Grasses used in Oklahoma are turfgrass species and cultivars that is adapted to the environmental conditions of Oklahoma and that fits your personal needs and interests. The grass should also be suited to the physical or environmental limitations of the planting site, such as shade, no supplemental water, or poor soil conditions. Bermudagrass, buffalograss, and zoysiagrass are the warm-season (grows in the summer and dormant in the winter) turfgrass species most commonly planted in Oklahoma. Occasionally, cool-season turfgrass species, such as tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass are planted on shaded sites because the warm-season turfgrasses cannot tolerate shade. Cool-season turfgrasses, such as tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass can also be successfully grown in full sun, but requires more frequent watering during the summer than bermudagrass to prevent wilting, thinning, and a loss of turf density. Thus, cool-season turfgrasses may be utilized in full sun only when a convenient means of irrigation is available.
Cool-season grasses: Tall Fescue - Tall fescue is adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions, but performs best on well drained clay soils in the "transition zone." Tall fescue demonstrates good shade tolerance in the southern region and remains green year-round under irrigated conditions. The improved turf-type tall fescues are finding widespread acceptance as lawn grasses in the transition zone. And, in the southern region under moderately shaded conditions, tall fescue is gaining in popularity. With proper management tall fescue can survive in densely shaded sites that warm season grasses cannot tolerate. Also, the improved tall fescues retain color during the winter months and provide a year-round green lawn. The best grass species that we recommend for shady conditions is the turf-type tall fescue.
Perennial ryegrass - Perennial ryegrass can be utilized for overseeding into dormant warm-season turfgrasses or for soil stabilization during the fall and spring when a turf cover is rapidly needed. Perennial ryegrass is commonly seeded into an established bermudagrass turf when a fine textured, green turf cover is desired from October through April.
Kentucky bluegrass - Kentucky bluegrass is a persistent and attractive species that is used in many home lawns, institutional grounds, parks, and athletic fields. This species has a medium to fine leaf texture and a medium- to dark-green color when properly fertilized. It produces extensive underground stems, called rhizomes, which provide good sod-forming characteristics and superior recuperative potential when compared to most other cool-season turfgrasses. Kentucky bluegrass is cold tolerant, wear tolerant, and moderately heat and drought tolerant. It makes optimum growth during the spring and fall and becomes semi-dormant under prolonged periods of heat and drought. It usually recovers quickly from dormancy with the advent of cooler temperatures and adequate soil moisture. Kentucky bluegrass is limited for use in the cooler zones of Oklahoma.
Warm-season grasses: Bermudagrasses - Bermudagrass is an aggressive, warm-season turfgrass species that spreads rapidly by above-ground (stolons) and below-ground (rhizomes) stems. It is the best-adapted turfgrass for full-sun areas in Oklahoma due to its excellent heat and drought tolerance during the summer and its sufficient winter hardiness. Bermudagrass cultivars having a fine texture (relative measure of leaf-blade width) and a high turf density (number of leaves or stems per unit area) are best suited for areas such as lawns, athletic fields and golf courses.
Buffalograss - Buffalograss is a warm-season, sod-forming, native prairie grass that spreads by stolons. It has a fine texture and a grayish-green color. It has excellent tolerance for the heat, drought, and cold conditions found in Oklahoma. Buffalograss is best suited to full-sun sites in areas of Oklahoma receiving 12 to 25 inches of rainfall per year. It grows best on heavy-textured soils and has some tolerance of alkaline soils. Buffalograss is the best choice for unirrigated lawns and general turf areas of western Oklahoma. It produces numerous seed heads which may distract from the general appearance of the turf. Buffalograss can be established from processed and treated seed or from sod.
This vigorous, fine-bladed cultivar adds color and density to any warm-season blend. Blackjack lawn seed produces a sun-loving turf that performs throughout the hottest summer months, and in addition, Blackjack shows remarkable cold tolerance even in cold winter areas. If planting sprigs or plugs makes your back sore, consider Blackjack seeded Bermudagrass. You'll get a dense green lawn all summer long. Bermudagrass is the species most adapted to and most frequently used throughtout the state. Many new and improved seeded varieties have been developed and released during the last 10 years.
Combat Southern is a 3-way mixture of turf type fescue and Hybrid Bluegrass which is heat and drought tolerant enough to be used in USDA Zones 8 - 10 (partial shade recommend for USDA Zone 9 and 10). This mixture is approximately 90% turf type fescue grass seed and 10% hybrid bluegrass seed by weight. By seed count, this makes almost a 50/50 blend of fescue and hybrid drought tolerant bluegrass.
Wear Tolerant
Cost Efficient
Lawns
USDA ZONE MAP
Below is the USDA Zone Map for Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma
Compare Various Grasses For Their Characteristics
Cool Season Grasses
Leaf Texture
Establish Rate
Nitrogen Use
Water Use
Drought Tolerance
Salinity Tolerance
Shade Tolerance
Bluegrass - Kentucky
Moderate to Fine
Slow
Moderate to High
Moderate to High
Good
Moderate
Poor
Bluegrass - Rough
Moderate to Fine
Slow
Moderate to High
Moderate to High
Poor
Moderate
Excellent
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
Bermudagrass
Fine to Moderate
Moderate to Fast
Moderate
Moderate to High
Excellent
Very Good
Poor
Buffalograss
Moderate to Coarse
Slow to Moderate
Low
Low
Excellent
Moderate
Very Poor
Compare Various Grasses For Their Characteristics - Continued
