Choosing the best type of grass for your Florida lawn is important. It’s no secret that having a properly maintained yard can have a significant impact on your home value, but the choice of grass matters as well. So, let’s review some more about each type of grass available in Florida and make sure you choose the best option for your environment.
How is Florida Soil Different?
Florida soil is very different from the soils of other regions. This can make it hard to grow grass, but it’s not impossible! Florida soil is sandy and has a high clay content. This means that when you try to grow grass on it, you’ll need to add organic matter to get nutrients into the soil. Florida soils are low in nutrients. To help this situation, we recommend adding compost or mulch around your new lawn. The nutrients in these materials will help the grass get what it needs to thrive!
How to Prepare Florida Soil for Grass
If you’re going to be planting grass in Florida, you’ll need to take special care to prepare your soil for growing grass. You can do this by adding an organic fertilizer like manure or compost that contains a source of nitrogen (usually ammonium nitrate) and phosphorus (usually atrazine).
You should also consider adding lime (calcium carbonate) or sulfuric acid to your soil prior to planting your sod. These chemicals will help balance out the pH level of your lawn so that it doesn’t become too acidic or too alkaline—which could cause damage over time.
Here are some of the best grasses to grow in Florida:
- Bermuda Grass: This is a popular choice because it’s drought-tolerant and requires little maintenance. It grows quickly and provides great color in your garden. Bermuda grass thrives in alkaline soils and requires different fertilizing practices than other types of grasses.
- St. Augustine Grass: A perennial favorite, this grass prefers full sun and does well with sandy soil. Its thick leaves provide great texture for any yard or garden and its blue flowers add a splash of color every spring! It grows fast and requires little maintenance. It’s also considered drought tolerant due to its ability to retain water during periods of drought and is resistant to diseases like “brown spot” and “drought stress.”
- Zoysia Grass: This grass is known as a “warm season” variety and is able to tolerate cold weather well. It thrives in the sun but can do well in light-shaded areas of your lawn. Zoysia is able to tolerate heat and droughts. It produces a thick green lawn during the growing season.
- Centipede: This type is known for its thick leaves that grow around the base of each leaf blade on the plant’s stem. They’re also known to tolerate drought conditions well because they store moisture inside their leaves during dry periods (which means less watering). When compared to other types of grass, centipede grows slowly but that means it requires less mowing.
- Bahia: This type of grass outstands droughts, can tolerate heat and has the ability to thrive where many other types of grass fail. This type of grass is easy to care for and thrives in sandy, poor soil conditions. It grows in thick stems that root in short intervals meaning it is perfect for creating a thick lawn.
- Buffalo: This grass thrives in acidic soil and does well with low fertility levels. It is another popular choice among Floridians because it grows quickly and looks great in most settings—even when not mowed regularly! This type of grass requires very little maintenance but is also drought resistant when properly watered throughout the year (particularly during hot summer months).
The reason these types of grasses grow well in Florida is that they have a lot of seeds and can seed themselves into the soil easily. They do not require much care or attention when growing and are able to withstand extreme temperatures as well as low humidity levels due to their hardiness over time.
When it is time to choose the best grass for your lawn, consider working with professionals to avoid expensive mistakes. Contact Skinner Lawns today to get started! Call us at 904-720-2515 or visit our website.