays below 50-55°F for days or weeks during late fall and into winter, warm-season varieties go dormant and naturally turn brown. They have not died. It is just a survival mechanism; do not be alarmed! Your turf is still alive underneath the ground.

You can’t really keep warm-season turf green through winter dormancy, whereas cool-season varieties remain green year-round. Fertilizing or overwatering dormant warm-season turf won’t help and might even cause additional damage. Some southerners prefer to overseed with annual ryegrass in fall for temporary winter coloring, but it’s optional and purely aesthetic.

Give your turf the best possible start after dormancy by doing some winter lawn care during colder months. For example, avoid heavy traffic on frozen or dormant turf, and never apply herbicides during dormancy.

When spring arrives and you begin having consistent temperature highs in the 65° range, your turf will green up on its own. Once active growth resumes around March to April of the South, you could start your regular watering and fertilization routine.

FAQs About Warm-Season Grasses 

Can I grow warm-season grass in winter?

It is not the best time to plant warm-season turf during winter; it requires warm soil temperatures, around 65° Fahrenheit or elevated, to germinate and establish. The best planting time is from late spring through early summer when the soil is warm, and your turf has a full growing season to develop its roots.

What’s the best grass for shade?

St. Augustine tolerates shade best of all warm-season turfgrasses. Zoysia is a close second. Keep in mind that grasses, by their nature, love the sun. Thus, no variety truly does well in deep shade where it receives less than 4-6 hours of sun daily.

How long does grass seed take to grow?

It depends on the variety, but generally, Bermuda germinates in 7-14 days, and some varieties like bahia take longer (21-30 days). Obviously, it all depends on soil temperature and moisture levels. Note that many southern property owners choose sod or plugs over seed due to faster establishment, especially St. Augustine and zoysia.

Can I mix warm- and cool-season grasses?

Because of differences in their growth habits and seasonal preferences, it is not a good idea to combine both warm- and cool-season types into one lawn. The result would be spotty, inconsistent turf.

Trust Real Green to Care for Your Yard!

Warm-season types must be mowed, watered, and fertilized at the right times to be healthy and look their best. Now you have some helpful tips at your fingertips!

If you don’t want to use your free time (and energy) to take care of every little lawn care detail, reach out to Real Green!  Let us handle your lawn care so that you don’t have to. We happily serve Austin and the nearby communities of Central Texas, providing quality lawn care and pest control services throughout.