Grass chooser
Bermuda, zoysia or St. Augustine
Three warm-season grasses do well around Waco. Each one has a spot where it wins and a spot where it struggles.
- Full sun
Bermuda
The sun grass. Tough, fast and forgiving, the one we lay most often.
Sun: eight or more hours
Shade: poor, it thins out
Foot traffic: very good
Water: comes through dry spells once rooted
Mowing: about 1 to 2 inches
Watch for: runners creeping into beds
- Sun and part shade
Zoysia
The in-between grass. Dense and soft, with a little more tolerance for shade.
Sun: four to six hours or more
Shade: fair, better than Bermuda
Foot traffic: good once it fills in
Water: moderate
Mowing: about 1½ to 2½ inches
Watch for: a slow first season
- Part to mostly shade
St. Augustine
The shade grass. Wide blades and a deep green, best of the three where trees take the light.
Sun: four hours or more
Shade: best of the three
Foot traffic: light
Water: needs more than the others
Mowing: about 3 to 4 inches
Watch for: chinch bugs in hot, dry spells, and hard freezes
Ranges are typical for Central Texas. Your soil, trees and watering can move them.
Count your sun
A sun test you can do in one day
Do it on a clear day in summer, from the spot where the grass will go.
- 01
Check at three times
Stand in the spot at 10 in the morning, 1 and 4 in the afternoon. Note whether the sun or a shadow is on it.
- 02
Count the sunny checks
Each check with full sun is roughly three hours. All three means eight or more hours; two, about six; one, about three.
- 03
Look up
Trees leaf out in spring. A yard that is sunny in February can be shady in May, and we plan for May.
About choosing a grass
Which grass is best with dogs?
Bermuda holds up best to running and digging. Any lawn browns where a dog urinates, so water the spot after.
Can I mix grasses in one yard?
We don't lay a mix. The grasses grow and look different, and the line between them wanders. Two zones with an edge between them work better.
Will it stay green in winter?
No. All three go tan after the first hard frost and come back in spring. That is normal for warm-season grass.
Why not fescue?
Fescue is a cool-season grass. It struggles through Waco summers, so we don't lay it.
Not sure which one?
We check the light at the walk-through and tell you which grass fits.