Warm Season Grasses

Warm-season grasses are green in the summer and become brown and dormant in the winter. This group includes common and hybrid bermuda, centipede, zoysia. Warm-season grasses are adapted to the sandy soils of the North Carolina coastal plain and most of the piedmont. Warm-season grasses tolerate the high temperatures and summer droughts in North Carolina better than cool-season grasses.  

Best Time to Plant

March through July is the best time to plant sprigs or lay sod.March through September is the best time to plant seed.Roots of warm-season grasses must have enough time to become established before the weather turns cool.

Seeding Rates  (when starting from seed not sod) 

Seeding rates vary from 0.25 to 2.0 pounds per 1000 square feet.
 

Maintaining Warm Season Grasses

Warm-season grasses can develop a thatch layer. When the thatch layer is half an inch thick, the lawn should be dethatched or raked. If the lawn becomes compacted, the soil can be aerated in the spring with a device that cuts and removes soil cores. Begin mowing the grass as soon as it is tall enough to be cut. A reel mower is preferred for cutting zoysia, hybrid bermuda and centipede. The suggested cutting height is 1 inch. It is not necessary to collect the clippings unless the amount is excessive and may smother the grass.