Best Grasses in Central Texas

With the severe drought that we had last year a lot of lawns suffered and some may be in need of some serious renovation. If your needing to re-sod your yard or maybe you purchased a new home and have no lawn at all, you may be wondering which grass is the best for this area. In this post we will go over the most common types of grass used in Central Texas and some information about each of them. Which type you should use varies based on where your lawn is located, how much you can water, and how much shade there is. Due to the drought that we have been under it would be a smart idea to go with a lawn that doesn’t require a whole lot of water to keep healthy. It would not be a good idea to go with a cool season type turf such as Fescue or Kentucky Bluegrass due to their water needs and the fact they don’t tolerate the heat of the summer very well.
Best Types of Grass for Central Texas:
Bermudagrass– This is probably the best grass available when it comes to drought resistance since most variates can get by with watering once or twice a week. Part of it’s drought resistance can make it invasive since it constantly seeds itself but it has few problems with pest and disease. One issue to consider is that it requires full sun so if you do have a lot of shade in your yard it will not grow well.
St. Augustine– This is another popular grass in the area commonly referred to as “carpet grass”. While it can take a lot of work initially once you have well established growth it can be easy to care for. It does get more pest and disease issues than Bermudagrass but can grow in shade and full sun. Recommended for areas with lots of gardens and trees due to it’s shade tolerance and not being as invasive.
Zoysia– Zoysia is a great turf type for the area due to it’s excellent drought resistance. While it prefers full sun there are some hybrids that can do well in shade. Has some of the advantages of both the previous types of grasses but can get some disease and pest issues like St. Augustine. The biggest disadvantage to this grass would be price since it tends to be more expensive than Bermuda or St. Augustine. It is available as a seed and with some TLC will flourish