Cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass thrive in all New Jersey lawns, but warm-season Zoysiagrass works in south Jersey as well. These grasses all tolerate cold winters and bounce back beautifully in the spring with proper care.
Building and keeping a great lawn starts with choosing a grass type that is suited for our climate and weather conditions. But beyond that, you’ll want to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each type and select one that suits your needs and preferences for appearance, durability, and other factors.
Kentucky bluegrass: High maintenance but thick and beautiful
Perhaps the most ubiquitous grass type in the Northern United States, Kentucky bluegrass is popular everywhere in New Jersey because it withstands the state’s cooler winters and bounces back great in the spring. It does especially well in north Jersey and west Jersey because it doesn’t care for very hot temperatures and those areas experience half as many summer days over 90 degrees as the coastal and southern areas.
When you’re establishing a new lawn, know that Kentucky bluegrass germinates slowly, taking between 10 to 30 days, which is why it’s often mixed with fast-germinating grasses like perennial ryegrass or fine fescues in new lawns.
Another downside: to look its best, Kentucky bluegrass requires more attention and more fertilizer than some other grass types.
For more about this and other cold-hardy Northern grasses, see our article Best Grass Seeds for Northern New Jersey.
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
Perennial ryegrass: Establishes quickly, handles heat
This is a super versatile grass that you can plant alone as a lawn or mix it with other grass seed to quickly repair bare spots or improve the durability of a lawn that gets heavy use. Perennial ryegrass also tolerates heat relatively well, which makes it suitable for areas in south Jersey that are a bit warmer.
Perennial ryegrass may have trouble with super cold or very icy winters, but those are fairly infrequent here in Jersey. But, with its rapid growth rate, it’s still a great choice for a quick cover-up when fixing bald patches on your lawn.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
Fine fescue: Good for shady areas, handles drought
This group comprises several cultivars, such as creeping red, Chewings, hard, and sheep fescue. They are all well adapted to Jersey’s cool climate and thrive in shady lawns. They’re less needy when it comes to fertilization, requiring only 2 pounds or less per 1,000 square feet per year.
Just like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue mixes well with other grass types to improve drought and shade tolerance. If you want to tweak the appearance or bolster a weaker lawn, you can combine it with Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass.
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.)
Tall fescue: Low maintenance grass
Tall fescue is a fairly hardy grass that can go long stretches without supplemental irrigation, so it’s good for those who don’t want to invest hours and hours a week on their lawns. It’s also a good choice for yards exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day or communities that restrict water usage.
Along with its drought resistance, tall fescue also has fewer problems with the insects and diseases than other grasses, but it is still susceptible to some diseases like brown patch if it’s overwatered or overfertilized.
Another good thing about tall fescue is that it doesn’t develop thatch as quickly as Kentucky bluegrass.
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.)
Zoysiagrass: A thick south Jersey grass
Zoysiagrass has traditionally been viewed as a Southern grass because it grows thick in temperatures up to 120 degrees. No more. Newer cultivars of Zoysia, prized for creating a thick carpet-like lawn, withstand temps as low as -30 degrees and are gaining popularity as far north as Connecticut.
So why do we recommend it only for south Jersey? Because while it can survive very cold temps, Zoysiagrass grows best in very warm weather and is likely to go dormant for longer in north and western Jersey’s somewhat cooler weather. So it’ll work best from Cumberland County south, but particularly in a place like Cape May.
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 specific advice, check out our story about the Best Grass Seeds for South Jersey.
Trust the pros
Still struggling to pick a suitable grass seed? Don’t worry, there are lots of things to consider. As much fun as DIYing may be, sometimes you need a helping hand from a pro.
We can connect you with a local lawn care professional who can guide you in finding the best cool-season grass for your needs and location.
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Main Image Credit: Van Wagenen House / King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
