Best Lawn Grasses For Alabama

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Best Lawn Grass Seeds For Alabama

Grasses used in Alabama can be divided in to two groups: warm season grasses and cool season grasses. As their names imply, warm season grasses are adapted to hot weather and are usually native to tropical or sub-tropical environments. They go dormant in the winter and turn brown. Cool season grasses are better suited to cool weather and are usually native to temperate areas. They remain green all winter long.

Warm season grasses: Bermudagrasses are the most popular warm season grass in Alabama. Bermudagrass is prized for its exceptional heat and drought tolerance which makes it well suited to the Alabama climate. Due to its fast growth habit, Bermudagrass also has a high well tolerance and is suitable for frequented lawns, soccer-fields, and gold courses alike. Bermudagrasses are more sensitive to cold weather and thus if you live in the northern areas of Alabama your best choice would be Yukon Bermudagrass which has superior cold tolerance.

  • Excellent Heat Tolerance
  • Superior Drought Tolerance
  • Wear Tolerant
  • Not well suited for northern Alabama (choose Yukon Bermudagrass instead)

warm season grass options are best suited for Alabama counties: Sumter, Choctaw, Washington, Mobile, Marengo, Clarke, Dallas, Wilcox, Monroe, Conecuh, Escambia, Baldwin, Autaguga, elmore, Montgomery, Lowndes, Butler, Crenshaw, Covington, Macon, Bullock, Pike, Coffee, Dale, Barbour, Russell, Henrey, Geneva, and Houston.

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Arden 15 - warm season

 
Arden 15 bermuda grass seed can be used on golf course fairways and tees - manicured home lawns - well maintained sports turf and parks. It has several advantages over traditional Bermuda grasses: Arden 15, just has a higher overall turf quality than all commercial seeded varieties in U.S. and international tests. This bermuda grass variety has a beautiful dark green color, medium fine leaf texture. Just as its predecessor Princess 77 had, Arden 15 has a high leaf density as well as a moderate spring greenup and fall color retention, and it is easily established from grass seed.
  • Golf Courses
  • Lawns
  • High End

Cool season grasses: Cool season grasses are a good choice for the northern half of Alabama or shady areas in Southern Alabama. Options include: Combat Extreme Southern, Combat Extreme Transition, and OSP Ryegrass. Other than having better cold tolerance than Bermudagrasses (although worse heat tolerance), these cool-season options can remain green in winter and are usually more cost-effective.

  • Better Cold Tolerance
  • Good Wear Tolerance
  • Cost Effective
  • May struggle during summer in southern Alabama

Cool season grasses are most suited for the Alabama counties: Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison, Jackson, Colbert, Lawrence, De Kalb, Marion, Winston, Cullman, Walker, and Fayette. Counties more southern than those should consider Bermudagrass options or make sure they are planting the cool season grass in a partially shaded area.

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Combat Extreme Southern

 
Combat Southern is a popular choice for homeowners because it is more cost effective for lawns than bermudagrass alternatives. Blending fescue grass seed varieties together that have top performance on some of the desired characteristics allows the lawn to adapt itself to various conditions. In the shady areas, the grass seed varieties with good shade tolerance will prevail, in the high traffic areas the best wear tolerant grass seed varieties will prevail, etc. The result is a beautiful lawn grass everywhere, from the same seed blend.
  • Cost Effective
  • Lawns
  • Wear Resistant



Click Name To View Grass Seed Choice   Type Applications
Bermuda Grass - Oasis Warm Season Lawns - Full Sun - Fast Growing
Bermuda Grass - Blackjack Warm Season Lawns - Full Sun - Fast Growing
Bermuda Grass - Yukon Warm Season Lawns - Golf Course - Fast Growing
Full Sun - High End - Best Cold Tolerance
Bermuda Grass - Arden 15 Warm Season Lawns - Golf Course - Fast Growing
Full Sun - High End
Centipede Grass Warm Season Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun - Low Maintenance
Seashore Paspalum - Seaspray Warm Season Lawns - Mostly Sunny to Full Sun - Best Salt Tolerance
Fescue/Hybrid Bluegrass Mix - Combat Extreme South Cool Season Lawns - Wear Tolerant - Extra Heat Tolerance
Shade Only in USDA Zones 9 - 10
Fescue Blend - Combat Extreme Transition Cool Season Lawns - Wear Tolerant - Shade Only in
USDA Zones 9 - 10
OSP Ryegrass Cool Season Lawns - Golf Courses - Southern Winter Overseed

Most of the grasses used for turf in Alabama are warm season grasses. In north Alabama, some species of fescue (especially tall fescue) are used for permanent lawns. Creeping bentgrass is used on golf courses for putting greens in the northern half of the state. Ryegrass is used to overseed warm season grasses in the winter. This provides a green color when the wearm season grass is dormant.

One grass which is not suitable for use in Alabama is Kentucky bluegrass. Although this is the most popular grass nationwide because of its great appearance, it does not have the heat resistance to stand up to Alabama summers.

Bermuda grass is the most common grass found in Alabama. While Northern Alabama lies in a transitional zone, the cool season grasses (Fescue, Ryegrass, Bluegrass) will struggle to survive the hot summer temperatures when planted. Turf Type Fescue would be the exception to that in some areas of Northern Alabama. Due to summer heat stress, warm season grasses are the primary grasses planted in Alabama for full sun. For shade, turf type fescue is the best option like our Combat Extreme.



Below is the USDA Zone Map for Alabama so you can determine which zone you reside in. Below that are our picks for your state which will do best in your area. Next on this page are tables which list various grasses and their characteristics so you can compare before you decide on your purchase. Click on the product name (ie. La Prima) for more information about that grass and to make your purchase.

USDA Zone Map For Alabama
Alabama Grass Seed Alabama Zones

Compare Various Grasses For Their Characteristics
Cool Season
Grasses
Leaf
Texture
Establish
Rate
Nitrogen
Use
Water
Use
Drought
Tolerance
Salinity
Tolerance
Shade
Tolerance
Fescue - Hard Fine Slow to
Moderate
Low to
Very Low
Moderate Excellent Low to
Moderate
Excellent
Fescue - Creeping Fine Moderate Low to
Moderate
Moderate Good Low Excellent
Fescue - Turf Type Moderate
to Coarse
Moderate Moderate
to High
Low to
Moderate
Excellent Low Good to
Excellent
Ryegrass - Perennial Fine to
Moderate
Very Fast Moderate
to High
Moderate
to High
Good Poor to
Moderate
Poor to
Moderate
Warm Season
Grasses
Leaf
Texture
Establish
Rate
Nitrogen
Use
Water
Use
Drought
Tolerance
Salinity
Tolerance
Shade
Tolerance
Bahiagrass Coarse
toVery Coarse
Slow to
Moderate
Low Low Excellent Excellent Moderate
to Good
Bermudagrass Fine
to Moderate
Moderate
to Fast
Moderate Moderate
to High
Excellent Very Good Poor
Centipedegrass Moderate
to Coarse
Slow Low Low Good Moderate Moderate
to Good
Seashore Paspalum Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Excellent Excellent Good
Compare Various Grasses For Their Characteristics - Continued
Cool Season
Grasses
Fertility
Needs
Wear
Resistance
Mowing
Height
Cold
Tolerance
Acid Soil
Tolerance
Thatching
Tendency
Heat
Tolerance
Fescue - Hard Low Low Medium Medium
to High
Medium
to High
Low to
Medium
Low to
Medium
Fescue - Creeping Low Low Medium High Medium
to High
Low to
Medium
Low to
Medium
Fescue - Turf Type Low to
Medium
Medium
to High
Medium
to High
Medium High Low High
Ryegrass - Perennial Medium High Low to
Medium
Medium Medium Low Medium
to High
Warm Season
Grasses
Fertility
Needs
Wear
Resistance
Mowing
Height
Cold
Tolerance
Acid Soil
Tolerance
Thatching
Tendency
Heat
Tolerance
Bermudagrass Medium High Low to
Medium
Low to
Medium
Medium Medium High
Blue Grama Low Low High High Low Low High
Buffalograss Low Low High High Low Low High
Centipedegrass Low Low Medium
to High
Medium
to High
High Medium High
Seashore Paspalum Medium
to High
Medium
to High
Low Medium Low Medium
to High
High

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