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Recommended Grasses - For Indiana Lawns:
The primary varieties of turfgrasses
recommended for Indiana lawns Include the following species
listed below (in Red). Perennial Ryegrass & Fine Fescue is often used
in blends of Bluegrass or Tall Fescue.
Do NOT plant
Tall Fescue into a Bluegrass lawn. Bluegrass is the #1
choice in a turf grass for Indiana lawns, except in the very
bottom southern portion of the state. Southern Indiana is
considered a
transition zone, suitable for planting Tall Fescue or even Zoysia
or Bermuda.
When to Plant?
The cool season grasses listed above are best
planted when temperatures are in the 60 to 75 degree range.
In the fall plant as temperatures approach 75. In the spring
plant as they rise above 60 degrees. Fall is best time to
plant as it allows for two growing seasons for maturity of the
grass before facing the harsh temperatures and drought of summers.
Warm Season grasses such as Bermuda & Zoysia should be planted in
late spring / early summer.
Planting times.
Fertilization of Indiana & Ohio Lawns:
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/4000/4006.html
Also read
www.lawnfertilizers.com for fertilization tips.
Maintenance of Indiana Lawns:
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/ay27.htm
| LawnGrass.com
- Indiana Turf Cultivars |
VARIETIES
(Cultivars) TO CONSIDER:
Kentucky Bluegrass: The primary
grass planted in Indiana, especially in the Northern 2/3 of the state
is Kentucky Bluegrass. It is considered the best quality turfgrass and makes a fine textured lawn. It has the ability
to fill-in damaged areas without reseeding. Bluegrass is
also more winter-hardy than the rest of the lawn species used in
Indiana. Newer varieties are more resistant to diseases.
It performs best in full sun, but can be mixed with a fine fescue
for use in shady areas. Bluegrass can take 1 to 3 months to
germinate and establish depending on site conditions. It
makes an excellent athletic field. Bluegrass can be seeded
or sodded for establishment. Read more
Bluegrass information.
Perennial
Ryegrass: Most of the
perennial ryegrass used in
lawns is in a mix of Kentucky Bluegrass. Its fast
establishment time works well with the slower establishment time
of Bluegrass. It is also a fine textured grass similar
to Bluegrass with good drought tolerance. It is not as cold
tolerant as Bluegrass but is suitable for Indiana lawns. Read more
Ryegrass information.
Fine Fescues:
Red, hard and chewings fescues are all used in the
state of Indiana. Their primary use is in blends with either
Tall Fescue or Kentucky Bluegrass on shady lawns. While they
can be planted alone, usually they are a part of a mixed variety
lawn. Creeping Red is the most popular of the varieties
because its texture is considered the best turf type. Hard & chewings are used in blends for areas in which increased shade or
inadequate soil types are more of an issue. - Read more
Fescue information.
Tall Fescue:
Tall Fescue is a cool season grass with
a coarser, wider blade texture. Leaves usually range as wide
as 1/4 inch, though some newer varieties are finer leaved.
It has increased in popularity in Indiana due to its good drought and
heat tolerant allowing the lawn to remain green in hot
summers that usually stress Bluegrass. It is often used on
home lawns, roadsides, parks and playgrounds, and athletic fields
where the wider blade width is acceptable. Read more
Tall Fescue information. Tall
Fescue is more suited to the lower 1/3 of the state because of
summer & winter temperatures.
Bentgrass:
Bentgrass will grow in Indiana, but are
predominately limited to high maintenance locations such as Golf
Courses. This is because the cultural issues involved in
keeping Bentgrasses healthy (disease / mowing / fertilization /
irrigation) are much more involved and require more frequent
attention than other lawn varieties. It is NOT recommended
for the average homeowners use.
Penncross
Creeping Bentgrass is considered the best choice in variety for a
homeowner who "must" have a grass green in their back lawn. -
Article on building a backyard
putting green. Read more
Bentgrass information.
OTHER GRASS TYPES:
Zoysia is planted to a lesser degree in
Indiana, than in more Southern located states. This is because
of the long dormant period in which
Zoysiagrass is a brown color
from fall to mid spring. While it is not really compatible
with the cool season grasses above, it has still maintained some
popularity because of its drought / heat tolerance vs the cool
season grasses in Indiana's summers. - Annual Ryegrass is not
generally planted because it does not survive the high and low
temperatures of Indiana very well. Perennial Ryegrass is the
preferred ryegrass.
Bermudagrass is also used in the southern part of Indiana.
Most varieties
available to date do NOT have the cold tolerance and special
management needed to survive severe Indiana winters without some
loss. Newer varieties such as
Mohawk
do have increased winter hardiness and are finding some use.
Buffalograss is occasionally planted in Indiana for use as a low
maintenance grass.
Indiana Turf Info Links:
Indiana - Purdue University Lawn Publications:
Excellent list of Illinois articles:
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/publicat.htm
Purdue Extension - Lawn Establishment from seeds:
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/ay3.htm
Turfgrases for the Midwest:
http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/NCR-192/turf_midwest/default.htm -
Great site for Illinois lawns.
Purdue University Turf Tips:
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tips/index.html
Ohio State Extension Web Sites: - Excellent
Ohio Lawn Information that applies to Indiana!
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/4000/index.html
- This well designed turf grass site has lots of articles on Lawns
for Ohio or Indiana.
BEST PLANTING TIMES: - COOL SEASON
GRASSES
(1) FALL IS BEST TIME - Middle
of August through the end of September is ideal to plant cool
season Grasses. --- When soil temps range between 50- 65 degrees
and air temps range between 60-75 degrees.
(2) SPRING IS SECOND BEST - Same temps apply.
For cool season grasses the next best establishment
time is from the middle of March to the middle of April is an
ideal time to plant cool season grasses. -- Keep in mind that
depending on the summer conditions some of your plants might not
survive to fall. You may need to reseed (overseed) in the
fall to fully establish your cool season lawn.
INDIANA LAWNS:
A FEW RECOMMENDED MIXES & VARIETIES:
COOL SEASON: Mid America
Classic; Mid America
Super Shade; Seedland
Bluemix;
Chateau
KBG; Misty
KBG;
Midnight KBG;
EnviroBlend
&
EnviroShade Tall Fescue;
EnviroBLUE
Tall Fescue;
Plantation Tall Fescue;
Flyer
Creeping Red;
Duster Tall Fescue;
Virtue Tall
Fescue;
Professional Select Perennial Ryegrass;
Superstar
Perennial Ryegrass. ---
WARM SEASON:
Mohawk
Bermudagrass;
Zenith Zoysiagrass;
Companion
Zoysiagrass. - NOTE: These are only a few of the
most popular seed blends and varieties available at
Seedland.com
Variety comparisons:
www.ntep.org
 |
INDIANA
CLIMATE ZONES
7 & 8
Grass
Zone Selection
Chart |
Northern 2/3 area of Indiana - Zone 7
Southern 1/3 area of Indiana - Zone 8
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