Finding The Right Type of Grass For Oklahoma
Maybe it’s your first year taking care of your yard or maybe it’s your one-hundredth year, but no matter how long you’ve been taking care of your lawn, it’s important that you have the right grass growing!
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.
*map from domyown.com
Different Types of Grass in Oklahoma
Bermudagrass
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.
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.
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.
Zoysiagrass
Zoysiagrass is fine to medium-textured warm-season turfgrass that spreads by stolons and rhizomes. Its winter hardiness and its ability to grow under light shade are its desirable features. Its slow establishment rate is its greatest liability. Zoysiagrass requires more frequent watering to prevent wilting than bermudagrass but has lower annual fertilizer requirements. Zoysiagrass, like the fine-textured bermudagrasses, should only be utilized for lawns when a top quality and high-maintenance turf is desired.
Oklahoma State University has a helpful guide for selecting a lawn grass for Oklahoma and created a fact sheet as well!
Specifically for lawns in Stillwater, Oklahoma we recommend using either a Bermudagrass, Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, or Zoysiagrass to ensure you have the best-looking grass in the neighborhood.
