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Several types of grass grow very well in the metro-Atlanta region. The most common are Bermuda, fescue, zoysia, and centipede.
Fescue, a cool-season, shade-tolerant grass, remains green through the winter months but can turn brown in the heat of summer. Its counterpart, Bermuda, is a warm-season grass and will be lushly green in spring and summer while turning brown or tan during winter.
Other warm-season grasses are also quite popular. “Centipede and Zoysia are sort of like boutique grasses,” says Dick Bare, owner of Arbor-Nomics Turf. “People are maybe going to pick those because it’s different or they like the look of it more.”
Low-Maintenance Grasses
Centipede is, as Bare calls it, the “lazy man’s grass,” requiring very little maintenance. It prefers full sun but is tolerant of medium shade; it requires very little mowing or fertilizing; and it is resistant to disease and insects, two of the main threats to a healthy lawn.
Zoysia’s fine, soft texture is commonly preferred on golf course tees and fairways, but the grass does have many fans among homeowners. “
Golf Course Grass
A lot of your premium golf courses have the zoysia,” says Bare. “The athletic club where they just had the PGA Tournament has what’s called Diamond zoysia. So, homeowners put that in to be a cut above.”
Despite its delicate feel, Zoysia is known to be tolerant of wide variations in temperature and sun and, with proper management, spreads nicely to make a soft carpet across the front lawn of a home.
Different Types For Different Areas of Atlanta
Certain areas of metro Atlanta will have better luck with certain kinds of grasses more than others.
Centipede, for example, will thrive more readily on the south side of town, according to Bare, because the slightly higher temperature there gives it a small advantage. However, sun and shade patterns in individual yards make an even bigger impact.
“Grasses kind of vary more by shade or the sun than they do by the geographical location of the city. In the old days, builders just used fescue front and back because it was the cheapest thing.
Then, builders just started sodding front and back with Bermuda, and now we have a lot of problems with customers’ lawns because the Bermuda sod won’t tolerate shade well, and most peoples’ back yards are shady.
The grass just doesn’t make it. That’s a problem for us, because they have a tendency to blame it on lawn treatment, when it really doesn’t have anything to do with that.”
Whether a yard is in the sun or shade, and whatever type of grass a homeowner prefers, a professional lawn treatment service has the skill to keep the lawn looking healthy and green for years to come.