Turf grass speciesare categorize as either cool - season or warm - season types . Cool - time of year grassesgrow vigorously during the relatively cool , cockeyed weather of spring and fall . They are not , in cosmopolitan , kind of estrus , and they usually go sleeping during the hottest , driest part of summertime . fond - season grassesgrow well in summertime heat , but they are not tolerant of cold temperatures . They go sleeping and often turn yellow during winter , and they may not survive in areas with harsh winters . Because of these feature , cool - season grasses are well suited to the northerly United States , and warm - season grasses perform well in the southern state .
Virginia is locate in atransition zonebetween the climates in which coolheaded - season gage do well and those in which strong - season grasses are the best pick . Theclimateof southeastern Virginia falls into U.S. Department of Agriculture plant life hardiness zones 7 through 8a while the northwestern part of the state falls into USDA zones 5 through 6 . accordingly , both warm- and cool - time of year grasses may shin in the state , and the ripe choice of grass specie for your lawn reckon on where in Virginia you hold up .
Recommended Species
Among cool - time of year grasses , tall fescue(Festuca arundinacea ) is well - adapted to use in most parts of Virginia . It is hardy in USDA zones 2 through 7 , and it has deeper roots than other cool - time of year grasses , which helps it stand heat and drought in the warm parts of the commonwealth . Kentucky bluegrass(Poa pratensis ) , which is also unfearing in USDA zones 2 through 7 , does well in northerly Virginia , the Shenandoah Valley and the hilly , southwest parts .
Warm - season grasses are , in general , best used in the Tidewater region , althoughzoysiagrass(Zoysiaspp . ) , which is fearless in USDA zone 6 through 9 , may perform well in the cool region of the State Department as well . Centipedegrass(Eremochloa ophiuroides ) is hardy in only USDA zone 7 through 8 and should be planted in only the Tidewater region .
Cool-Season Planting Time
Thebest timeto plant life cool - season grass seed is in late summer or early fall , when temperatures are cooler and pelting are more frequent than in former months . In northern and western Virginia , the ideal planting window is between mid - August and mid - September , and in easterly and southerly Virginia , the good planting time is between the beginning of September and the center of October .
Planting cool - time of year eatage seminal fluid in fountain is not recommend because it subjects untested seedlings to drouth and heat tension , as well as challenger from summertime - germinating widow’s weeds .
Warm-Season Planting Time
The best time to imbed lovesome - season grass source in all share of the state is in later spring or early summertime , typically between the midriff of May and the destruction of June .
