- Bermudagrass: Drought-tolerant<\/a><\/li>
- Kentucky bluegrass: Durable and attractive<\/a><\/li>
- Fine fescue: Does well in shade<\/a><\/li>
- Buffalograss: Requires little maintenance<\/a><\/li>
- Other grasses in northern New Mexico<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
Bermudagrass: Drought-tolerant<\/span><\/h2>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/bermudagrass.jpg\")
Forest & Kim Starr<\/a> | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Bermudagrass is the most commonly used grass in New Mexico. It\u2019s a heat and drought-resistant grass that can handle heavy foot traffic. It also doesn\u2019t need much water and tolerates most soil types.<\/p>
However, it has a low shade tolerance, making it ill-suited for shady areas, and its fast growth rate means it spreads aggressively and needs constant mowing to maintain it. This isn\u2019t a low-maintenance grass.<\/p>
Learn more in our guide on Bermudagrass: How to Grow and Care for It<\/a>.<\/p>
Grass Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Scotts Turf Builder Bermudagrass<\/a> (10-lb. bag)
\u2013 Hancock Seed Co. Bermudagrass<\/a> (50-lb. bag)<\/p>Kentucky bluegrass: Durable and attractive<\/span><\/h2>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/kentucky-grass-1.jpg\")
Shutterstock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Kentucky bluegrass is the way to go if you plan on having people and pets run around in the yard. It grows aggressively and quickly repairs from injury. However, it has a high water requirement and low shade tolerance.<\/p>
According to Bernd Leinauer, an extension turfgrass specialist from the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University, bermudagrass was historically limited to the cooler parts of New Mexico, but newer variants have greater heat tolerance and lower water requirements, making them usable for all New Mexico lawns.<\/p>
Read our article on How to Grow and Care for Kentucky Bluegrass<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>
Grass Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed<\/a> (3 lbs.)
\u2013 SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)<\/p>Fine fescue: Does well in shade<\/span><\/h2>
![\"fine](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Fine-fescue-1.jpg\")
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> If you have a shady yard, fine fescue is your best choice. It does well without a lot of direct sunlight, letting it establish in shady areas where other grasses cannot. <\/p>
Fine fescue also has solid drought tolerance, although it may go dormant. However, it doesn\u2019t like heavy foot traffic and can struggle with diseases.<\/p>
If you\u2019re interested in a fine fescue lawn, read our guide on How to Grow and Care for Fine Fescue.<\/a><\/p>
Grass Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Outsidepride Legacy Fine Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)
\u2013 Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed<\/a> (choose your size)
\u2013 Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (25 lbs.)<\/p>Buffalograss: Requires little maintenance<\/span><\/h2>
![\"buffalograss\"](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/3139246071_47110d3ef9_c-1.jpg\")
John Tann<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Buffalograss is the best choice for those who want a lawn that doesn\u2019t require much care. It has low watering needs and only needs weekly mowing at most. It also doesn\u2019t have significant disease or pest problems.<\/p>
However, it is a bit picky – it doesn\u2019t like shade, needs full sun, and isn\u2019t a fan of heavy foot traffic. As a result, it isn\u2019t suitable for shady yards or for homeowners who plan to have kids and pets running around in the yard.<\/p>
Want a buffalograss lawn? Read our article on How to Grow and Care for Buffalograss<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>
Other grasses in northern New Mexico<\/span><\/h2>
Other grasses that do OK in northern New Mexico include:<\/p>
Grass Seed Options:<\/strong>
\u2013 <\/strong>Everwilde Farms Buffalograss Seeds<\/a> (1 lb. of seeds)<\/p>Zoysiagrass<\/span><\/h3>
![\"zoysiagrass\"](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/zoysiagrass.jpg\")
Forest & Kim Starr<\/a> | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Zoysiagrass is shade, drought, and cold-tolerant, making it well suited to the transition zone that includes northern New Mexico. It also withstands foot traffic well, but because it\u2019s a slow grower, its recovery will be slow.<\/p>
For more, read our article on How to Grow and Care for Zoysiagrass<\/a>.<\/p>
Grass Plug and Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Zoysia Plugs (50 Large Grass Plugs)
<\/a>\u2013 Zoysia Plugs (50 Full & Lush Grass Plugs)<\/a>
\u2013 Zoysia Plugs (100 Plugs)<\/a>
\u2013 Zenith Zenith Grass Seeds<\/a> (1\/8 lb. of seeds)<\/p>Tall fescue<\/span><\/h3>
![\"tall](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Tall-fescue-1.jpg\")
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Tall fescue is a cool-season grass with strong heat and drought tolerance – perfect for northern New Mexico. However, it needs frequent mowing and may go dormant in summer without extra water.<\/p>
Read our article on How to Grow and Care for Tall Fescue<\/a> to learn more. <\/p>
Grass Seed Options:
<\/strong>\u2013 Triple-Play Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend<\/a> (5000 sq ft)
\u2013 Eretz Kentucky 31 K31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (choose your size)
\u2013 Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix<\/a> (7 lb.)<\/p>Hiring a professional<\/span><\/h2>
Picking the right grass for your lawn can be tricky, but it isn\u2019t impossible. And we can help. Contact a Lawn Love pro<\/a> and we\u2019ll help you determine the best grass for your lawn.<\/p>
For additional guidance about taking care of your yard in New Mexico, check out these articles:<\/p>
17 Native New Mexico Plants for Your Landscape<\/a><\/p>
Northern New Mexico Planting Zones<\/a><\/p>
\t\t\t\t\t\tSources:<\/strong><\/p> \t\t\t
<\/span><\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\tTurfgrasses for Northern New Mexico | New Mexico State University – BE BOLD. Shape the Future.<\/a><\/p> <\/div> \t\t<\/div> <\/div>
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.<\/em><\/p>
Main Image Credit: gardener41<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bermudagrass, Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, and buffalograss are the best turf grasses for northern New Mexico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":27633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[195],"tags":[595],"class_list":["post-27627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-mexico","tag-lawn-care-nm"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/lawn-in-new-mexico-1-1.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Stuart Kushner","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/stuart-kushner\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Kentucky bluegrass: Durable and attractive<\/a><\/li>