Turf Selection: Warm Season vs. Cool Season

Climate and maintenance requirements are critical factors when selecting the right turf for your landscape. Buffalograss, a native warm season grass, offers a distinct set of advantages as well as challenges when compared to popular cool season turf grasses like Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and fescues.

Understanding Cool Season vs. Warm Season Growth Patterns

Cool season and warm season grasses exhibit distinct growth patterns that are closely linked to the temperatures of their respective environments.Understanding these growth periods is crucial for selecting the right type of grass for your lawn, ensuring it remains vibrant and resilient throughout the year.

Cool season grasses, such as Kentucky Bluegrass and fescues, thrive in cooler temperatures. These grasses enter their peak growing periods when temperatures range between 60°F and 75°F, allowing them to maintain a lush, green appearance.

Warm season grasses, like Buffalograss, flourish in the heat of summer, thriving when temperatures are between 80°F and 95°F. These grasses typically enter dormancy during the cooler months, turning brown and conserving energy until warmer temperatures return.

Note: You may think planting warm and cool season grasses together will create efficiency and color all season long, but beware! Warm and cool season turf grasses are typically planted separately to avoid patchiness and uneven growth. 

Factors in Choosing the Right Turf for You

When selecting between warm season and cool season turf grasses, consider your regional climate, maintenance preferences, and the intended use of your lawn. 

Buffalograss, a warm season turfgrass, offers an eco-friendly, all-native solution, boasting drought and disease resistance as well as low maintenance needs due to its low growth habit and ability to spread. It does, however, green up later in the spring and go dormant sooner in the fall.

Conversely, cool season turf grasses can provide a lush, green appearance season-long in temperate climates, but these grasses may require more frequent upkeep, such as overseeding and fertilizing, to maintain that appearance.

Evaluate various factors such as fertilizing and watering requirements, insect and disease resistance, mowing frequency, and durability for a variety of both cool season and warm season options before deciding what's right for you. View our Turfgrass Maintenance Comparison Chart to explore these factors and more.

Note: The timing and activities necessary for maintenance and upkeep for each type of grass is also a little different! Be sure to check our Grass Maintenance Calendar to help guide the process!