Guide
How to determine your grass type
Cool-season vs warm-season cues, blade shapes, and common mix-ups.
Turfgrass falls broadly into cool-season (think Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue families) and warm-season (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahiagrass). Products and mowing heights follow those growth cycles—not just your city’s climate average.
Quick field clues
- Cool-season: strongest spring/fall growth; may struggle in peak summer heat; blade tips often boat-shaped on ryegrass; fine fescue very narrow.
- Warm-season: loves summer heat; often brown when truly dormant in cool winters; Bermuda fine & dense; St. Augustine wide blades; zoysia between.
- Mixtures: shady cool-season under trees + warm-season sun is common—pick the species that dominates the maintained area for playbook timing.
If you’re unsure
Choose the species group that matches when your lawn actually greens up and handles heat. Adjust later—getting hemisphere + rough species group right matters more than perfect ID on day one.