8 Types of Grass in Tennessee: Grow in Your Landscape

Types of grass in Tennessee, are ones that would add such a nice and luscious color to your lawn or front yard, with their texture and development. We are sure you will find what you are looking for in our article.

You may find yourself asking, what type of grass do I have, and what kind of grass grows in the shade in Tennessee?

Continue reading to discover the answer to these and so much more.

List of Different Types of Grass in Tennessee

1. Perennial Ryegrass

It is a hardy grass that is pretty low-maintenance. The grass has pest and disease-resistant abilities. It has an attractive pale green color and is used as a turfgrass in tennis and golf clubs. The grass is known for its quick germination. 

This ryegrass would grow from nothing to mow-able grass within a matter of twenty-one days, this aspect, to be specific is why a big number of people love it. Hence, it is considered as a nurse’s grass because it is commonly used in grass seed blends.

Since it has an aggressive growth rate, it is a great choice for claiming construction sites. Furthermore, It helps prevent erosion when grown on steep landscapes like roadsides and ditches, but it may lose its strength when it gets infested by different pests such as field crickets that would lay eggs and increase in their number and provide their shelter from the grass.

On another note, this grass would form clumps and cannot penetrate through rhizomes like the other grass species. Because of this, the ground seems patchy and has exposed bare spots that need to be re-seeded regularly. It does better in the less cool areas up North, but only the extreme winters can kill the ryegrass.

2. Kentucky Bluegrass

The grass is native to Europe, northern Asia, and the mountainous regions of Algeria and Morocco. This grass species is up to eighteen to twenty-four inches tall and can be easily identified from the boat-shaped leaves. When you invest in this one, make sure that the soil’s acidity would range from slightly acidic to medium one, and that it is a well draining one, where excess water will not remain in the roots. 

It propagates through rhizomes and produces new leaves every ten to twenty-two days in summer and fall. Also, remember that it would produce few leaves during the extremely cold winter months. The blades retain their color for ten to twelve days, and an average shoot bears three to four leaves at a time; however, in the transition zone, new leaves emerge all year round.

3. Bermuda Grass

It is also known as couch grass, scutch grass, or twitch grass, and it would thrive in the state of Tennessee. This means that the grass species is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the World; moreover, the Bermuda grass Tennessee varieties are mostly vegetative established hybrids.

It is a perennial warm season grass that does not grow more than three inches tall and is more tolerant of warm climates than cooler climates; as a result, you should locate it in full sun so that it grows and develop well. Since it cannot tolerate cold, it cannot be used in the northern region.

This grass species has an aggressive growth rate and spreads quickly by slender, wiry, and pointed rhizomes. Note that the grass’s sturdy and extensive root system protects it from environmental hazards, and it grows through above-ground stems, commonly known as stolons, and below-ground stems, also known as rhizomes.

Gardeners often dislike it because of its dense root network, where the roots become more complex. The underground stems and shoots are often popping up around common household plants. Before you know it, it will cover most of your garden bed.

4. St. Augustine Grass 

The common names for this species are The buffalo grass, carpet grass, wire grass, mission grass, etc. The St. Augustine variety of grass is a warm-season one, and it is prone to propagate through stolons. This grass is tolerant to salt, making it a perfect choice for people along the coastline, where the air is also salty and humid.

It is a heavy feeder, preferably a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, and grows up to six to twelve inches tall; make sure you would do so a little before the growth season, which is during spring and summer.

On another note, it is low-maintenance, meaning you do not have to mow it often, just when it has grown well enough. However, to retain its beautiful lush green color, you must keep up with its water and feeding needs.

5. Tall Fescue

The perennial grass, also known as fine fescue, belongs to the Poaceae family and is native to Europe. It has a fast, rather invasive growth rate and grows in clumps. Unlike the other grass species, it spreads from the base of the plant, but other than the latter, it spreads through grass seeds distribution too.

You can easily identify this lawn grass among various other grass species. It is the most awkward-looking clumped grass, making it obvious to differentiate from the rest of the mat-forming grasses. 

Most people prefer to grow it in play areas because of its tall height, but you might have to reseed the bare spots often, and the fact that it would grow well regardless of the soil that you have provided it. It has a two-to-three-inch deep root system, making it heat and drought tolerant, and also, it is great for heavy foot trafficking.

6. Zoysia 

The perennial turf grass spreads above and underground stems. It is four to six inches in height and commonly grows in parks, golf courses, and similar places where heavy foot traffic occurs, hence it is also grown for playgrounds because it is resilient.

If you provide your grass with core aeration in the early summer, it can help it control the formation of a dense thatch which prevents water and nutrients from reaching the soil, a death sentence for your plant. Zoysia grass seed propagation is the most common form of propagation, and it would germinate so quickly, between two and three weeks.

For best results, it is better to mow less than one-third of the grass at a time rather than allow it to grow to its maximum height and then mow it. However, do remember that it has a slow but invasive growth rate, letting it to over-shadow other grass species, plants, and weeds. 

7. Centipede Grass

The grass is native to south and central china. It has a slow growth rate and grows up to five inches tall. Usually, people use it for ground-covering purposes because of its volume. It is the best grass for middle Tennessee.

For mowing, we recommend you start when it is two inches in height in spring and gradually lessen it to one and a half or one inch. To know if your grass has adapted to the change in mowing height, what you can do is see more into its growing behavior and then come to any verdict, so that you would establish it better; basically if it appears bare or patchy, stick to the original mowing height. 

During the hot season and just when it has started to get a bit chilly, increase your mowing height by one-half or one-fourth inch to help it grow better. Also, note that it is important to dethatch your grass when the thatch is one-fourth inch or thicker, and ensure that the right growing requirements are given every time because the grassroots would be vulnerable.

8. Creeping Red Fescue

Being a cool season grass Red fescue is mostly grown in cool and shaded sites like mountains, resorts, golf courses, camps, playgrounds, parks, lawns, etc. It has a slow growth rate meaning it germinates and matures slowly, and has the best grass seed for east Tennessee. You can mow the plant when it reaches two or two and a half inches.

This is the type that can be easily identified by its fine deep green leaves folded in a bud. Moreover, this grass species is low-maintenance, and it would thrive well in the full sun, and it has easy lawn care, is not a heavy feeder, and does not require much water. The grass is known for its creeping habitat and a tinge of red at the leaf’s base, hence its name.

Conclusion

With so many options, it gets quite intimidating to distinguish between similar-looking grass types; there are cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses that almost have the same features and characteristics.

Whatever grass type you decide to grow, remember the following points from the article above:

• The perennial Ryegrass is an excellent choice for uniform lawn grass.
• Looking for all-year-round lawn grasses, then look no further than the Kentucky bluegrass.
• Tall Fescues are cool-season grasses with an invasive growth rate if you want to cover a bare patch and help with lawn care.
• If you live along the coastline, buffalo grass is the best choice for your Tennessee lawn.

After discovering these Tennessee grass types, which plant would you like to grow?

References

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/TURF/TURFSPECIES/perrye.html

https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/beaverturf/perennial-ryegrass-lolium-perenne-l

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/TURF/TURFSPECIES/kenblue.html

https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/couch-grass

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/TURF/TURFSPECIES/redfes.html

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/zoysiagrass/

https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/beaverturf/tall-fescue

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/turf/publications/Bermuda.html

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