Is it time to rebuild your lawn? A Billy Goat sod cutter makes quick work of removing top soil. Once your lawn is ready to plant, that leaves just one question: which type of grass should you use?
Climate Zones
Grasses can be divided into two main types: warm season and cool season. The U.S. climate can be divided into regions. Here’s where these regions cover, and the type of grass that works best in them.
Warm Season Grasses
Hot Summer Humid: South Carolina to East Texas
Semitropical: The Gulf Coast and Florida
Hot Summer Arid: Southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas
Cool Season Grasses
Cold Winter Humid: From the East Coast to central Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota
Cold Winter Arid: Everything west of the Cold Winter Humid region, out to the central California, Oregon and Washington state.
Mild Winter Humid: The West Coast
Cool and warm season grasses both grow well in the transition zone, which stretches from North Carolina and Virginia to Southern California. If you plant both types of grass, you can extend the growing season.
Warm Season Grass Varieties
There are 5 main varieties of warm season grasses, each with traits that make it a great choice for a particular region.
Bermudagrass
– Needs sun
– Grows well in arid climates
– Low fertilizer and water requirements
St. Augustine
– Grows well in humid coastal areas
– High shade tolerance
– Grows in most soils
– Dies easily in freezing weather
– Susceptible to St. Augustine Decline (SAD) disease. Some varieties are SAD resistant.
Centipedegrass
– Likes hot, humid weather
– Best drought resistance
– Decent shade tolerance
– Freeze resistant, can stay green year-round in mild climates
Zoysiagrass
– Grows well in hot, humid weather
– Cold resistant
– High wear tolerance
– Good drought tolerance
Buffalograss
– Low maintenance
– Extreme drought resistance
– Poor shade tolerance
Cool Season Grasses
These four varieties make up the bulk of cool season grasses. While warm season sod usually has just one grass variety, most cool season sod uses a combination of grasses for better coverage.
Kentucky Bluegrass
– Needs direct sunlight
– Prevents the spread of weeds
– Slow growing
– Works best mixed with other varieties
Perennial Ryegrass
– Heat, insect and disease resistant
– Grows in poor quality soil
– High wear tolerance
Fine Fescue
– Grows well in sunlight and shade
– Doesn’t compete with other grasses
– Doesn’t need much fertilizer
Turf Type Tall Fescue
– Grows best in cool, humid climates
– Shade and drought tolerant
– New varieties are also heat, insect and disease tolerant
Is Your Equipment Ready for the Planting Season?
If you need to work on your Billy Goat sod cutter, power rake or overseeder, visit Billy Goat Parts. We’re a dealer for Billy Goat and their brand partners, which means we stock OEM accessories and parts to replace everything on your equipment. We have sections for commonly ordered parts, like blades and belts, and our search engine can find other parts specific to your machine. See what we offer at our website, www.billygoatparts.com. We ship across the U.S. and Canada.
