All About Tampa’s Warm-Season Grasses

Become an Expert on the Likes & Dislikes of Your Lawn

Warm-season grasses dominate lawns throughout the South, and where they grow, and the weather they experience give them exceptional drought tolerance and minimal maintenance needs. What’s the top advantage for these types of grass? They can keep that richly green look, even when summer heat peaks.

There’s so much critical information about warm-season grass! Continue reading for how to water, feed, and cut, how to identify the different warm-season varieties, and lots more. Knowing your grass and partnering with Your Green Team keeps your lawn beautiful all year long.

How Do You Define Warm-Season Grass

Florida homeowners likely observe how wonderful their lawns look from late spring into early fall. Most properties in the south have warm-season grass species. These grasses do best when temperatures reside between 80°F and 95°F.

They use different photosynthesis methods than cool-season types and relish hot temperatures which makes them resistant to high heat, bright sunlight, and dry conditions. They go into dormancy and slow growth with the arrival of cold. Some stay green but most turn brown for winter and spend the winter months beneath the ground.

Best Warm-Season Grass Varieties

Zoysia has numerous types, and the fact that it forms a dense sod that chokes out weeds and is soft to walk on barefoot doesn’t go unnoticed by homeowners. Zoysia requires sun but handles limited shade far better than Bermuda. It’s adaptable, working with a range of soil types, whether one’s soil consists of heavy clay or sand, zoysia does the job.

Zoysia grows quite slowly, especially compared to Bermuda. The advantage? It doesn’t require as much mowing as other species do. Great if you want nice-looking grass without tons of work. What’s negative is it’s slower to green or bounce back from disease troubles and might turn brown in some Florida regions.

St. Augustine has wider blades than Bermuda or zoysia, giving it a coarse texture. It is also the best warm-season type for shade. That makes it ideal for properties with numerous trees. It also does well in hot, humid weather, spreads rapidly via stolons, recovers quickly from stress, and remains dense enough to crowd out weeds.

One serious disadvantage of St. Augustine is the amount of water that it needs. It requires more water compared with others. This grass takes heavy use less effectively. Bugs and diseases target St. Augustine, especially in moist areas.

Bermuda types are what creates the thick, mat-style grass found on those immaculate southern properties. Delicate in texture and rich green in shade, it’s very attractive and handles bright sun and high foot traffic beautifully.

The disadvantage? It requires regular maintenance. That means frequent mowing, proper fertilization, and watering during periods of drought. Bermuda spreads through underground stems, known as rhizomes, and above-ground runners, known as stolons. These enable it to heal quickly from injury.

It’s fairly drought-hardy once mature but will go dormant in winter when temperatures drop below 50°F, turning brown, so not great if you like to have green grass all year.

Is mixing different grasses a good idea? With warm-season types, mixing varieties does not work quite as well as it does for cool-season types. For instance, Bermuda will overpower and eventually shade out zoysia or St. Augustine. Most lawn pros recommend selecting one variety and sticking with that.

You may find some mixing of Bermuda and zoysia grass, but the Bermudas usually dominate in sunny spots while the zoysias survive in shaded ones.

Regions Where Warm-Season Grasses Thrive

In the southern region of America, the conditions are perfect for warm-season grass. These varieties tolerate blistering summers and withstand intense heat without stress. They thrive in regions where the winters do not have extended freezing spells that may harm the crowns.

The Transition Zone, located a bit to the north, is problematic. This central area has summers too hot for cool-season varieties and winters too cold for warm-season species. It’s hard for the homeowner to know exactly what their lawn needs. Depending on your grass variety, lawns go brown either in summer or in winter.

Many Transition Zones are filled with tall fescue or zoysia because of extreme temperature fluctuations. It is not ideal, but it is better than brown grass that cannot survive half the year.

Common Issues for Tampa Lawns

Pest infestations. Grubs and chinch bugs can quickly, and quietly, destroy your property. Grubs along with other bugs eat grass, leaving it weak or dead within days and even hours of attack. Some clear signs of lawn infestations include wilting, yellowing, or dead spots.

Nutrient lock-out sometimes creates yellowing or weak growth in grass on acidic southern dirt. Soil testing will identify exact deficiencies and pH troubles. Lime raises pH where needed, and sulfur drops it if you’re in a region with alkaline dirt.

Compaction and thatch. It tends to cause multiple troubles, especially in heavy clay dirt. Proper aeration in late spring or early summer lets your grass grow actively, hence helping fix these troubles while letting the yard recover fast.

Fungal diseases tend to be common among the warm-season varieties, especially within the hot and humid South. Brown patch and gray leaf spot usually attack St. Augustine and Zoysia, while dollar spot and spring dead spot attack Bermuda.

These often show up as circular brown areas, thin zones, or discolored grass. What’s the easiest way to stop lawn disease in the South? Good lawn care. Water in the morning, mow at the right height, avoid over-feeding in peak heat, and monitor your yard’s drainage.

What Warm-Season Grass Do I Have?

Ready to identify what type of grass is in your yard? Here are some tips to help with identification:

Color and texture: St. Augustine is blue-green and rough textured. Bermuda ranges from rich green to grey-green with a smooth feel. Zoysia goes from medium to rich green with thick, carpet-like texture that’s denser and firmer than Bermuda.
Leaf blade: Check blade width and feel. St. Augustine has the widest leaf blades – about 1/4 to 1/2 inch across – with rounded tips. Bermuda grass blades are very thin and narrow with pointed tips. Zoysia falls between in width but is stiff to the touch.
Ligule and auricles: St. Augustine shows hair fringe where blade connects to the stem, rather than membrane. Bermuda has a white hair circle at the ligule. Zoysia shows short hairs along the ligule. None of these types have obvious auricles.
Growth habit: Bermuda spreads aggressively through both rhizomes and stolons. That means it can, for better or worse, take over grass quickly. St. Augustine spreads only through stolons running above ground and rooting at joints. Zoysia spreads through both rhizomes and stolons but much slower than Bermuda.
Seedhead: Bermuda produces characteristic seedheads with 3-7 finger-like spikes emanating from a central point. St. Augustine rarely produces seedheads in mowed turf. Zoysia produces small, delicate seedheads poking out like little brushes though many varieties do not seed well.

They are not hard to identify if you look closely. Still not sure what is in your yard? Just ask! A lawn professional can identify your grass type in moments.

What’s Winter Dormancy?

When temperatures remain below 50-55°F for several days or weeks during late fall and winter, warm-season species will naturally go dormant and turn brown. They are not dead, just that is how they survive. So, don’t panic! Your grass is still alive underneath.

You can’t keep warm-season grass green during its winter dormancy, while cool-season types remain green year-round. Giving dormant warm-season grass more feed or water won’t help and could do more harm. Some Southerners opt to overseed with annual ryegrass in fall for temporary winter color, but this is strictly aesthetic and optional.

Give your grass the best start after dormancy by doing some winter care during cold months. Examples include staying off frozen or dormant grass, and not using weed killers during dormancy.

When temps are steadily reaching the 65°F range this spring, your grass will naturally green itself. In the South, active growth begins approximately around March to April, after which you can resume your usual watering and feeding schedule.

FAQs About Florida Grasses

Can I mix warm and cool-season grasses?

Because of the difference in their growth and season preferences, it doesn’t make much sense to use both warm- and cool-season types together in one yard. The result would be spotty, irregular grass.

How long does grass seed take to grow?

It depends on the variety. Bermuda sprouts in 7-14 days; some types, such as bahia, take longer (21-30 days). Of course, it depends on soil temperature and moisture. Note: Most southern homeowners use sod or plugs over seed for quicker establishment. This often applies to St. Augustine and zoysia.

What’s a good grass for shade?

Of the warm-season grasses, St. Augustine is more tolerant of shade than most. Zoysia ranks second. Bear in mind that grass inherently loves sun. So, no type does well under deep shade with less than 4-6 hours of direct sun per day.

Can I grow warm-season grass in winter?

Planting warm-season grasses in winter isn’t advisable since it requires warm soil temperatures, around 65° Fahrenheit or higher, to germinate and develop. Do this preferably late spring through early summer when the soil has warmed up, and the full growing season will give your grass the best chance to establish a really strong root system.

What Eliminates Weeds & Crabgrass?

Pre-emergent weed killers remain the best method for preventing crabgrass and other problem weeds before they emerge. This type of weed killer prevents summer annual weeds from sprouting.

Use when soil temps are between 55 and 60°F, usually around mid-February to early March. Miss this window and you’ll battle crabgrass all summer.

Already seeing weeds emerging? Post-emergent weed killers get rid of ones that are actively growing. The perfect time for spot-treating those broadleaf weeds, like dollar weed, clover, and dandelions, is late spring and early summer. That’s when they will more readily take up weed killer.

Also, other fall treatments can be effective. As temperatures decline, plants begin to absorb nutrients for winter dormancy.

Fertilizing Advice for Florida Lawns

When do you feed warm-season types? During active growth! So, late spring into summer. This capitalizes on peak performance periods, maintains thickness, and keeps your yard healthy and picture-perfect.

Remember that nitrogen helps established yards most. It encourages leaf growth and that rich green shade everyone loves. In a new yard, phosphorus and potassium matter more because they support root and stem growth.

Don’t fertilize the warm-season types in early spring when they are still dormant or just waking up. Wait until your soil temps hit 65°F, and your grass is actively growing. Avoid fertilizing after late summer. Feeding it too late in the season makes it more prone to cold-weather damage.

Take Your Florida Lawn to the Next Level

Warm-season varieties need to be cut, watered, and fed at the right times to be healthy and look terrific. Now you have some helpful tips ready!

If you don’t want to use your free time (and energy) to take care of every little lawn care detail, reach out to Your Green Team today! We proudly serve the greater Tampa area, ensuring high-quality lawn care and pest control services for these communities: