The best grasses for the Bay Area include Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue, and Bermudagrass because they all thrive in the region’s warm summers and mild winters.
But these grasses vary in their ability to tolerate shade, drought, and foot traffic. It’s important to know their characteristics to choose the right grass depending on your preferences and lifestyle. We’ll explore how each grass is different and help you decide on the variety that’s right for you.
Kentucky bluegrass
Kentucky bluegrass is among my favorite grasses because of its beautiful dark green leaves. This cool-season grass grows vigorously during spring and fall and gives your lawn a dense appearance. It has a medium-fine texture that’s soft on bare feet.
This grass prefers full sun but can withstand partial shade, so it works in yards that have trees. Kentucky bluegrass spreads by rhizomes, so it’s durable and can self-repair. That makes it an excellent choice if you host backyard parties regularly or have kids and pets playing in your backyard.
Kentucky bluegrass requires regular watering, especially if you’re in hot areas like San Jose, Richmond, and Concord.
When to plant Kentucky bluegrass
Early fall is the best time to grow Kentucky bluegrass. It takes 14 to 28 days to germinate, which is longer than other cool-season grasses. However, it spreads quickly thanks to rhizomes.
Mow Kentucky bluegrass as soon as it starts growing for healthy growth. Maintain a height of 2 to 3 inches. Here’s a detailed guide on mowing your lawn.
Best grass to overseed
We recommend overseeding Kentucky bluegrass with tall fescue at a ratio of 90:10 to make it more resistant to diseases like leaf spot, dollar spot, and summer patch. Fall is the best time to overseed this grass.
Check out our guide for more on growing Kentucky bluegrass.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Rhizomes
- Shade tolerance: Low
- Drought tolerance: Moderate
- Foot traffic tolerance: Moderate
- Maintenance needs: Moderate mowing frequency and high fertilization needs
- Mowing height: 2 to 3 inches
- Potential for disease: Moderate to high. Prone to several diseases, such as dollar spot, leaf spot, necrotic ring spot, summer patch, and stripe smut.
- Soil pH: 6 to 7.5
- Soil type: Performs best in well-drained, heavy soils with high fertility.
- Available as sod: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Looks beautiful ✓ Withstands foot traffic ✓ Excellent ability to self-repair ✓ Soft underfoot ✓ Spreads quickly | ✗ Requires frequent watering and fertilization ✗ Doesn’t tolerate shade ✗ Prone to thatch buildup, diseases, and pests ✗ Takes longer to germinate |
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
Perennial ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass is a cool-season grass that grows vigorously during spring and fall. This grass has fine-textured, dark green leaves but looks patchy. You can fix that by overseeding. Perennial ryegrass is an excellent choice for Bay Area lawns, from San Francisco to San Jose to Fremont.
This grass grows best in full sun but can withstand partial shade. Perennial ryegrass can endure high-foot traffic, but it doesn’t have rhizomes to self-repair. If the grass thins or gets damaged, you should overseed to fix bare spots.
Because it requires little maintenance, perennial ryegrass is an excellent choice if you don’t want to invest hours upon hours on your lawn. However, it requires regular watering to keep it from going dormant.
When to plant perennial ryegrass
Early fall is the best time to grow perennial ryegrass. It germinates quickly but takes longer to spread because it’s bunch-forming.
Mow perennial ryegrass as soon as it starts growing for healthy growth. Maintain a height of 1 to 3 inches.
Best grass to overseed
Perennial ryegrass looks patchy and doesn’t self-repair. To fix it, we recommend overseeding perennial ryegrass with Kentucky bluegrass at a ratio of 75:25. Fall is the best time to overseed this grass.
Check out our guide for more on growing perennial ryegrass.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Has a bunch-type growth habit
- Shade tolerance: Low
- Drought tolerance: Low
- Foot traffic tolerance: High
- Maintenance needs: Moderate mowing and fertilization requirements. Thatch is not significant.
- Mowing height: 1 to 3 inches
- Potential for disease: High. Common diseases include gray leaf spot, red thread, and leaf spot/melting-out.
- Soil pH: Can grow in soils with a pH between 5 and 8 but prefers between 6 and 7.
- Soil type: Prefers good drainage and fertility but can tolerate poor drainage to some extent.
- Available as sod: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Germinates quickly ✓ Handles heavy foot traffic ✓ Resists thatch buildup ✓ Feels soft underfoot ✓ Low mowing requirements | ✗ Looks patchy ✗ Doesn’t tolerate shade ✗ Poor ability to recover from damages ✗ Prone to diseases and insects ✗ Spreads slowly |
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
Tall fescue
Tall fescue is a cool-season grass that grows vigorously in spring and fall. It looks beautiful, with medium to dark green leaves but isn’t as dense as Kentucky bluegrass.
The coarse blades of this grass withstand foot traffic relatively well. Tall fescue is a bunch-forming grass, so if it gets damaged, you should overseed to fix those spots. It prefers full sun but can survive with just four hours of dappled sunlight a day.
Tall fescue resists drought exceptionally well because it has an extensive root system. So, even if you live in hot parts of the region like San Jose, Richmond, or Concord, you don’t have to water the grass extensively.
When to plant tall fescue
The best time to plant tall fescue is early fall. Since this grass is bunch-forming, it takes longer to spread. Wait until the grass blades grow at least four inches tall before mowing for healthier growth.
Best grass to overseed
Overseed tall fescue with Kentucky bluegrass at a 50:50 or 75:25 ratio to give your lawn a denser appearance and help it self-repair. The best time to overseed this grass is fall.
Check out our guide for more about growing tall fescue.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Produce short rhizomes but have a bunch-type growth habit
- Shade tolerance: Moderate
- Drought tolerance: Moderate to high
- Foot traffic tolerance: Moderate
- Maintenance needs: Frequent mowing. Thatch is not significant.
- Mowing height: 2 to 4 inches
- Potential for disease: Tolerates most diseases when maintained properly
- Soil pH: 5.5 to 6.5
- Soil type: Adapted to a wide range of soil conditions but prefers fertile clay soils with good drainage.
- Available as sod: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Germinates quickly ✓ Withstands foot traffic ✓ Resists thatch buildup ✓ Withstands drought ✓ Resists shade ✓ Resists diseases | ✗ Looks patchy ✗ Poor ability to recover from damages ✗ Requires frequent mowing ✗ Spreads slowly |
Grass Seed Options:
– Triple-Play Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend (5000 sq ft)
– Eretz Kentucky 31 K31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed (choose your size)
– Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix (7 lb.)
Fine fescue
Fine fescue is a group of five different fine-textured, medium-green grasses: Chewings fescue, hard fescue, sheep fescue, slender creeping red fescue, and strong creeping red fescue. These cool-season grasses look beautiful and grow vigorously during spring and fall.
I can say these grasses are the softest to walk on. However, unfortunately, they don’t withstand high-foot traffic. Creeping red fescue spreads by rhizomes and can repair itself from damage, while others don’t because they are bunch-forming. Fine fescues grow best in full sun but can survive with just four hours of dappled sunlight a day.
If you don’t want to spend much time on lawn maintenance, fine fescues are an excellent choice. However, they are prone to diseases like leaf spot, red thread, and dollar spot. They also resist drought.
When to plant fine fescue
The best time to plant fine fescues is early fall. They germinate and establish quickly, but since these grasses are bunch-forming, they take longer to spread. Creeping red fescue is an exception because it spreads by rhizomes.
Mow fine fescues as soon as they start growing for healthy growth. Maintain a height of 1 to 3 inches.
Best grass to overseed
We recommend overseeding fine fescue with Kentucky bluegrass at a 50:50 or 75:25 ratio to give your lawn a denser appearance and help it self-repair. Fall is the best time to overseed this grass.
Check out our guide for more on growing fine fescue.
- Classification: Cool-season grass
- Spreads by: Creeping red fescue spreads by rhizomes, while other fine fescues are bunch-type grasses, such as Chewings, hard, and sheep fescues.
- Shade tolerance: Moderate to high
- Drought tolerance: Moderate to high
- Foot traffic tolerance: Low
- Maintenance needs: Low fertilizer and mowing needs
- Mowing height: 1 to 3 inches
- Potential for disease: Moderate. Common diseases include red thread, leaf spot, dollar spot, summer patch, and powdery mildew.
- Soil pH: 6 to 6.5
- Soil type: Prefers drier soils and tolerates various soil types and fertility.
- Available as sod: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Looks beautiful ✓ Germinates quickly ✓ Resists shade ✓ Withstands drought ✓ Soft underfoot ✓ Low fertilizer and maintenance needs | ✗ Poor ability to recover from damages ✗ Spreads slowly ✗ Susceptible to diseases and pests ✗ Not resilient to foot traffic |
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Legacy Fine Fescue Grass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed (choose your size)
– Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed (25 lbs.)
Bermudagrass
Bermudagrass is a warm-season grass that grows rapidly from late spring to summer. It looks beautiful with its light green leaves. Bermudagrass grows only in full sun but can withstand drought exceptionally well.
This grass can easily handle the hot summers of San Jose, San Francisco, and Fremont. It also does fine during mild winters, but Bermudagrass will go dormant if the weather gets too cold. To overcome this, overseed the grass with annual ryegrass. Also, apply fertilizer in early fall to maintain its density.
The coarse grass blades of Bermudagrass withstand foot traffic exceptionally well and can self-repair. However, this grass requires a good bit of maintenance and is prone to lawn pests.
When to plant Bermudagrass
Late spring and early summer are the best time to plant Bermudagrass. It germinates, establishes, and spreads quickly, forming a dense turf in less than 90 days.
Mow Bermudagrass as soon as the grass starts growing for healthy growth. Maintain a height of 1.5 to 2.5 inches.
Best grass to overseed
We recommend overseeding Bermudagrass with annual ryegrass at a ratio of 50:50 to prevent the grass from losing its color during the winter. The best time to overseed Bermudagrass is late spring and early summer.
Check out our guide for more on growing Bermudagrass.
- Classification: Warm-season grass
- Spreads by: Stolons and rhizomes
- Shade tolerance: Low
- Drought tolerance: High
- Foot traffic tolerance: High
- Maintenance needs: High mowing and fertilization requirements. Thatch develops easily.
- Mowing height: 1.5 to 2.5 inches
- Potential for disease: Tolerates most diseases when maintained properly
- Soil pH: 6 to 6.5
- Soil type: Tolerates most soil types
- Available as sod: Yes
| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Looks beautiful ✓ Germinates quickly ✓ Spreads quickly ✓ Withstands foot traffic ✓ Excellent ability to self-repair ✓ Resists drought ✓ Resists diseases | ✗ Loses its color during winter ✗ Doesn’t tolerate shade ✗ Susceptible to pests ✗ Coarse texture ✗ Requires frequent mowing and fertilization |
Grass Seed Options:
– Scotts Turf Builder Bermudagrass (10-lb. bag)
– Hancock Seed Co. Bermudagrass (50-lb. bag)
Considerations when choosing a grass for your Bay Area lawn
The best grass for your lawn depends on its characteristics, the local climate, and your lifestyle. Weigh these factors when choosing a grass:
Maintenance level
High-maintenance grasses look beautiful, but most homeowners don’t have much time to spend on their lawns.
- High-maintenance grasses: Kentucky bluegrass, Bermudagrass
- Moderate-maintenance grasses: Tall fescue, perennial ryegrass
- Low-maintenance grasses: Fine fescue
Soil type
The Bay Area has primarily four types of soil, and here are the best grasses for each soil:
- Sandy: Fine fescue, Bermudagrass
- Silty: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue
- Clay: Bermudagrass
- Loamy: Perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue
Foot traffic
If you have kids and pets running and playing on your lawn or host backyard parties regularly, choose grasses that withstand foot traffic.
- High foot traffic: Perennial ryegrass, Bermudagrass
- Moderate foot traffic: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue
- Low foot traffic: Fine fescue
Drought tolerance
Most of the SF Bay Area gets an average rainfall of less than 25 inches per year, so choose your grass wisely.
- High drought tolerance: Bermudagrass
- Moderate drought tolerance: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue
- Low drought tolerance: Perennial ryegrass
Shade tolerance
If you have a lot of trees in your lawn that block sunlight, choose a grass that resists shade.
- Moderate shade tolerance: Tall fescue, fine fescue
- Low shade tolerance: Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, Bermudagrass
FAQs
What are the best drought-resistant grasses for the Bay Area?
- Kentucky bluegrass
- Tall fescue
- Fine fescue
- Bermudagrass
What are the best native plants for the Bay Area?
The Bay Area is home to over 450 plant species. Here are some native plants to transform your Bay Area landscape from ordinary to extraordinary:
- Buckwheat (Eriogonum)
- California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
- Chaparral mallow (Malacothamnus fasciculatus)
- Manzanita (Arctostaphylos)
- Bush anemone (Carpenteria californica)
- Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
Which is better: seed or sod?
Seeding refers to sowing seeds in the soil, while sodding is transplanting pre-grown grass for instant coverage. If you want a lush lawn instantly, sodding is the right choice, but it’s expensive. Here’s a detailed guide on the differences between seeding and sodding.
Which grasses are best for shaded lawns?
Tall fescue and fine fescue are the best grasses for shaded lawns. Here’s a guide on the best shade-resistant grasses for California.
What is California’s Green Lawn Care Law?
California’s Green Lawn Care Law, which took effect on January 01, 2024, bans the sale of new gas-powered lawn care equipment to reduce pollution. If you already own a gas-powered tool, you can use it. You can also purchase second-hand gas tools. To know more, read this guide on California’s Green Lawn Care Law.
When to hire a professional
The SF Bay Area sees warm summers and cold winters, which is ideal for cool-season grasses. If you need help choosing the right grass, get in touch with Lawn Love. We connect you with the best pros in your area who can help you with everything related to lawn care.
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Main Image Credit: David Sawyer | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0
