VARIETIES OF COOL SEASON TURFGRASS
Lawn grasses common to Pennsylvania lawns

• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Turf-Type Perennial Ryegrass
• Red Fescue
• Turf-Type Tall Fescue
• Other lawn pages

• Description
  • Dark green perennial grass with medium texture.
  • Spreads by rhizomes and fills-in bare spots smaller than a baseball.
  • Forms a dense sod and is the primary variety in commercial sod.
• Maintenance
  • Most varieties prefer full sun and moderate to high fertility. 
  • Maintenance practices should focus on thatch prevention. 
  • Leafspot disease is a problem on unimproved varieties.
  • Mow at 2" to 2-1/2" height with a sharp blade.
• Establishment
  • Slow seed germination of 17 to 21 days. 
  • Seed at 2 to 2-1/2 pounds per 1,000 square feet. 
  • Can be crowded-out by faster germinating grass varieties. 

• Description
  • Dark to medium green 'glossy' perennial grass with medium texture. 
  • Bunch-type grass that won't fill-in bare spots on its own. 
  • Main ingredient in "Penn State" grass seed mixture. 
• Maintenance
  • Prefers half-day to full sun and moderate to high fertility.
  • Brown patch and dollar spot diseases can be a problem. 
  • Mow at 2" to 2-1/2" height with a sharp blade. 
• Establishment
  • Fast germination earns it the nickname "throw and grow." 
  • Seed at 5 to 6 pounds per 1,000 square feet. 
  • Crowds-out slower germinating varieties if over 20% of mix.

• Description
  • Dark green perennial grass with fine texture.
  • Spreads by short rhizomes.
• Maintenance
  • Prefers shade and low to moderate fertility. 
  • Tolerates acid (low pH) soils. 
  • Low maintenance grass with good drought tolerance.
  • Red thread disease is a common problem. 
  • Mow at 2" to 2-1/2" height with a very sharp blade. 
• Establishment
  • Moderate to fast seed germination of 5 to 7 days. 
  • Seed at 4 to 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet. 
  • Commonly used as part of general use lawn seed mixtures.

• Description
  • Dark green perennial grass with coarse texture. 
  • Bunch-type grass known for its drought tolerance. 
  • Tough and durable grass with wide soil adaptation.
  • Shouldn't be mixed with other varieties of grass due to its texture.
• Maintenance
  • Grows well in sun or shade. 
  • Brown patch disease can be a problem. 
  • Mow at 2-1/2" to 3-1/2" with a very sharp blade.
• Establishment
  • Moderate to fast seed germination.
  • Seed at 6 to 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet (seed at heavier rate to promote finer texture).

• planting lawns
• watering a lawn
• mowing lawns
• fertilizing your lawn
• core aeration
• lawn renovation
• lawn sod
• sprinkler systems
• de-thatch
• cool season grass
• warm season grass
• September is lawn month

• amending soil
• fertilizer
• lime and liming
• soil pH
• soil testing