Warm Season Turf

Drought tolerant. Brown over winter.

We have three common warm season turfgrasses in our region:

Bermuda
Zoysia
St. Augustine

They are all spreading type grasses that will fill in thin or bare areas in viable growing areas. All three grasses are highly drought tolerant and require little water after establishment. There are significant differences in their tolerance of shade & traffic as well as maintenance requirements.

Table Of Contents

Warm Season Turf Types. Your 3 Main Options

Bermuda: Durable, short, aggressive.

Bermuda spreads aggressively so it fills in quickly. It tolerates moderate to high levels of traffic. Bermuda requires full sun and will not grow in shade. This is a good choice for full sun lawns with active families or dog owners.

Bermuda Quick Facts

Comes in common, improved & hybrid varieties.
Both common & improved bermuda varieties can be established as seed but it is a slow process.
Hybrid bermuda varieties must be established from plugs or sod.
All varieties of bermuda turn brown in late fall and green up in late spring.
Highly tolerant of traffic, drought & heat.
Resistant to many diseases and will often outgrow disease damage if properly mowed & fertilized.
Spreads both under & above ground. This expansion helps fill in bare spots, but also grows into beds & walkways.
Requires low, frequent mowing in summer.
Highly intolerant of any shade.

St. Augustine: Beautiful in summer. Potentially problematic.

St. Augustine is an aggressively expanding turfgrass that tolerates full sun to moderate shade. It is the most delicate of these three grasses, with vulnerabilities to fungal disease (both winter & summer), winterkill and several viruses that are active in the area. St. Augustine might be a good choice for shady, lawns without an irrigation system. Owners of St. Augustine lawns should be prepared for occasional problems that may take time to correct.

St. Augustine Quick Facts

Comes in many different varieties all with differing tolerances of disease, cold, shade & traffic.
Does not produce viable seed, must be established from sod or plugs.
Has many vulnerabilities and is frequently damaged by environmental factors.
Highly tolerant of drought & heat.
Some varieties are tolerant of moderate to heavy shade.
Spreads both above ground. This expansion helps fill in bare spots & repair damage, but also grows into beds & walkways.
All varieties turn brown in late fall and green up in late spring.

Requires frequent mowing in summer.

Zoysia: Dense, soft, low maintenance.

Zoysia is a slowly expanding warm season turfgrass, so it won't fill in very quickly. Zoysia is extremely dense and soft, forming a wonderful "carpet" of grass. It can tolerate light shade. Zoysia is a good choice for lawns with mostly full sun and moderate activity levels, especially if you are looking for a pleasant, soft turf.

Zoysia Quick Facts

Comes in both wide & fine bladed varieties.
Can be established as seed but it is a very slow process.
All varieties of bermuda turn brown in late fall and green up in late spring.
Highly tolerant of drought & heat.
Moderately tolerant of traffic.
Resistant to many diseases and will often outgrow disease damage if properly mowed & fertilized.
Spreads both under & above ground. Expansion is slow. This grass will not fill in as quickly as the other two, but also doesn't need frequent edging.
Very dense turf. Naturally resistant to weeds.
Tolerates light shade.
Usually the lowest maintenance option in Hampton Roads.

Establishing these grasses can be a challenge. We have a special page for customers looking to start a Warm Season Lawn.

Establishing A Warm Season Lawn

Here's what to watch out for in your warm season lawn:

Fungal Disease

Large Patch Disease

Grey Leaf Spot Disease

Spring Dead Spot

Bermuda & Zoysia are somewhat resistant to fungal disease, especially during summer.
St. Augustine is highly vulnerable to summer diseases such as grey leaf spot.
All three are more vulnerable to winter diseases, which are especially problematic both because they can't be fully prevented with fungicides and because the damage occurs while the turf is dormant.

● Mow correctly. Allowing the turf to grow too tall (both turf types push out some growth over winter) will promote fungus by reducing airflow at the crown of the plant. We suggest mowing at least twice a month December through March and weekly from April through November.

● Do not apply any extra fertilizer to your lawn after August 15th. Some customers will supplement their lawn with slow release fertilizer (we highly suggest using ONLY Earthworks 8-2-2) during summer, but these extra apps must stop as the turf slows for fall. Extra nitrogen on slow growing turf will encourage fungal disease.

● Do not water your lawn unnecessarily, especially in fall. Fungus thrives in wet soil and none of these grasses need much water. That doesn't mean that we should ignore drought stress, but such stress is uncommon. Call us if you see browning in your lawn and we'll help you determine if watering is needed.

● St. Augustine lawns should be on our full 5 round Turf Damaging Insect & Disease Control plan, or should be treated monthly from late spring to late summer with a DIY program.

Turf Damaging Insects

Fall armyworm damage

Chinch bug damage

Grub damage

Neither bermuda nor zoysia are especially vulnerable to damaging insects, but that does not mean that such damage is impossible.
St. Augustine is highly vulnerable to chinch bugs.
Sod webworms, fall armyworms and grubs can all target all three turf types. While all three grasses will recover (Bermuda & St. Augustine much more quickly than Zoysia), it is best to prevent or minimize damage if possible.

● Grub damage is patchy, often circular.

● Damage caused by chinch bugs, sod webworms or fall armyworms will move FAST. A lawn may exhibit minor, isolated damage one morning and major, widespread damage the next morning.

● Recovery from severe insect damage may take a few years.

We offer a 5 application plan to prevent both insect and summer disease damage, as well as a 2 application program to prevent only insect damage. DIY options are also available. More information on those plans is included below.

Viral diseases

There are several viral diseases of St. Augustine that are moving though our region. These include Sugarcane Mosaic Virus, St. Augustine Decline Virus & Lethal Viral Necrosis. There are no curative treatment options available. We can support the turf and encourage it to recover naturally. Lethal Viral Necrosis is often terminal.

You can reduce the chances of viral disease by planting a variety of different types of St. Augustine. Many different varieties (called cultivars) exist. You can find several cultivars online at sodsolutions.com. Typically Raleigh, Floratam & Palmetto perform well in our area, so we'd suggest a blend of those cultivars as a good starting point.

Here's what you'll need to do for your Warm Season Lawn:

Watering

As motioned earlier, these grasses are pretty drought tolerant.. Drought stress can appear in summer as both June & July can be rather dry in Hampton Roads. When these grasses begin to experience drought, they respond by producing root growth hormones. These hormones give us a great opportunity to help drive root growth. Here's how to best water you warm season lawn.

● Jan - April. Do not water.

● April - May. Do not water unless directed otherwise by your technician.

● Jun - Aug. Water no more frequently than 2 - 3 times per month unless otherwise directed by your technician. It is best to allow the turf to experience the beginning stages of drought stress, water very heavily and then allow the soil to dry completely. The hormone charged roots will chase the water into the lower soil, training your lawn to be deeply rooted. Aim for 1 - 1.5 inches of water when needed: Rotors and fan sprinklers should be run for 45 min - 1 hour and fixed heads 5 - 20 min.

● Sept - Jan. Do not water unless seeding ryegrass for winter color or directed otherwise by your technician.

We advise winterizing your irrigation system in December to avoid damage.

It's best to water early in the morning and (if needed) early afternoon. Evening watering should be avoided. If evening is the only time that you can water, go ahead and do so but keep a close eye out for signs of disease.

Fixed head

Rotor head

Fan sprinkler

Call us for more specific recommendations on watering.

Mowing

All three grasses benefit from very frequent mowing in summer. It would be best to mow these grasses 2 - 3 times per week from June - Aug if possible. Skip bagging unless you're prepping for seeding or you notice that you're leaving clumps. Be sure to sharpen your mower blades once or twice a year, especially in very dense Zoysia or St. Augustine lawns.

● Jan - Mar - Mow at least once a month. Failure to mow in winter may increase chances of disease damage, cause discoloration in spring when mowing resumes, delay spring green up and reduce herbicide effectiveness.

● April - May - Mow at least once per week, but twice a week is better. Frequent mowing will help the lawn green up for spring and begin active growth. It will also ensure herbicide is as effective as possible, which is important because we do both grassy & broadleaf weed controls during this timeframe.

● June - Mow at least once per week, but twice a week would be best. Mowing frequently will help to keep this turf in an active growth state by maximizing growth hormone production and allow the turf to make the best use of the heavy summer fertilizers that we apply during this timeframe.

● Jul - Aug - Mow at least once per week, but 2 - 3 times a week would be best. Mowing frequently keeps this turf in an active growth state by maximizing growth hormone production and allow the turf to make the best use of the heavy summer fertilizers that we apply during this timeframe.

● Sep - Dec - Mow weekly until the turf enters dormancy. Try to mow biweekly in the latter part of this time period, but monthly may be acceptable especially in unusually cold weather.

Bermuda should be kept at 2 - 2.5 inches high all year (or lower if you use a reel mower), Zoysia should be kept at 3 - 3.5 inches all year. St. Augustine should be kept at 3 - 3.5 inches all year.

Other tips:

● Remove pet waste promptly. Many people believe that pet waste is healthy for turf when in fact it is very acidic (which is damaging to turf especially in summer) and also very bad for local waterways. To avoid damage to your turf please promptly pick up any solid waste. Liquid waste can also be damaging but is very difficult to mitigate.

● Address any areas of poor drainage. Areas that retain water can increase disease pressure, create dead spots and promote water loving weeds such as sedges. We suggest filling low areas with soil, shortly before seeding. Dry wells and drainage systems can also help.

● If we’re treating your lawn, please DO NOT apply any fertilizer, fungicide, herbicide, limestone or other chemical to your lawn without contacting us first as these may be incompatible with our products and could damage your turf. We’d be happy to recommend DIY options if you’d like so please call us for guidance before doing any of your own applications.

● Monitor your lawn: If you see any problems such as discoloration, thin areas, weeds, poorly performing seed, “cobwebs” on the lawn (a major sign of disease), brown or yellow patches or anything that doesn’t look right please let us know right away so that we can address the issue.

● Please call us BEFORE you install any seed, plugs or sod. We'll need to adjust your turf treatments to support your work and avoid any damage.

Here's what we can do for your Warm Seaon Lawn:

START TURFCARE TODAY!!

TurfCare Program

This six round program will suppress most weeds and provide the nutrients that your turf needs for optimal growth.

Includes:

● 3 preemergent applications to prevent crabgrass, cool season grassy weeds such as poa annua or annual rye and many broadleaf weeds.

● 4 broadleaf weed control applications

● 2 high nitrogen fertilizer applications

● 1 grassy weed control control application.

● 3 gentle liquid nutrient and micronutrient applications

● 1 fungicide to reduce winter disease.

● Most applications are multipurpose, so we can fit each of these services into a yearly 6 round program.

Aeration & Compost

Regular aeration & compost is an important step in maintaining a warm seaon lawn.

● Double pass core aeration will ease soil compaction, allow water & nutrients to reach the roots and promote active, healthy root growth.

● We apply Earthworks Compost Fertilizer at the time of aeration to help improve organic soil content and provide the root system with a gentle feeding.

● Core aeration will also help to reduce disease pressure by improving air flow.

● Zoysia can develop some thatch, and core aeration will help to punch through this layer.

RESERVE YOUR SPRING AERATION & COMPOST!

Click here for information on Earthworks 3-4-3 compost fertilizer

GET STARTED ON GROWTH REGULATORS!

Hybrid Bermuda Growth Regulators

● 4 applications per year.

● Reduces top growth which in turn reduces the need to mow.

● If you want the best possible bermuda lawn, continue to mow twice a week and watch as your lawn knits tightly together forming a dense carpet.

● Reduces watering needs.

● Improves root growth.

LET'S WORK ON YOUR SOIL!

Soil testing & amendments

Turf grown in poor soil may struggle with nutrient deficiency, poor seed germination and increased response to stressors such as heat.

Dreamlawns requires a soil test for all fertilizer customers. Based on the results of this test we may recommend applications of products such as calcium, gypsum, sulfur, potassium or organic compost.

We will share the soil test report and any recommendations with you. We can also create a custom DIY plan if you're interested in completing these applications yourself.

Turf Damaging Disease & Insect Control

If you'd like to treat the lawn for diseases & insects yourself, please see our D.I.Y. Page.

SCHEDULE PROTECTION FOR YOUR LAWN!

Owners of St. Augustine lawns should plan to manage both diseases & insects whether through Dreamlawns or using DIY options.

● St. Augustine is vulnerable to summertime fungal diseases.

● Fungal diseases are very common during our warm, humid summers.

● St. Augustine is very vulnerable to turf damaging insects.

● We suggest preventative treatment for both insects & disease for all St. Augustine lawns.

● Even with treatment some damage is possible, so be sure to water carefully and call us if you see signs of disease.