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.  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.

We keep Raleigh St. Augustine grass sod in stock on our lot and is available for purchase by the piece or by the pallet.  All other varieties are special order by the pallet only and must be paid for in advance.
	Tifway 419 Bermuda	by the pallet or the roll
	Texturf 10 Bermuda	by the pallet or the roll
	Raleigh St. Augustine	by the pallet or the piece
	Palmetto St. Augustine	by the pallet only
	Floratam St. Augustine	by the pallet only
	Palisades & Emerald Zoysia Grass	by the pallet only

St. Augustine Grass Varieties

Raleigh St. Augustine Grass

Raleigh St. Augustine grass has a medium leaf and stolon 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 after fertilization. These diseases can be prevented by an application of the fungicide Terraclor (PCNB). Terrachlor is the product of choice, but it is difficult to find. Scotts Lawn Fungus Control or Turficide is an alternative that can be found at home improvement stores.  Potential insect problem include chinch bugs. This insect becomes active during hot dry periods. They are first detected by brown patches in the lawn that do not recover after watering. A variety of liquid and granular insecticides are available to control chinch bugs. 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. Requires 3 to 4 hours of direct sunlight with filtered sun throughout the day. Because of the denser turf appearance, it gives a better sod appearance in the shade. Massive root system gives this grass good drought resistance.

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 fungicide, Terrachlor (PCNB). Terrachlor is the product of choice, but it is difficult to find. Scotts Lawn Fungus Control or Turficide is an alternative that can be found at home improvement stores. Potential insect problems include chinch bugs. This insect becomes active during hot dry periods. They are first detected by brown patches in the lawn that do not recover after watering. A variety of liquid and granular insecticides are available to control chinch bugs. Make an application to the entire lawn and water thoroughly to eliminate the problem. SEE TIPSHEET FOR ADDITIONAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Floratam St. Augustine Grass

Floratam St. Augustine is a coarse textured St. Augustine grass variety. Stolons of Floratam are large and purplish-red in color. Leaf blades are wider and longer than the other St. Augustine grass varieties. Some advantages of Floratam are that it is SAD Virus resistant, it resists some (NOT ALL) types of chinch bugs and it has been observed to be brown patch tolerant. However, Floratam is not as cold tolerant as some of the other varieties of St. Augustines. Floratam may suffer freeze damage when temperatures fall below freezing for extended periods, and we do not sell Floratam St. Augustine grass north of I-10 in the Houston area.

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 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 to coarse textured turf noted for its shade 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 has a finer texture than Palisades Zoysia and a beautiful dark green color.  It also has good shade tolerance and good drought tolerance.  We recommend that you mow your Emerald Zoysia grass to one half to one inch 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 is the best grass to use if shade is an issue — just make sure that the area does get at least 4 hours of direct sunlight and filtered 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).

Please call us at 281-431-7441 if you have any questions.