How to Identify Types of Grass
- 1). Look at the color of your grass. Grass that is alive and healthy can range from light green to a very deep green color.
- 2). Feel the grass with your fingers. It is rough, or is it fine? Some grass is coarse to the touch, while other types are soft and almost feathery.
- 3). Take samples of the grass in your lawn to help with the identification process. Pull out a few blades, or take some of the cuttings after a mowing.
- 4). Look at the individual blades of grass you have collected. See if the blades are thin or broad.
- 5). Note how much water your grass needs to retain its hue and how often you need to mow. Some grasses do not need regular irrigation, while others do. Different kinds of grasses grow at different rates.
- 6). Write down everything you have learned about your grass in a notebook. The notes about color, blade width, texture, growth rate and water requirements can help you identify the type when using identification guides.
- 7). Narrow down the kind of lawn you have by thinking about your climate. You are likely to have cool season grass (ryegrass, bluegrass and fescue) if you have cold winters and regular summer rainfall. Warm season grasses include Zoysia, Bermuda, Centipede and St. Augustine and grow well in warm regions.
- 8). Use a grass identification guide such as the ones on the Scotts Company website (see Resources). Entering your zip code will bring up links to pictures of grasses that commonly grow in your area of the country. Visual aids, as well as your samples and notes, can help you make a definite identification.
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