Grass Varieties for Houston

We Sell Grass Varieties Developed to Thrive in Houston’s Climate

Our grass is grown on our farm in Bay City, Texas.  That means that it’s well-adapted to thrive in the climate and soil around Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast.  Our farm focuses on growing high-quality grass.  We’ve been growing grass in Bay City since 1981, so we have lots of experience with the grass varieties we sell, and we can advise you about the best varieties for your project.  Call us at 281-431-7441.

St. Augustine Grass Varieties

Raleigh St. Augustine Grass

Raleigh St. Augustine grass is the most popular grass variety in the Texas Gulf Coast.  It looks good and it’s easy to care for and most of your neighbors probably have Raleigh St. Augustine in their lawns.  It has a medium leaf size.

Potential disease problems are gray leaf spot in the summer and brown patch in the fall. Both of these diseases are enhanced by over watering and over fertilization. These diseases can be treat with an application of Nitro Phos Eagle Turf Specialty Fungicide, which we carry at our office.  Potential insect problem include chinch bugs which can be treated with Nitro Phos Bug Out Max or Cyonara Chinch Bug Treatment — we carry stocks of both at our office. This insect becomes active during hot dry periods. They are first detected by brown patches in the lawn that do not recover after watering. Make an application to the entire lawn and water thoroughly to eliminate the problem.  SEE TIPSHEET FOR ADDITIONAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Palmetto St. Augustine Grass

Palmetto St. Augustine grass has a finer textured leaf and stolen when compared to Raleigh St. Augustine. Tighter leaf spacing gives it a thicker look. Palmetto requires three to four hours of direct sunlight with filtered sun throughout the rest of day. Because of the denser turf appearance, it gives a better sod appearance in the shade.

Potential disease problems are gray leaf spot in the summer and brown patch in the fall. Both of these diseases are enhanced by over watering and after fertilization. These diseases can be prevented by an application of the Nitro Phos Eagle Turf Specialty Fungicide, and we have stocks of that product at our office. Chinch bugs can also be a problem and we carry Cyonara Chinch Bug Treatment and Nitro Phos Bug Out Max to eliminate them from your lawn. SEE TIPSHEET FOR ADDITIONAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Bermuda Grass Varieties

Texturf 10 Bermuda Grass

TexTurf 10 Bermudagrass is a varietal selection of Common Bermuda that was developed and released by Texas A & M University. This is a course bladed Bermuda. However, it is a much more lush grass than Common and it does not produce a seed head like Common. This grass will require 3 to 4 applications of a 3-1-2 ratio fertilizer with a slow release nitrogen source. Ideal mowing height is 1 to 2 inches with a rotary mower or a reel type mower. This grass will only grow in full sun. *Notice that this grass does require at least one more fertilizer application per year than the St. Augustine and the mowing height is approximately 1 inch shorter than the St. Augustine. It also requires FULL SUN.

Insect problems occur during the fall season and consist primarily of army worms and grub worms. A variety of liquid and granular insecticides are available to control these pests. Make an application to the entire lawn and water thoroughly to eliminate the problem. Watering requirements for Texturf are similar to the St. Augustine requirements presented in the TIPSHEET.

Tifway 419 Bermuda Grass

Tifway 419 Bermudagrass is a fine bladed semi-dwarf Bermuda. It was originally developed for golf course fairways and tee boxes, and it’s an excellent sports field grass because of its ability to recover quickly from wear. Tifway 419 must be grown in FULL SUN. It may also be used in home lawns. You can maintain the ideal mowing height of 1″ either with a rotary or reel type mower. *Note that this grass is ideally mowed shorter than all of the St. Augustine varieties AND the Texturf 10. Other than the mowing height, the care instructions are similar to the Texturf.

Zoysia Grass Varieties

Palisades, Emerald & Cavalier Zoysia Grasses

Palisades Zoysia grass is a vegetatively produced, medium broad textured, high density turf noted specifically suitable for home lawns, golf fairways and roughs, sports fields, industrial parks and highway medians.

Palisades is a medium textured turf noted for its traffic tolerance and low water use requirements. It will tolerate mowing as close as one half inch with good weed competitions and ideally as high as two to two and a half inches for home lawns. Palisades close mowing would permit use on golf course fairways especially where water availability is of concern.

Emerald Zoysia grass and Cavalier Zoysia grass have a finer texture than Palisades Zoysia and a beautiful dark green color.  They also have good shade tolerance and good drought tolerance.  If mowed over an inch, Cavalier Zoysia can be mowed with a rotary mower.  Emerald Zoysia should be mowed with a reel mower.

The above information is for comparison purposes only. Shade tolerance and watering requirements are the two most controversial topics as they pertain to grass. That said, we do believe that Palmetto St. Augustine or Emerald or Cavalier Zoysia are the best grasses to use if shade is an issue — just make sure that the area does get at least four to five hours of direct sunlight throughout the day or it will not last more than a couple of seasons.

As far as watering requirements, our opinion is that if you want the grasses to look their best, not just survive, each species is going to require approximately the same amount of water (SEE TIPSHEET).