How to Choose The Right Grass For Your Lawn
Say what you want about Americans, but we love our lawns. In fact, over 50,000 square miles of grass lawns covers the United States, which is estimated to be responsible for one-third of our water usage. In other words, lawns are a big deal to us. That matters as a homeowner or an investor because if it doesn’t emphasize just how much value a property’s value is derived from its lawn or landscape, or just how important of a driving factor lawns are in the real estate market, then nothing will. As a homeowner, maintaining your lawn is crucial to your property’s overall value, and as an investor you’ll want to make sure your property’s lawn is in good shape before even thinking about selling. Any discussions on curb appeal are almost useless without mentioning the lawn and grass of a property, so like we said a minute ago, lawns are a big deal.
So what’s the conscientious homeowner or investor to do? Well, your course of action should be, as with most things in real estate, entirely dependent on location. As we’ll explain in a minute, some species of grass thrive in areas where others won’t. Less obvious is the various local code ordinances that may apply to you depending on where your property is, so you’ll want to stay on top of those. We can’t possibly go through every city ordinance here, so for this article we’ll be focused strictly on grass types.
There are tens of thousands of grass species native (and some that aren’t) to the United States, but realistically only around 50 are usable for lawns. This is important because lawns need to be mowed, maintained, and able to handle children, dogs, and the occasional barbeque or water gun fight. So the right candidates are both durable and hardy while having the right growth pattern. The reason only a few meet these criteria is because most grass species grow from the stalk; the types of grass you’ll want to use for your lawn should grow from the root, otherwise you’ll find yourself mowing your lawn exactly once and then needing to reseed the entire thing.
As we said a moment ago, your location is what should inform your decision, but more correctly it’s that your location’s climate should be the key factor here. Specifically, you’ll want to have a good idea of the temperature, water availability, and altitude, all of which have an effect on which type of grass will suit your lawn best. Grass species fall into various categories, so when choosing the right one, you’ll want to consider the following:
Cool-Season vs. Warm-Season
Two distinct types categorize Grass species: cool-season and warm-season. As their names suggest, the former is better adapted to cooler climates while the latter is more at home in warmer ones. The northern and southern halves of the continental United States adequately mark this. Just to shake things up, though, a good portion of the US falls in between this demarcation, creating what’s called a transitional zone. The southeastern United States and southern half of Texas is roughly the warm-season zone, while a band stretching from North Carolina to Maryland and heading west comprises the transitional zone. Everything north of the transitional zone is considered the cool-season zone, so depending on where your property is you’ll want to choose an appropriate type of grass accordingly. Tip: cool-season grasses tend to perform better overall in the transitional zone, and the only reason you might want to go with a warm-season species is if you’re in the southernmost region of it.
Creeping vs. Bunch
You’ll also want to know how your grass grows, because that will affect its maintenance needs. Creeping grasses like bluegrass, Bermuda and most warm-season grasses spread by above or belowground runners. Creeping-type grasses are named, obviously, for their creeping growth habit, meaning they spread by stems that stretch out from the crown of the plant. New shoots develop from nodes on underground stems, called rhizomes, or on horizontally growing aboveground stems, called stolons. Creeping varieties are more prone to thatch, which is a layer of dead shoots that stay attached to the creeping stem. Bunch grasses, on the other hand, such as fescue and ryegrass, spread from the crown of the plant as opposed to a ground-level creeping stem. It’s important to take care to mow high in order to protect the crown and ensure the continued survival of the grass.
Drought Tolerance
If you live in a particularly dry area or one prone to drought (or one that usually imposes watering restrictions), you may want to consider drought-friendly species. The good news is that these are usually native to the area, and can easily be found at most local stores. This brings up an important consideration when choosing grass, which is continued maintenance. It’s not enough for the lawn to look immaculate; you need to be assured (as will a prospective buyer) that the lawn will retain its look and be relatively simple to maintain over the years. If you choose an especially thirsty species in a dry area, it’s not likely to hold up well as time goes by, and at the very least will run up your water usage.
Next week, we’ll explore specific species of grass and how they fit into these categories so you can make the best choice for you when deciding how to seed your lawn. For more information and real estate advice, sign up for our Priority Access List and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
– Get It Right Solutions, LLC