Which Grass Varieties Are Suitable for Spring?

 

The best thing about spring is that everything comes back to life, lawns included. It’s the time to get working in your garden – most things like to be planted in spring.

For any lawn owner who is looking to establish a lawn, bring an old lawn back to life, or grow an entirely new lawn, spring is the time to hop to it.

There are very few grass varieties which don’t love the warmer yet still-hydrated grounds in the spring months, but when it comes to choosing the best grass varieties for spring there are a few things to consider.

Choosing the best grass varieties for spring depends on what you want out of your lawn. If you want a lawn ready and raring as soon as the days start warming up, you’ll want to aim for a cool season grass.

If you’ve got your eye on the end game and are aiming for a healthy, strong lawn which will carry you through summer, you’ll want to focus your spring lawn energy on establishing a warm season grass like couch, kikuyu, zoysia, or buffalo.

Warm Season Grasses

Kikuyu

Kikuyu is a warm season grass that needs soils to be over 20 degrees for healthy germination. If you’re looking to establish a kikuyu lawn, it’s best to wait until late spring, especially in colder regions of Australia.

If you’ve had a particularly wet winter or are in for a wet spring, hold off sowing kikuyu seeds until the weather dries up a bit. Kikuyu seeds struggle in waterlogged conditions.

Couch

Couch is a low maintenance grass which will survive most winters. It will take a while to kick back into life after winter finishes, however, as couch grass seeds need temperatures between 20 – 30 degrees to germinate.

Couch grass also doesn’t tolerate shade at all, and will often come out of winter with brown or dead patches in areas which were continually covered with shadow. It’s important to reseed couch in these areas and to use the spring months to get your couch grass turf back to A1 condition.

Zoysia

Zoysia is a very popular turf variety and can withstand some quite rough conditions. It’s drought tolerant and tolerates the cold very well for a warm season grass, meaning that it should come out of winter in a reasonably good condition.

Zoysia is slow growing, so owners of Zoysia lawns will need to be patient when planting new seeds. If you’re looking to plant a new lawn this spring and are expecting quick germination and a lush green lawn immediately, Zoysia is not for you.

Buffalo

Buffalo is a warm season grass that tolerates shade better than most others in this category. If you’re looking for a warm season grass which will emerge from winter in a reasonable condition, buffalo is a solid choice.

The lack of sunlight doesn’t take as a harsh a toll on this variety and therefore there shouldn’t be as much restoration needed for a buffalo lawn when spring rolls around.

Cool Season Grasses

Cool season grasses include bluegrasses, ryegrasses, and fescues. All make for wonderful lawns in areas of Australia where summer isn’t too harsh.

Spring and autumn are the best time to plant these cool season grasses, as the ground temperature is warmer but not too warm, and rainfall is still reasonable. If you’re looking to plant a cool season lawn, get cracking in early spring to give the new plants a chance to establish fully and healthily before the heat and dry of summer.

Ryegrasses are known for being the fastest germinating grasses. If you need a spring lawn quick smart, opt for a ryegrass. You could even consider a blend of ryegrass and a warm season grass. The ryegrass will germinate quickly, giving you a nice green lawn almost immediately, whilst the warm season grass can take the time to establish itself. When the hotter summer months roll around the ryegrass will die off to reveal a strong and healthy warm season grass turf.