FLORIDA—
Q. My lawn does not currently have an irrigation system and is somewhat shady due to trees. What is the best drought- and shade-tolerant lawn grass for North Florida? Bahia, zoysia, and St. Augustine are the grasses I favor.
A. There is no best lawn grass. Each lawn grass has its own set of advantages and disadvantages that should be considered.
Pensacola Bahia is most often used as a utility turf along roadsides and as a pasture grass. Once established, bahiagrass has excellent drought tolerance but poor shade tolerance. Its growth habit is more open compared to other lawn grasses. It produces tall, unsightly seed heads during summer months and can be difficult to mow with a residential rotary lawnmower.
If I were going to plant a bahiagrass lawn, I would go with Argentine Bahia. Argentine produces fewer seed heads and a more attractive lawn than Pensacola Bahia. It’s most often established from seed. However, the seeds may not germinate uniformly, sometimes requiring several years to achieve a uniform stand of bahiagrass.
Here is a link to a UF/IFAS Extension publication with more information on bahiagrass: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh006.
We are seeing more zoysiagrass lawns in Florida. However, selecting the right type for a home lawn is important. Some cultivars to consider for a home lawn include Empire, El Toro, Jamur, and Palisades. All four of these cultivars are available as sod or as plugs but not as seed.
Seeded types of zoysiagrass are inferior to the types available as sod or as plugs.
Zoysiagrass has better shade tolerance than bahiagrass and has good drought tolerance. However, it is important to know that the way it deals with drought is to go dormant, which means the lawn goes from green to yellow to brown when it becomes too dry.
A good supplemental irrigation program during times of inadequate rainfall can help prevent this.
Here is a link to a UF/IFAS Extension publication with more information on zoysiagrass: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh011.
St. Augustinegrass is probably the most common lawn grass grown in Florida. In general, it has the greatest degree of shade tolerance. But shade tolerance is cultivar-dependent.
It has a fair tolerance to drought.
Here is a link to a UF/IFAS Extension publication with more information on St. Augustinegrass: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh010.
Shade tolerance does not mean that the grass prefers shade. It means that the grass has some degree of tolerance to shade. Even the most shade-tolerant cultivars of St. Augustinegrass will have difficulty in areas that receive less than five hours of sun per day, resulting in thinning and lawn decline with time.
Larry Williams is the Extension Horticulture Agent with the Okaloosa County Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida. You can contact Larry at 689-5850 or email lwilliams@myokaloosa.com.
