The mild winter and blistering , tropical summers of Florida make lovesome - time of year lawn denounce a key landscape painting characteristic . While St. Augustine grass may be uncouth , its smashed and uncouth blade are n’t exactly the nicest to walk upon barefoot . Softer , more fine textured and lower - growing grasses may prove more well-fixed on the invertebrate foot . Often these soft weed types can be mow at a lower peak and may handle wear off well , such as on acrobatic fields or more heavily walk surface area in your plate railway yard .
Bahia Grass
postulate a sunny exposure , bahia grass ( Paspalum notatum ) is drought- and heating system - large-minded and requires much less care than St. Augustine supergrass but never gets dark green or dense . Bahia grass can be easily set out from ejaculate or laid as sod anytime from March through September in Florida . It does best where soils are acidic ( pH 5.5 to 6.5 ) . Two varieties that are popular for home lawns , roadside verges and athletic field of operations are " Argentine " and " Pensacola . " The latter has thinner leafage blades and tends to yellow during natural spring , allot to Tom MacCubbin and Georgia Tasker , writer of " Florida Gardener ’s Guide . "
Bermuda Grass
Although some may casually call Bermuda grass ( Cynodon spp . ) a " vulgar grass , " it is by no means sturdy and prickly coarse like St. Augustine grass . liberal of drought , common salt spray and heat , Bermuda supergrass finds its seat on golf courses and oceanside estates . well in a near - achromatic pH soil , but adaptable if fertilized properly , thatch removal is often need to keep the lawn looking and feeling nice . The soft , finest - textured varieties of Bermuda grass let in " Tiftgreen , " " FloraTeX , " " Tifway " and " Tifway II . "
Centipede Grass
gardener in the northerly half of Florida lean to more easily grow and hold centipede grass ( Eremochloa ophiuroides ) , according to " Florida Gardener ’s Guide . " Tolerant of drought and light shade , this grass type has a pleasant dark-green color to it , and looks like miniature St. Augustine grass but with softer feel . spread by running stems , it grows immobile in summer ’s warmth and in moist , slightly acidic soils with constitutive affair and free of nematodes . loosely speaking , centipede Gunter Grass does n’t postulate much fertilization to perform well .
Zoysia Grass
Sometimes you ’ll hear someone refer to zoysia grasses ( Zoysia spp . ) as Korean or Nipponese lawn pasture . More tolerant of alkaline soils ( pH above 7.0 ) than other types , zoysia grasses will rise in all dirt type and areas of the Sunshine State . If winters get too cool , zoysia grasses often turn tan , something multitude in central and southerly Florida , with their more " tropic " landscape painting , may encounter objectionable . Zoysia is commonly plant by small plugs in outpouring , but it can also be begin by seed — unlike Bahia , centipede and Bermuda . Varieties " Meyer , " " Belaire " and " El Toro " are often sell in Florida .
