what grass did I see?

[toddfulton]

Hello,

I am from Pennsylvania. I recently moved. The home that I moved out of had a lawn made up of the most amazing grass that I've ever seen. It was fairly dark and incredibly thick. It also seemed to keep its color during the hottest, driest months in the summer, long after the grass in everyone else's yard had gone brown. I never knew what is was, but never really cared. Now that I've moved, I'd like to plant the same kind of grass in my new lawn. Does anyone have any idea what kind of grass it might have been? I know it's a long shot, but a big thank you to anyone who might know. I've never seen grass like this anywhere else.

[Ed Sisson]

I'm sending this to you again to get out onto Newsgroups.

My guess is that you had Bermudagrass or zoysia. They are warm-season grasses, but can be used successfully in the PA area near the coast. I have lots of zoysia here in CT, and I like it. It's virtually maintenance free -- it shades out the weeds and is moderately drought tolerant. Bermudagrass has even better drought tolerance. On the down side, they don't grow well in the shade and they turn brown after frost and don't green up fast in the spring. Both are propagated using plugs or roots -- I believe starting a lawn with seed is out of the question. It takes a long time to fill in, but it will eventually crowd out the existing lawn, and even invade areas where you don't want it. Good luck.

[Travis]

Do you mean the coast of Lake Erie?

[Vox Humana]

Zoysia looks like crap about 7 months out of the year in the Midwest.

[cardarch]

Its the same in Philadelphia, PA. My neighbor across the street has had it for years and it looks very unpleasant and dead during the winter. Other lawns remain slightly green but their lawn is light brown all winter. Of course, in the summer (and right now) it is lovely and thick.

[Vox Humana]

I grew up near Pittsburgh in a home with a zoysia lawn. I wouldn't recommend it. I think it was a fad in the 60s, one of the "miracle" fads that appealed to people who are obsessive. Yes, it can be thick and lovely about three months each year. In the fall it starts going yellow, eventually looking like a patch of excelsior that remains through the winter and early spring. It isn't without pests and disease. I'm only familiar with establishing a zoysia lawn though the placement of "plugs." Using that method, there is a transition that can last a few years when you have a checkerboard effect where the plugs are straw-colored and surrounded by green. It might be a good choice in consistently warm climates.

[bamboo]

Zoysia used to be advertised on the back of the Sunday funny pages right next to those Michigan Bulb Ads. Probably no coincidence there!

[greenterer]

Hmm, maybe that's not what was in my yard then, because this stuff was green pretty much all year. I'm in Harrisburg, and I doubt that's too different from Philly or Pittsburgh

[Vox Humana]

I find that the best grass for my lawn here in Cincinnati is turf type fescue. It seems to thrive with little care even when the neighboring lawns turn brown in the summer. You can get some information here: