Grasses used in Tennessee consist of warm season and cool season grasses. Tennessee lies in what turf professionals call the transition zone. What this means is that summer in Tennessee is too hot for cool-season grasses to perform well and winters are often cold enough to injure or kill warm-season grasses. Unfortunately, maintaining lawn grasses in the transition zone is more difficult than in many other parts of the United States. Zoysiagrass and bermudagrass are grown in Southern Tennessee. Tennessee rarely has winter damage to zoysiagrass, but cold weather injury to bermudagrass is not unusual.
Cool-Season Grasses: Tall fescue - Turf Type - Tall fescue is a persistent and durable plant that forms acceptable turf for home lawns, grounds, parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields. It is commonly used in low maintenance situations such as utility areas, highway medials, airstrips, and fairgrounds. Many new and improved varieties have finer texture, higher tiller densities, and a darker-green color than the coarse-textured, light-green varieties such as 'Kentucky 31' and 'Alta.' Tall fescue is considered by many individuals to be incompatible with the finer-textured and darker-green Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescues. Tall fescue may be objectionable in a mixture with fine-textured turfgrass species because it tends to form coarse-textured clumps in an otherwise uniform stand.
Tall fescue is primarily a bunch-type grass that occasionally produces short rhizomes. It is somewhat slow to establish extensive root systems and has only fair recovery potential. This species is the most heat and drought tolerant of the cool-season turfgrasses. The increased drought tolerance is a function of its ability to produce a deep root system. Tall fescue performs well in open, sunny areas and is moderately shade tolerant. It is less suited to heavily-shaded conditions than the fine fescues, but is more shade tolerant than Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. Tall fescue is best suited to well-drained soils.
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.
Perennial ryegrass - Ryegrass is a persistent, dark-green, fine to medium-textured turfgrass that is used for home lawns, parks, grounds, golf courses, and athletic fields. This species produces a bunch-type growth habit and does not form rhizomes or stolons. Its recuperative potential is not as strong as Kentucky bluegrass. Perennial ryegrass germinates rapidly (5 to 7 days) and establishes quickly. It is very competitive with other turfgrasses and is used extensively for overseeding thin or damaged turf. Because of its aggressive nature, perennial ryegrass is generally not used in amounts over 20 percent in a mixture with other turfgrasses. It is suitable for use alone or in combination with Kentucky bluegrass and/or fine fescues.
Perennial ryegrasses is wear tolerant and heat tolerant. It is only moderately tolerant of shade and drought. This species will withstand low temperatures, however, it tends to be susceptible to ice damage. Perennial ryegrass performs best on moderate to high-fertility soils and well-drained soils.
Fine fescues - The fine fescues are composed of narrow-leaved species in the genus Festuca. The most common turf-type fine fescues include creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra), Chewings fescue (Festuca rubra var. commutata), hard fescue (Festuca longifolia), and sheep fescue (Festuca ovina). These species are used extensively for lawns, grounds, and parks. They are ideal for low maintenance turfs, but, are not typically used for sports turfs. During cool weather (and when properly maintained), the fine fescues produce an attractive, uniform stand with a medium-green to dark-green color. These grasses are extremely fine-textured and are compatible in mixtures of most cool-season turfgrasses. As a group, the fine fescues tolerate soils of low fertility and low pH, droughty soils, and shaded conditions. They are not well adapted to hot, humid conditions; poorly drained soils; high-traffic areas such as athletic fields or playgrounds; and high rates of nitrogen fertilizer. Like Kentucky bluegrass, the fine fescues become semi-dormant under prolonged periods of heat and drought and recover quickly with the advent of cooler temperatures and adequate soil moisture.
Warm-Season Grasses:
Bermuda Grass - Bermudagrass is the species most adapted to and most frequently used in southern Tennessee. Many new and improved seeded varieties have been developed and released during the last 10 years. Users now have a choice of varieties that are denser and finer textured than the almost extinct seed of common bermudagrass. Bermudagrass spreads aggressively by stolons (aboveground runners) and rhizomes (belowground runners) and can become a nuisance when it invades flower beds and gardens. Also, cold-tolerant seeded and vegetative varieties are available that withstand lower winter temperatures.
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 Tennessee 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. Midnight) for more information about that grass and to make your purchase.
USDA Zone Map For Tennessee
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
