Best Grass Seed for Arizona

lawn in front of a house in arizona

The best grass seed for Arizona depends if you live in the hot, low elevation of southern Arizona, or the cooler, high elevation of northern Arizona. For southern Arizona, the most common grass is Bermudagrass, but there are many excellent choices, including St. Augustinegrass (Palmetto cultivar), buffalograss, blue grama, and Zoysiagrass.

For northern Arizona, the most popular choice is Kentucky bluegrass. Perennial ryegrass or tall fescue are also excellent options. Because Kentucky bluegrass is lovely but not the hardiest, many choose a mix of the three grass types to increase foot traffic, disease, and pest tolerance.

Warm-season grasses

growth of warm season grass
Infographic by Juan Rodriguez

Arizona’s reputation for being hot, hot, hot is accurate for much of the state. So for summertime, most lawns need drought resistance and low water needs. Summer grass, or warm-season grass, prefers temperatures between 80 and 95 degrees, tolerates temperatures as high as 110 degrees, and will go dormant at 60 degrees.

It’s important to note that higher elevations of Arizona may not need summer lawns. For example, Flagstaff’s average temperatures barely break 80 degrees, so they might keep their winter (cool-season) grass year-round, or at least until the snow blows in.

But for most of Arizona, you’ll need hot-tolerant, warm-season summer grass. Here are your best options.

Bermudagrass

closeup of bermudagrass in a yard
Forest & Kim Starr | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0

Bermudagrass is perfect for Arizona’s hot, dry weather. It spreads quickly by underground shoots (rhizomes) and above-ground runners (stolons). Because it propagates by rhizomes and stolons, its seed heads don’t produce seed, nor does it produce pollen. Bermudagrass struggles in full-shade.

There are many cultivars of Bermudagrass, each having positive characteristics. Let’s look at the two best cultivars for Arizona, Midiron and Tifway.

Midiron

Midiron Bermuda is very low-maintenance and recovers easily from foot traffic, making it perfect for family homes. It handles shallow soil, lots of sun, and high heat. Midiron Bermuda sprouts up soft, moderately dense, medium-textured with a bright, medium green color. It survives colder winter temperatures better than most cultivars by going dormant early.

Where it thrives in Arizona: Midiron does weill in southern cities like Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, and most locations under 3,500 feet elevation, including Kingman and Mesquite.

Tifway

tifway grass on a garden terrace
cultivar413 | Flickr | CC BY 2.0

Tifway is similar to Midiron but has more aesthetic appeal. It is finer and denser, and the color is a darker, bluish green. Because of its high foot traffic tolerance, it’s a popular choice for residential and commercial lawns, golf courses, and athletic fields. It has good weed resistance, too.

Where it thrives in Arizona: Tifway thrives in southern cities like Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, and most locations under 3,500 feet elevation, including Kingman and Mesquite.

Palmetto St. Augustinegrass

closeup of St. Augustine grass
Forest & Kim Starr | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0

Palmetto St. Augustinegrass is a semi-dwarf native cultivar. It has a finer texture and better color than standard St. Augustinegrass. The fine, rounded-tip blades make the turf soft to the touch. It remains an emerald green until after several hard frosts but will remain green if there are no hard frosts. It’s extremely shade tolerant, even compared to other St. Augustine cultivars.

Where it thrives in Arizona: Southern and central low deserts. Under 3500 feet elevation. Avoid it if you get snow on your lawn in the winter.

Buffalograss

buffalograss
Photo Credit: John Tann | Flickr | CC BY 2.0

An Arizona native, Buffalograss is low-growing and very low maintenance. It tolerates drought and high heat and needs little supplemental nutrition. Buffalograss spreads by above-ground stolons but doesn’t have underground rhizomes, making containment easier than other grasses like Bermudagrass. Its fine texture makes for a soft, welcoming lawn.

Where it thrives in Arizona: Lower areas in south and central Arizona (Phoenix, Mesa, Tucson, Mesquite, etc). Grows below 6,500 feet in elevation, but best below 5,000 feet.

Blue grama

a close up image of blue grama grass
SEWilco | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0

Blue grama is also native to Arizona and makes a soft, fine-bladed, blue-green lawn. It’s also used as an ornamental grass in xeriscapes, rock gardens, etc. It’s the most drought-tolerant native grass, even more so than buffalograss, and only needs 7 inches of water annually. It grows in elevations up to 7,500 feet as long as temperatures don’t drop too low.

Where it thrives in Arizona: Able to grow throughout most of the state, except in elevations above 7,500 feet (like Greer and Edgar). Grows best below 3,500 feet elevation in the lower areas of south and central Arizona (Phoenix, Mesa, Tucson, Mesquite, etc.).

Zoysiagrass

zoysiagrass
Photo Credit: Forest & Kim Starr | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0

Zoysiagrass produces an attractive thick, emerald-green lawn. It tolerates the cold and is a great “barefoot” lawn and grows slowly, reducing maintenance needs. While Zoysiagrass has lots of benefits, it prefers acidic soil. To thrive in Arizona’s naturally alkaline soil, it’ll need regular amendments.

Where it thrives in Arizona: Warm-season and transition zones throughout the state that have elevations lower than 5,000 feet and at least a four-month growing season.

Cool-season grass

When the temperature drops, your warm-season grass goes dormant. To keep it green, overseed with cool-season grasses. They prefer daytime temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees and nighttime temperatures of 50 degrees. They’ll go dormant when temperatures regularly drop below 40 degrees or climb above 90 degrees.

Some areas may not need cool-season grass for winter. For example, Tucson’s average temperatures barely dip below 70 degrees. But for most of Arizona, these are the best cool-season grasses. 

Kentucky bluegrass

closeup of kentucky bluegrass in a lawn
Shutterstock

Nicknamed “high elevation Bermuda,” Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) is a popular cool-season grass that thrives in elevations above 5,500 feet. The grass is soft, thin, and dark bluish-green. It spreads via rhizomes. It’s great for erosion control, lawns, and athletic fields. While there are many varieties of KBG, the Midwestern varieties are best for Arizona lawns.

Note: If not managed, Kentucky bluegrass can become weedy. According to University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, “Kentucky bluegrass can easily escape home landscapes and take over natural areas, particularly where there is additional moisture. It will outcompete more desirable native plants and reduce plant diversity and favorable wildlife habitat.”

Where it thrives in Arizona: This grass is excellent for Flagstaff, Prescott, Page, Sedona, etc. Communities around Grand Canyon National Park do well with this grass mixed with tall fescue for a better look during the summer.

Perennial ryegrass

pyrennial ryegrass in a lawn
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program

Perennial ryegrass thrives at lower elevations, where it’s used to overseed summer lawns (often Bermudagrass) to give homeowners a winning winter lawn. At higher elevations, it’s used in a Kentucky bluegrass mix. 

For both elevations, overseed in October. Perennial ryegrass germinates fast, sprouts quickly, and has soft, thin, medium-green leaves. 

Where it thrives in Arizona: It grows throughout Arizona. Below 4,500 feet, it grows in winter and goes dormant in June. Above 4,500 feet, it grows year-round, or until temperatures regularly drop below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tall fescue

tall fescue
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program

Tall fescue is a heat-tolerant, cool-season grass, making it excellent for transition zone lawns. It’s a bunch-type, coarse-textured, medium- to dark-green grass that’s often used in a mixture of KBG, perennial ryegrass, or both. It can be grown as a tall fescue-only lawn but can look clumpy due to its bunch type. It has no stolons or rhizomes and spreads via seeds.

Where it thrives in Arizona: Tall fescue grows well in Flagstaff and the cities that outline the mountain down the hill. It grows best in areas between about 3,500 feet and 7,500 feet in elevation.

Should I Hire a Professional?

Lawn maintenance is a common and relatively easy DIY task. However, it’s time-consuming, requires following a schedule, and is physically laborious. And in the Arizona heat, spending that much time outside is brutal. If you don’t have the time, energy, or desire to maintain your lawn, you’re not alone. Homeowners throughout Arizona are turning to professionals for help.

But finding a lawn care company that’s reliable, affordable, and effective is more daunting than your lawn maintenance. That’s where Lawn Love can help. Our lawn care pros are great for your yard and easy on your wallet.

Lawn Love participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. Lawn Love may earn revenue from products promoted in this article.

Main Image Credit: Zarxos | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0

Judith van der Weij

Judith Gallova is a freelance writer who created her first blog at the age of 10. Later, she started working in marketing and eventually combined her writing and marketing skills to become a freelance writer. In her free time, she studies the Bible, goes to the gym, spends time with loved ones, and enjoys all things outdoors.