The best grasses for Florida lawns are St. Augustinegrass, Zoysiagrass, Bermudagrass, Bahiagrass, centipedegrass, and seashore paspalum. These grasses thrive in Florida’s high heat, high humidity, and sandy, salty soil.
While each of these grasses is an excellent choice, the best grass for your lawn depends on where you live and your personal preferences. We’ve broken down these Florida grass types by region, maintenance needs, pest and disease risks, pros and cons, and more to help you decide which grass type is right for you, your lawn, and your lifestyle.
Bahiagrass
Bahiagrass is a coarse-textured, light-green grass introduced to the US from Brazil in 1914. Its deep, extensive root system makes it one of the best grasses for sandy soil. While it has many positives, Bahiagrass isn’t a picturesque turfgrass. Its open and sparse growth habit makes it susceptible to weeds. It’s often used on large lawns and lawns without an irrigation system.
Pros:
✓ Low water and fertilizer requirements
✓ Low-maintenance
✓ Deep roots
✓ Does well in infertile and sandy soils
✓ Ideal grass for large acreage lawns needing a low-maintenance ground cover
✓ Few insect and disease problems
✓ Thatch is not generally a concern
✓ Establish from seed or sod
Cons:
✗ Doesn’t produce a dense carpet of grass
✗ Seed stems will dull mower blades quickly
✗ Seed heads can be an eyesore if not mowed regularly
✗ Only a few varieties are available for home lawns
✗ Lack of density (“open growth habit”) may leave space for weeds to grow
Bahiagrass cultivars for Florida: Pensacola Bahiagrass, Paraguay 22 Bahiagrass, and Argentine Bahiagrass
Grass Seed Options:
Pensacola Bahiagrass:
- Hancock Seed Co. Pensacola Bahiagrass Seed (5 lb. bag)
- SeedRanch Pensacola Bahiagrass Seed (10 lb. bag)
Argentine Bahiagrass:
- Scotts Turf Builder Argentine Bahiagrass (10 lb. bag)
- Hancock Seed Co. Argentine Bahiagrass Seed Mix (25 lb. bag)
For more information, check out Bahiagrass: How to Grow and Care for It.
Bermudagrass
Bermudagrass is a fine-textured, medium-to-dark green, densely-growing grass that thrives throughout Florida. It’s prevalent on residential and commercial lawns as well as golf courses and athletic fields. Because it grows quickly, it rarely sprouts weeds. If you see them, you likely have a turf problem. However, the aggressive growth means it can invade gardens and flowerbeds.
Pros:
✓ High foot traffic tolerance
✓ Recovers from damage quickly
✓ Deep roots
✓ Drought resistant
✓ Grows quickly
✓ Low to moderate water needs
✓ Improved common bermudagrass feels soft underfoot
✓ Good salt tolerance
✓ Dense turf
Cons:
✗ Low shade tolerance
✗ Low cold tolerance
✗ Can spread aggressively into gardens, flower beds, or other lawns
✗ Frequent mowing
✗ Low insect tolerance
✗ Tends to develop thatch
Bermudagrass cultivars for Florida: Celebration, Tifway 419, Latitude 36
Grass Seed Options:
- Scotts Turf Builder Bermudagrass (10-lb. bag)
- Hancock Seed Co. Bermudagrass (50-lb. bag)
For more information, check out Bermudagrass: How to Grow and Care for It.
Centipedegrass
Introduced to the US from southeastern Asia in 1916, centipedegrass is an apple-green, medium-textured, smooth, slow-growing turfgrass. It’s common in central and northern Florida, particularly the panhandle. It’s called “the lazy man’s grass” due to its low fertilization and mowing requirements. It will not work as a beach-side home lawn due to salt intolerance.
Pros:
✓ Low mowing frequency
✓ Low fertilizer requirements
✓ Tolerates infertile soils
✓ Grow via seed, sod, plugs, or sprigs
✓ Dense, stoloniferous growth habit crowds out weeds
✓ Won’t invade flower beds or gardens
Cons:
✗ Not as many options for chemical weed control
✗ Accumulates thatch
✗ Susceptible to insects, particularly nematodes and ground pearls.
✗ Low foot traffic tolerance
Centipede cultivars for Florida: Tennessee Hardy, Common Centipede, Oaklawn
Grass Seed Options:
- Gulf Kist Coated Centipedegrass Seeds (1 lb.)
- Scotts EZ Seed Patch and Repair Centipedegrass (3.75 lbs.)
- TifBlair Centipedegrass (5-lb. bag)
For more information, check out Centipedegrass: How to Grow and Care for It.
Seashore Paspalum
Native to the Americas, seashore paspalum is common in coastal areas throughout Florida’s homes and golf courses. It’s blueish green with fine textured leaves. It’s low-growing, reaching only 10 inches high, and dense, similar to bermudagrass. Some cultivars are so salt tolerant that you can irrigate it with salt water. It can uptake heavy metals, filtering them from your soil.
Pros:
✓ Excellent saline tolerance tolerance
✓ Excellent wear tolerance
✓ Low water needs
✓ Low fertility needs
✓ Few insect or disease problems
✓ Tolerates a wide pH range
✓ Dense growth habit discourages weeds
✓ Dense root systems
Cons:
✗ Poor shade tolerance
✗ Frequent mowing
✗ Few herbicide options for weed control
✗ Requires dethatching, especially when over-fertilized and overwatered
Seashore paspalum cultivars for Florida: SeaIsle 1, Platinum TE, Salam, Supreme
Grass Seed and Sod Options:
- Seed Ranch SeaShore Paspalum Coated Grass Seed – 1 lb.
- Seed World SeaShore Paspalum Grass Seeds (various amounts)
- Other places to purchase seashore paspalum sod
St. Augustinegrass
Native to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, St. Augustinegrass is the most common turfgrass in Florida. It creates a dense, blue-green, coarsely-textured lawn. This heat-loving grass prefers mild winters and will go dormant if temperatures fall below 60 degrees. St. Augustinegrass establishes and grows quickly, but doesn’t tend to invade flowerbeds or gardens.
Pros:
✓ Good shade tolerance, the best for warm-season grasses
✓ High salt tolerance
✓ Fast growth rate
✓ Available as sod, sprigs, or plugs
✓ One of the coarsest-bladed grasses
✓ Crowds out most weeds
Cons:
✗ Low cold tolerance
✗ Susceptible to chinch bugs and fungal diseases
✗ Not available as seed
✗ Susceptible to thatch, especially if over-fertilized or overwatered
✗ Susceptible to diseases and pests
St. Augustine cultivars for Florida: Floratam, Palmetto, BitterBlue
Grass Plug Options:
- Seed Ranch St Augustine Seville Grass Plugs (2 Trays)
- Seed Ranch St Augustine Floratam Grass Plugs (2 Trays)
For more information, check out St. Augustinegrass: How to Grow and Care for It.
Zoysiagrass
Native to eastern Asia, zoysiagrass is a fine-bladed, dense, emerald turf that’s commonly used in residential and commercial lawns as well as golf courses and athletic fields. It’s a slow-growing grass, making it low maintenance and unlikely to invade gardens and flowerbeds, but it takes a little longer to establish.
Pros:
✓ Soft to walk on
✓ Crowds out most weeds on its own
✓ Tolerates light shade
✓ Good salt tolerance
✓ Available in fine-bladed and wide-bladed varieties
✓ Good traffic tolerance
✓ Cold-tolerant
✓ Drought-tolerant (may go brown but will survive)
Cons:
✗ Slow grower
✗ Slow to establish from grass plugs or seed. We recommend sod
✗ Goes brown during a drought
✗ Damage recovery is slow
✗ Seed is not recommended so establishment can be costly
✗ Thatch can be a problem, especially with too much nitrogen
Zoysiagrass cultivars for Florida: Empire Zoysia, El Toro Zoysia, Zeon Zoysia
Grass Plug and Seed Options:
- Zoysia Plugs (50 Large Grass Plugs)
- Zoysia Plugs (50 Full & Lush Grass Plugs)
- Zoysia Plugs (100 Plugs)
- Zenith Zenith Grass Seeds (1/8 lb. of seeds)
For more information, check out Zoysiagrass: How to Grow and Care for It.
Best grass seed for South Florida
St. Augustinegrass, Bermudagrass, and Zoysiagrass are the best grasses for South Florida, including Miami, West Palm Beach, and Fort Myers. They thrive in the heat and humidity while also tolerating the salty soil and occasional flooding.
Bahiagrass is another good option if you live inland, and Seashore Paspalum is a solid coastal choice.
Best grass seed for Central Florida
St. Augustinegrass and Bahiagrass are the best grasses for Central Florida, including Tampa, Orlando, and Daytona Beach. St. Augustine is high maintenance but more aesthetically pleasing. Bahiagrass is low-maintenance and hardier but not as picture-perfect as some other grass types.
Zoysiagrass is also a good choice, but it grows slowly. Centipedegrass is another low-maintenance option, but only if you live inland as its salt tolerance is low. Seashore Paspalum is a good choice for the coast.
If you live in the Tampa area, check out Best Grass Types for Tampa.
Best grass seed for North Florida
St. Augustinegrass, Bermudagrass, and Zoysiagrass are the best grasses for North Florida, including Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville. While all are well-suited for the soil and climate, St. Augustinegrass is often chosen for its aesthetics, Bermudagrass for its hardiness, and zoysiagrass because it’s low-maintenance.
Bahiagrass is another great option because it’s the most drought-tolerant. Centipedegrass is also a common north Florida option, particularly in the inland panhandle, due to the soil adaptability. For coastal homes, seashore paspalum is a good option.
If you live in Jacksonville, check out Best Grass Types for Jacksonville for a more in-depth look.
Best grass seed for a winter lawn
Perennial Ryegrass is the best grass seed for a winter lawn in Florida. Overseeding involves adding cool-season grass seed that sprouts when your summer grass goes dormant for winter, giving you a green winter lawn. You can also try overseeding with tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass.
- North Florida: Overseed from October to November.
- Central Florida: Overseeded from October to early December.
- South Florida: It’s not common to overseed in South Florida because the temperature doesn’t consistently drop low enough.
Wait until daytime temperatures are consistently below 70 degrees to overseed.
To learn more about overseeding and how to do it, check out What is Overseeding?
Frequently asked questions about Florida grass
What is the best grass seed for sandy soil?
Centipedegrass is the best grass for sandy soil. Bahiagrass, Zoysiagrass, and Bermudagrass are also solid choices.
For sandy soil garden ideas, check out 15 Plants that Do Well in Sandy Soil.
What is the best grass seed for shade in Florida?
St. Augustinegrass is the best for shady lawns, particularly the Palmetto cultivar. It’s able to thrive with as little as 4-5 hours of filtered sunlight daily.
For more information on growing grass in the shade, follow our How to Easily Grow Grass in the Shade guide.
What is the best low-maintenance grass for Florida?
The best low-maintenance grass for Florida is Zoysiagrass. Centipedegrass and Bahiagrass are also excellent low-maintenance choices.
What is the best grass for dogs in Florida?
Bermudagrass is the best Florida grass for dogs. It’ll withstand the wear and tear of your dog running around and tolerate dog urine better than many other grasses.
Check out Best Grasses for Dogs for more dog-friendly options.
Can I plant my own lawn or hire a professional?
Finding a lawn company that’s reliable, affordable, and trustworthy is daunting. That’s where Lawn Love can help. We’ve researched and vetted tons of local lawn care professionals and will connect you with the right pro for you, your lawn, and your wallet. Enjoy the sun and your lovely lawn without breaking a sweat or your bank.
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Main Photo Credit: Tamanoeconomico | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
