These are my top 3 picks for Saint Louis, MO and surrounding areas.
I have ranked them in the order that I prefer them, but every lawn has a different set of challenges. Depending on your situation, my top pick may not be the best fit for your specific lawn.
The first thing you need to know about grass types is that there are 2 big categories of grasses.
Warm-season and cool-season. As their names imply, warm-season grass grows best in the south and cool-season grass grows best in the north.
St. Louis is in a unique part of the U.S. known as the (transition zone).
We can grow both warm-season grasses and cool-season grasses, but both will not thrive year-round. Cool-season grasses thrive in our cooler spring and fall but take a hit in the summer, while the warm season grasses thrive in our hot summers but are late to green up and early to go dormant in winter.
Preface: this is written for the average homeowner who is looking for a beautiful lawn with less effort. Although I have fescue ranked in third place, a fescue lawn that is properly maintained will look much better than a poorly maintained zoysia lawn. I have ranked these according to their ease of maintenance after established.
Warm Season Grass
Pros:
The thickest lawn you can put your feet on
Reduced weeds due to it's thickness
Will grow to fill in bare spots (see GIF below)
Can be maintained high like fescue or low like a golf course.
Moderate shade tolerance (does better in the sun though)
The only grass type that can stop the spread of wild bermuda.
Will slowly take over all other grass types (if maintained correctly and given enough sunlight).
Better For The Environment
Requires less water
Requires less fertilizer
Requires less mowing
Cons:
Dormant straw color during the winter
Will slowly spread into planter beds, neighbor's yard (could be a positive depending on their lawn)
Will take longer to establish from plugs compared to bermuda
Can grow into asphalt edges
Requires more water than bermuda
Suitable Varieties For Our Area Based on Winter Hardiness:
Meyer Zoysia: tried and true, sod or plug establishment
Zenith Zoysia: a seeded variety, similar in appearance to Meyer Zoysia. Not as dense as Meyer Zoysia
Warm Season Grass
Pros:
Requires less water than zoysia and fescue because its roots can extend more than 4 ft. into the soil
Will grow rapidly to fill in bare spots and repair dead or damaged spots. This is a huge plus for lawns that receive a lot of abuse from pets, children, and a lot of foot traffic
Establishes rapidly from plugs
Does have a level of salt tolerance
Cons:
Dormant straw color during the winter
Will rapidly spread into planter beds and a neighbor's yard (could be a positive depending on their lawn)
Can grow into asphalt edges
Low tolerance for shade
Must be maintained at a low height
Requires a more fertilizer than other grass types
Suitable Varieties For Our Area Based on Winter Hardiness:
Ironcutter, Tahoma 31, *Yukon, *Latitue 36
*seeded
Cool Season Grass
Pros:
Can be striped like no other
Easy to establish (less time and money in the short term)
Beautiful dark green color for much of the year
Deep roots if maintained at a tall height of cut
Excellent shade tolerance *in fact, shade trees help carry the tall fescue through the summer heat by blocking some of the rays.
Cons:
Hot summers will have a negative impact on the grass's health, likely killing parts of your yard
Will not repair itself. Damaged areas must be fixed with seed or sod
Will likely need to be reseeded every year
Must be maintained very Tall 3.5-4.25" in summer to help with the heat
Requires a lot of water during the hot summer days
Requires more fertilizer than zoysia, but less than bermuda
Often invaded by wild bermuda
Suitable Varieties For Our Area:
Any turf-type tall fescue
Not Kentucky 31 or K31
Link to the recommendation from Virginia State University. (scroll down to tall fescues)