The Nature Walk

When the time comes for landscaping, you can put all kinds of different grass on your lawn. Bermuda grass is a popular variety, and it is popular for good reason. For one thing, it can tolerate full sunlight, and can tolerate high soil salinity (saltiness) as well as drought.

This grass was brought to North America from Africa, and has fared quite well. Thankfully, it is easy to plant. But before you go out and buy seeds, you should know about these different varieties.

Photo by John E Kaminski

Common Bermuda Grass

This popular variety has many advantages. It grows fast, is easy to care for and grows densely. Additionally, the seeds of this kind are very common and relatively cheap. It is great for saltwater areas, and its large root system makes it relatively hardy.

Medium Quality Varieties

There are some situations in which you would not be terribly concerned with the quality of your grass. If you need grass for a very large area, such as golf courses or sports fields, or if you plan to keep it mowed relatively low consistently. For these situations, medium quality seeds or sods will work just fine.

Cold Tolerant Varieties

There are now types of bermuda grass available that are more tolerant than usual to cold temperatures. The common variety often dies in the winter in transition climate zones. Mohawk and La Prima are too examples of this.

Improved Varieties

There are some versions of the common strain that have been bred to have specific features. These varieties are usually denser and often have deeper root systems than their counterparts. These are of moderate quality, between common and hybrid cultivars. Here are a few of the different types.

• Mohawk is a variety that is useful as turf grass. It has been bred to have increased survival in cold conditions, particularly in the US northern transition zone. It has been shown to survive in temperatures as cold as negative 6.75 degrees Celsius.
• The Sahara variety is specifically adapted for exceptional drought tolerance. Sahara is very hardy and can tolerate a lot of wear, and is quite resistant to pests. It can even tolerate all soil types and contitions.

Now that you know the different types of turf grass and what their different uses are, you should know what to get. There is a right type for every lawn or turf, and its easy to get seeds.