The Grass Doctor

What is the best type of grass seed to use in Florida?

I live in florida, and my back yard looks horrible. Once it starts getting a little warmer outside i would like to buy a few bags of grass seed for my back yard. Any suggestions to the type of grass seed to use and about how long does it normally take to grow. FYI: i would like something a little thicker then rye grass, and something that will last for a long time and work well with florida weather. Thanks in advance :)

Public Comments

1. As you're probably in a warm area, where some of the cold or transitional area grasses won't thrive, I'd not choose Rye. (Rye is good for a hardwearing lawn in a more northerly location, upwards really from Georgia.) Out of the remaining grass species and varieties, I'd select a fairly low maintenance type, as there are times when we all get a bit too busy, go on vacation etc, and having lawn management chores can be a bit of a drag. On of the Bahia grasses is likely to be great, being fairly low maintenance, though if you have frequently water logged soil, I'd probably choose an alaternative. Bahia is generally a hard wearing tough lawn plant, is easy to raise from seed, typically sprouting in 1 to 2 weeks, and will give a faily uniform appearance. To add a little variety, you could mix some seed, with another variety, though this choice is also available later on, by over-seeding your established lawn. The specific Bahia variety in mind is Paspalum Notatum. If your lawn is prone to waterlogging, then I'd recommend Carpet Grass, which is a shallow rooted plant, ideal for such situations - it's not particularly drought tolerant, so only use it if your land is water logged. Both of these are perennial grasses, and fairly hard wearing, if you've family or pets making good use of your lawn. They also look nice, and can be mixed, if you've some areas that are soaked, and others more prone to drying out - if you do, just have a transitional area where you mix both species, so that there's not a fixed line separating them. Starting from seed is much cheaper than buying pre-sown turf, and the key to success is thorough preparation of your land - as it will need to sustain the plants for many years. There are other grass species that could be of use, most of them more expensive, so this partly depends on your budget. Centipede grass is usally a little more expensive, and produces a good looking lawn, again in a similar time frame. If your lawn is sown now, in a couple of months it will start to look like a proper established lawn. Remember, that if you keep wear and tear to a minimum, in the first few months, that it will be healthiest and with the most abundantly thick texture. Hope this helps. Good luck! Rob