Thousands of different types of grass can be found in North America, but only a few species are used in home lawns. When seeding a lawn, it is important to choose the species, or mix of species that will grow best in that particular location.

Each turfgrass species has a number of cultivars, varieties or hybrids, each of which are subtly different genetically. Most grass seed mixes consist of a variety of species and cultivars in order to maintain good biodiversity within the lawn. Good biodiversity generally translates into a healthier lawn that is able to tolerate diseases, and flourish in a wider range of environmental conditions.

Here is a list of general characteristics of some of the more common species of turfgrass.

Kentucky Bluegrass

Advantages

• Good color and density
• Flourishes in full sun areas
• Recovers from divots rapidly
• Good cold tolerance (survives the winter well)

Disadvantages

• Does poorly in shady areas
• Susceptible to Leaf Spot and Necrotic Ring Spot diseases
• Tends to create an excessive thatch layer quickly
• Very slow to germinate (3 weeks)

Summary

Kentucky bluegrass is best used in full sun areas. If starting a new lawn from seed, be prepared to water lightly every day for a month in order to be assured good germination and establishment. Lawns established from sod commonly consist largely of Kentucky Bluegrass. If this sod is layed in a shady backyard, the Kentucky Bluegrass will not flourish and overseeding with a shade tolerate grass like fine fescue is recommended.

Perennial Ryegrass

Advantages

• Rapid germination (3 to 5 days).
• Good wear tolerance for high traffic areas.
• Endophytic cultivars deter insect feeding. Endophytes are fungi that live inside the perennial ryegrass and produce compounds that are toxic to insects.
• Resistant to the devastating disease Necrotic Ring Spot.

Disadvantages

• It is a bunch type grass and tends to grow in clumps if not overseeded regularly. We recommend overseeding annually or bi-annually with a perennial ryegrass lawn.
• Old cultivars have poor cold tolerance and can die in winter. New cultivars have significantly better cold tolerance.
• Tough grass blades can shred when cut with a dull mower. The shredded leaves cause the lawn to appear fuzzy.
• When used in a mix with other slow germinating grass species, the quickly germinating Perennial Ryegrass tricks the lawn owner into reducing the watering because they think the germination is complete. This can result in the slow germinating species never getting established.

Summary

Perennial Ryegrass creates a beautiful lawn, and it's quick germination makes lawn establishment easy. Overseed every one or two years to keep the lawn thick and prevent excessive clumping.

Fine Fescue (creeping red, chewings, hard fescues)

Advantages

• Grows well in shady areas.
• Tolerates low fertility. Fine Fescue requires less fertilizers to keep healthy.
• Tolerates drought. Fine Fescue require less watering than grasses like Kentucky Bluegrass or Bentgrass.
• Quick germination and rapid establishment.

Disadvantages

• In high temperature Fine Fescue sloughs off leaves in order to keep the growing point alive. This causes the lawn to appear brown and dry.
• Does not tolerate wet, poorly drained soils.
• Slow recuperative rate, so divots heal slowly.
• Tends to thatch up quickly, so we recommend annual aeration on Fine Fescue lawns.
• Susceptible to  Red Thread disease.
• Chinch Bugs love Fine Fescues because of tendency for the Fine Fescue to create excessive thatch.

Summary

Fine Fescue is an excellent species for shady backyards due to it's shade tolerance. It requires almost half the fertilizer that Kentucky Bluegrass, so it is a good species for low maintenance areas. The fine textured leaves blend in well with other species such as Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass, so it is often included in standard grass seed mixes.

Tall Fescue

Advantages

• Tolerates hot, dry  conditions. Commonly used for roadsides and low maintenance areas.
• Tolerates foot traffic
• Relatively shade  tolerant.

Disadvantages

• It is primarily a bunch type grass, so it tends to grow in clumps.
• Slow to recuperate from damage.
• Coarse, wide blade in older varieties does not blend well with other grass species.
• Poor cold tolerance.

Summary

Tall Fescue is often used in roadside mixes where drought tolerance is important. It is not a grass species that is generally recommended for home lawns because of the coarse texture of the wide blades. New cultivars of Tall Fescue have narrower leaves and are starting to be used in home lawn mixes.

Bentgrass

Advantages

• Tolerates low mowing, making it ideal for putting greens.
• Tolerates wet, cool, moist climates. Commonly used in home lawns on the west coast. (Vancouver)

Disadvantages

• Spreads rapidly over sidewalks and driveways via stolons. This results in more frequent edging to keep things looking tidy.
• Some cultivars tend to grow a brown sheath around the stem, giving the lawn a brown, dry appearance.
• It has an olive green color, and requires unique maintenance practises for optimum growth , making Bentgrass somewhat incompatible with other species.

• Generally considered a weedy grass when it occurs in patches within a traditional lawn.

Summary

Bentgrass is generally not used for home lawns because of the higher maintenance requirements. It is commonly used in cities like Vancouver, BC on the West Coast where the cool, wet climate is favorable for the Bentgrass and where Kentucky Bluegrass does not flourish. Bentgrass is ideal for putting greens because it can tolerate very low mowing, and can be found around the world on golf courses.