Looking for a new grass lawn in Austin, Texas?
There are over 11,000 grass species in the world with ornamental grasses and turfgrasses making up the majority of cultivated grass varieties. In Texas alone, there are over 700 species of grass.
How do you choose the best grass from so many types?
Certain types of grass are better suited for different kinds of conditions, purposes, and preferences. In Texas, fortunately, only about 11 or 12 species are commonly used as turfgrasses for lawns, In Austin, that narrows down to four or five to choose from.
Let’s look at the best grass for Austin—plus one grass alternative that you may not yet have considered.
Best Grass for Austin Texas
Depending on the purpose of the grass space and homeowner preferences, the best types of grass for Austin, Texas are St. Augustine grass, Zoysia grass, Bermuda grass, and occasionally ryegrass.
These grasses have slightly different properties but are all naturally suited to the humid subtropical climate of Austin and can handle the powerful summer heat and occasional storms.
Each of these grasses is covered in more detail below, but first, let’s take a look at the main considerations before selecting the best grass for your Austin home.
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What Factors Affect the Best Grass Choice in Austin?
As homeowners consider the best grass for Austin yards, it’s best to weigh up several factors that will affect the choice…
Purpose of the grass
Is the main purpose of the lawn to look great and add curb appeal? Or will children be playing on it? Or maybe you want to host backyard barbecues or picnics with the family?
How much activity and foot traffic the grass will receive should affect your choice. Some grasses are hardier and more durable than others.
Yard conditions
How will your grass grow in the yard conditions in your home? Many grass types need plenty of sunshine and water to grow healthily in the Austin climate.
If your yard is in the shade from trees and foliage or other buildings for much of the day, this will affect how the grass grows and what your choice should be. Shaded areas might do better with ryegrass than Zoysia grass, for instance.
Maintenance
Do you love to water and mow the lawn regularly? What’s your appetite for grass maintenance?
The average lawn and garden takes around 70 hours of homeowner time per year. There may also be the expense of lawn care services to consider, as well as the environmental impact of running lawnmowers and using chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and weedkillers on your lawn.
Some grasses, like ryegrass and Zoysia grass, need less maintenance than higher-maintenance grasses like St. Augustine and Bermuda grass.
Drought tolerance
While all the grasses covered in this article are, to some degree, drought tolerant, we do need to be careful with our choices. Weeks of limited or no rainfall can harm grass health if it is not properly irrigated.
Generally, Bermuda grass and buffalo grass are the most drought-resistant types.
Storm/flood tolerance
We should remember that while there may be periods of drought in Austin, the area receives an average of 35.5 inches per year. This is well above the 27.25 inches of average rainfall for Texas, making some native Texan grasses like Buffalo grass less suited to the Austin area than to drier areas of the state to the west and south.
The Five Best Grass Options for Austin: A Closer Look
Let’s see what you can expect from the five best grass types for Austin lawns…
St. Augustine grass
St. Augustine grass is commonly seen in Austin yards—front and back—forming a dense covering. It is a popular choice across central and eastern Texas.
This type of warm-season grass is well-adapted to the variety of different soil types found throughout the Austin area and grows quickly under normal hot, humid, subtropical conditions. It handles shade and drought moderately well and will withstand the summer heat with adequate irrigation.
St. Augustine grass should be planted with plugs or sod in late spring or early summer because seeds are not commercially available. You may come across Palmetto, Texas Native, and Raleigh grasses, which are all St. Augustine grasses available in Texas.
Main downsides of this grass
St. Augustine is not the lowest-maintenance grass mentioned here and requires fertilizing and irrigation, as well as weekly mowing. Other issues are potential fungal and pest problems (especially chinch bugs).
While St. Augustine grass is quite hardy, it may be damaged with excessive foot traffic, like most grasses.
Zoysia grass
If aesthetics is all you need to consider for your Austin grass lawn, Zoysia grass may be your choice. It’s generally considered the best looking of all the grasses covered here, producing a lush green carpet of a lawn.
Zoysia is another warm-season grass that is moderately drought-tolerant and shade-tolerant. Some strains like Palisades and Zeon are more tolerant of both shade and drought but if you have a particularly shady yard, another option may be less of a risk and require less maintenance to keep it looking healthy.
On the plus side with maintenance, Zoysia grows more slowly than St Augustine, which means less frequent mowing. It also requires little fertilizer and is highly pest-resistant.
Zoysia can be planted with sod, plugs or seeds in the spring or early summer in the Austin area.
Main downsides of this grass
Zoysia grass is more expensive than other options. It is also relatively challenging to establish and maintain compared with other options, requiring one to three seasons to flourish. Also, if the grass gets damaged, by high foot traffic, it will usually take considerable time to recover.
Bermuda grass
Bermuda grass is another of the best grasses for Austin and the entire south. It’s available in two forms: improved Bermuda grass and common Bermuda grass.
This hardy warm-season grass has a lush look and soft feel but is also ruggedly strong and relatively well-adapted to the central Texas climate. It is drought-tolerant and with a little irrigation, it should be relatively easy to establish a flourishing Bermuda grass lawn.
You’ll also find this type of grass on local football and soccer fields, Austin golf courses, and other types of sports fields in the area because of its resistance to wear and tear.
Bermuda grass is highly resistant to pests and disease and is best planted from sod, plugs or seed in the late spring or early summer. Tifway and Celebration are two of the most common types of this grass seen in Austin.
Main downsides of this grass
Bermuda grass does require considerable maintenance to flourish, with regular watering, fertilizing, and mowing more than once per week.
This grass may not be the best for shaded areas too and only really flourishes with good sunlight. This is a primary reason why so many professional and college football stadiums switch to artificial grass—the tall stadiums can make growing Bermuda grass a challenge.
Ryegrass
Unlike the grasses covered above, ryegrass is primarily a cool-season grass. There are two main types—annual and perennial.
In Austin, we see it used mainly as a temporary “green-up” lawn for overseeding (or re-seeding) lawns during the colder, drier months of fall or winter.
As a temporary lawn solution in Austin, ryegrass works well but it shouldn’t be considered as a permanent turf grass because exposing it to the searing heat of an Austin summer will kill it—only in the cooler northern or mountainous regions can ryegrass flourish all year.
Ryegrass grows well in the shade, stands up to heavy foot traffic, is pest-resistant, and can also be used by Austin homeowners for temporary erosion control.
Main downsides of this grass
Ryegrass is not suitable as a permanent lawn grass for most Austin homes because it has low drought tolerance and suffers in extreme heat. It also requires frequent mowing so it is not ideal if you’re looking for a low-maintenance option.
This grass is best used temporarily when overseeding.
Buffalo grass
Buffalo grass makes the list of best grasses for Austin because it is a native Texan turf grass that is highly drought-resistant and disease-resistant—and is sometimes included as a grass option for Austin.
Buffalo grass is slow-growing, low maintenance, and requires little irrigation, making it an attractive option at first glance.
Main downsides of this grass
In reality, Buffalo grass is generally not suitable for Austin lawns because the region receives too much rainfall—well above average for Texas. This makes Buffalo grass less suited to the humid subtropical climate of the Austin area than to drier areas of the state.
Most Austin homeowners will find the other options detailed here more attractive for their lawns as well as more practical.
Are There Better Alternatives to Grass in Austin?
The best grass for Austin may not be real grass at all! If you’re looking for a truly low-maintenance backyard that looks verdant and lush all year round with next to no effort, switching to artificial grass may be what you’re looking for.
Of course, there are pros and cons of artificial grass but when we compare synthetic grass with real grass, we see the following benefits:
- Artificial grass is ultra-low maintenance and frees up time for homeowners
- Despite the higher initial costs of artificial grass, the investment pays for itself within 5-6 years, adding up to significant cost savings over time
- Artificial grass incurs virtually zero “lawncare” costs
- Synthetic turf is more drought and sun-tolerant than any natural grass types
- Artificial turf is also pet-friendly, children-friendly, and sports-friendly
- The best brands provide realistic artificial turf products that closely resemble the real thing
- If the right products are properly installed, artificial turf offers excellent drainage
The best artificial grass types offer a viable alternative to grass for Austin homeowners. Other grass alternatives may include hardscaping materials like gravel, crushed rock or pavers, as well as organic options like mulch and local native Texan plants.
FAQs
Considering Switching to Artificial Grass?
If you’re considering different backyard landscaping ideas for your Austin home, discuss your options with an artificial grass professional.
