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The Right Grass: Warm-Season

Bermudagrasses—Despite its name, bermudagrass came to America from Africa in 1751. Also known as devilgrass, wiregrass, and couchgrass, it is a serious weed problem in cropland and flower beds due to its rapid growth and persistence. Bermudagrass is the most widely grown turfgrass in Mississippi because of its adaptation to climates and soil types.

Bermudagrass forms a dense, attractive sod. It spreads primarily through stolon growth, although rhizomes do play a part in its aggressive growth habits. It is not unusual for a stolon to grow 6 feet in 1 year when spreading over bare ground.

This aggressiveness makes bermudagrass the preeminent turf for areas of high traffic, since it can spread quickly to cover damaged areas. Bermudagrasses also have good wear tolerance.

The major limiting factor to bermudagrass growth is the amount of sunlight it requires. It does not tolerate full shade and only tolerates partial shade for half a day. It is best to have full sun for the highest quality lawn.

Bermudagrass is responsive to management. Quality lawns require large amounts of fertilizer and water and frequent mowing. Although bermudagrass is drought-tolerant, it has a high water requirement to produce an attractive turf.

Bermudagrass is adapted to a range of soil types and survives in alkaline and acid conditions, but it prefers well-drained soils with a pH of 6 to 7. The vigor of bermudagrass is reduced on poorly drained soils, but it produces an acceptable turf on clay soils. Bermudagrass is the most tolerant turfgrass to being submerged and is the preferred grass for stream banks.

Bermudagrass is easily planted and is the most rapidly established of all the grasses. Common bermudagrass is established from seed. There are improved varieties that can be seeded, but the hybrids and other improved types are established vegetatively.

Seeded types

Common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.) is found everywhere in Mississippi. The seed found in most outlets was probably grown in Arizona and may be called “Arizona common.” It is well adapted to anywhere in Mississippi where there is sufficient sunlight. When compared to other species, it is heat tolerant, drought tolerant and has excellent wear tolerance and recovery from injury. Common bermudagrass may not be cold hardy in zone 7a.

Common bermudagrass is a good, inexpensive choice for areas that receive heavy traffic, such as school yards, athletic fields, play areas, and rights of way. It is susceptible to several pest problems (dollar spot, melting out, and nematodes), but these can be controlled through proper maintenance and correct use of pesticides.

Improved seeded types of bermudagrass include Princess, Savanna, Sultan, Sydney, Sunstar, Mohawk, Yuma, Yukon, and Riviera. These grasses have been shown to produce significantly better quality lawns since they are finer textured and more dense than common bermudagrass. These grasses are for people who want something better than common bermudagrass but do not want the problems or expense associated with the vegetatively propagated grasses. They do not produce a lawn as attractive as the vegetatively propagated grasses. The availabilty of these new seeded types may be limited.

Vegetatively Propagated Types

Many hybrid bermudagrasses have been developed by crossing common bermudagrass with African bermudagrass (Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt Davy). These hybrids have short internodes that give a dense, lower growing turf. Do not grow these hybrids unless you are willing to devote much time and effort to the higher levels of management they require. Tifdwarf and Tifgreen were developed at Tifton, Georgia, for use on golf greens. Most homeowners should avoid these grasses because of the daily mowing required.

Tifway and Tifway II were developed to be used on golf course fairways and tees and athletic fields. Tifway is the standard for high quality lawns. These grasses can be grown by homeowners who want the highest quality lawns. Grasses developed at Mississippi State University for home lawns include MS-Choice and MS-Pride. MS-Choice is a naturally dark green grass that seldom produces seed heads. It is shade tolerant for a bermudagrass. This does not mean it is as shade tolerant as St. Augustinegrass, just that it will grow better than other bermudagrasses in the shade. MS-Pride is a dense, finely bladed grass that will compare favorably with Tifway.

These bermudagrasses do not produce seed. They must be established vegetatively. This adds to the expense of establishing a lawn from these types.

Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) is rapidly becoming the grass of choice for some Mississippians. The low level of maintenance required is a joy to those who want an acceptable quality of turf with the least amount of effort. The problems with centipedegrass often are caused by over-zealous homeowners trying to make centipedegrass look better.

Centipedegrass is a slow growing, naturally lime green, somewhat coarse turfgrass adapted to growing in acid sandy soils. Centipedegrass grows best in a slightly moist, well-drained soil with a pH of 4.5 to 6.0. Iron deficiency causes the leaves to have a bleached appearance when the grass is grown on high pH soils. Centipedegrass responds to foliar iron applications by giving a darker green color.

Centipedegrass can be established from seed, but the germination period is 21 days, and the seedling centipedegrass is slow growing. Vegetative propagation is preferred, and if expense is not a primary consideration, solid sodding gives the most satisfactory result.

Centipedegrass has poor wear tolerance and is slow to recover from injury because of its slow growth rate. Shade tolerance is better than bermudagrass, but not as good as St. Augustinegrass. Do not grow common centipedegrass in zone 7a, and some winter injury may occur in northern sections of zone 7b. TifBlair, Oklawn, and Tennessee Hardy have better cold tolerance than does common.

Supplemental iron applications can have a marked effect on the appearance of centipedegrass. Many people object to the natural light green color and tend to over fertilize with nitrogen trying to darken the hue of the turf. Iron in the form of iron sulfate, ferrous ammonium sulfate, or chelated iron applied to the foliage often provides a noticeably darker color. The darker color lasts until the leaf that has been sprayed grows enough to be mowed. The iron must then be re-applied to the new growth. The advantage to iron is that it does not increase the growth rate of the grass and, therefore, decreases the risk of disease and insect pressure.

The major factor in centipedegrass popularity is the low level of care it requires. If left alone, the height of turf rarely exceeds 4 inches, and the thick turf crowds out most weeds. The seedheads do not extend much above the canopy and are not objectionable. It is often called the poor or lazy man’s grass for this ability to thrive under neglect.

Centipedegrass has a shallow root system and is more subject to drought stress than bermudagrass or St. Augustinegrass. Since it is slow to recover from stress, you should water on a timely basis.

Centipedegrass has one other factor in its behalf. Sethoxydim herbicide can be applied by professional applicators to remove most other species of grass.

St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is a popular choice for lawns in south and central Mississippi. Outstanding shade tolerance makes this grass the overwhelming favorite for lawns under the stately live oaks of the Gulf Coast as well as the tall pines midstate. Winter damage occurs to lawns in zone 7a and the northern reaches of zone 7b. Severe winters may cause damage as far south as the northern reaches of zone 8a. St. Augustinegrass is the most cold-sensitive of all of the turfgrasses grown in Mississippi.

St. Augustinegrass is propagated by sprigging, plugging, or sodding. Some seed of St. Augustinegrass may be available, but the cost of seed and the ease of establishment from stolons make vegetative establishment the preferred method.

St. Augustinegrass is a coarse to very coarse turf that is quick to establish and recover from injury due to aggressive stolon growth. It is not unusual to have St. Augustinegrass stolons grow right over the top of established centipedegrass turf. The grass has only fair wear tolerance and will not tolerate long periods of water stress.

Most problems with St. Augustinegrass are caused by disease and insect pressure made worse by heavy fertilization. Chinch bugs are a serious insect problem, and brown patch is a major disease. Both of these problems are encouraged by the application of too much nitrogen fertilizer and too much water. Although St. Augustinegrass grows rapidly, it requires only a moderate level of fertility.

One problem of St. Augustinegrass is not due to mismanagement. St. Augustine decline (SAD) is a disease caused by a virus. It is present in Mississippi and cannot be alleviated once it is present in a lawn. The only control measure is to plant a resistant variety.

Many varieties of St. Augustinegrass have been released. Those resistant to SAD include Raleigh, Palmetto, and Delmar, which are more cold-tolerant than common, and Seville, which is less cold-tolerant. Do not plant Seville outside the Gulf Coast counties. None of these are resistant to chinch bugs. Varieties resistant to chinch bug include Floratam and Floratam II, which have shown some resistance to SAD. It is recommended that any new lawn established to St. Augustinegrass in Mississippi be of a SAD-resistant variety.

Zoysiagrass (Zoysia species) is gaining popularity as a choice for lawns in the central and northern portions of the state. The zoysiagrasses have superior cold tolerance to the above-named grasses and are not as likely to sustain winter damage. The zoysiagrasses form dense, thick sods of high quality. They have more shade tolerance than bermudagrass and form a finer, more attractive lawn than St. Augustinegrass or centipedegrass.

Three zoysia species are grown for turf in Mississippi. The least cold-tolerant is mascarenegrass or Korean velvetgrass (Zoysia tenuifolia). It is recommended only for zones 8b and 8a. It forms a fine-textured, dense turf. It has severe thatch tendencies and should be grown only by those who wish an unusually thick and distinctive lawn. Manilagrass (Zoysia matrella) is intermediate in cold tolerance and fineness. It is increasingly popular in Mississippi and produces a good quality lawn. Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica) is coarser in texture but much more cold-hardy than the other species. It is grown as far north as coastal New England, although it has a very short season in that climate. A hybrid between Z. japonica and Z. tenuifolia called Emerald is also widely grown in Mississippi.

Rapid improvement has been made in the use of zoysiagrass establishment from seed. Seed are treated by the supplier to produce a more uniform, higher percentage germination. The seed still require excellent moisture management during germination. Placing a spun-bonded polyester cloth over the seedbed during germination has improved the initial stand and early growth. Better quality varieties are now available from seed which are much finer textured and more dense than Chinese or Korean Common. Trials in Mississippi have shown Zenith to grow acceptably from seed and produce a good quality turf. Solid sodding is still the preferred method of establishment. The slow lateral growth rate makes strip sodding and plugging a 2-year project in most lawns.

Zoysiagrasses have good drought tolerance. Their ability to form a very thick sod makes weed control easy, and they do not produce objectionable seedheads. The zoysiagrasses are relatively free of disease problems, but they do suffer from rust, unlike most of the other turf species.

Stems and leaves of zoysiagrasses are tough and difficult to mow with a rotary mower unless the blades are kept very sharp and the grass is not allowed to get tall. Motors have been ruined on rotary mowers trying to cut a too-tall zoysiagrass turf. For these reasons, you should mow zoysiagrass with a reel mower.

Meyer, also known as Z-52, is the most widely available improved variety of Z. japonica. Meyer is fast growing for a zoysiagrass. Emerald was developed to compete with the hybrid bermudagrasses. It will form a very dense, beautiful lawn that can be cut at a lower level than other zoysiagrasses.

Several new cultivars have been recently released with qualities that include faster establishment, disease resistance, shade tolerance, etc. These new varieties include Empire, Cavalier, Palisades, Royal, and Diamond.

Zoysiagrasses require a moderate level of management. They do not grow well in clay soils or other poorly drained sites. They require less fertilization than the bermudagrasses but more than centipedegrass. They prefer a pH of 6 to 7 but tolerate a wide range.

Carpetgrass (Axonopus affinis) and tropical carpetgrass (A. compressus) are coarse, low-growing turfgrasses adapted to the wet, acidic sandy soils of southeast Mississippi. They form a moderately dense, light-green turf that is similar to centipedegrass in color and texture. Individual carpetgrass plants resemble St. Augustinegrass. Tolerance to drought, wear, and cold is poor, and the rate of recovery from damage is slow. Carpetgrass develops many tall unattractive seedheads that require frequent mowing to keep the turf attractive, even though the foliage may not have grown sufficiently.

Even with all these drawbacks, carpetgrass is widely grown as a turfgrass. The major advantages are its ability to survive wet soil, its easy establishment from seed, and its low fertility requirements.

Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) is grown more as a mistake than as a planted turfgrass in Mississippi. It is native to South America and is widely used as a pasture species. Bahiagrass has short stolons, but it does not spread well and often makes an open, almost clumpy turf. It has good wear tolerance but recovers slowly from damage. Shade tolerance is better than bermudagrass, and it is extremely drought-tolerant because of an extensive root system. It is this extensive root system that enables bahiagrass to invade lawns during times of drought and displace more desirable species.

The main disadvantage to bahiagrass is the tall seed stalk that grows quickly when the grass is under stress. One story told is that only a very small lawn can be completely free of seedheads, because they arise so quickly that the started edge will have new seedheads before the far edge is cut. The “V” of the bahiagrass seedhead is a common sight throughout southern Mississippi in the summer.

Two varieties are commonly available. Pensacola is a fine textured cultivar used for roadsides. Argentina is coarser but has superior color and density. A new variety, Wilmington, develops fewer seed heads and is finer textured.