Dayton falls in USDA Hardiness Zone 6, and all of these grasses thrive in this climate. Read on to learn more about these four best grass types for Dayton yards.<\/p> Do you love the feeling of cool grass beneath your feet? Kentucky bluegrass<\/a> has a dense, fine to medium texture that\u2019s perfect for pets and bare feet. The bluish-green color creates an attractive, thick turf that\u2019s sure to impress. <\/p> Although it has great cold tolerance, it can\u2019t handle the heat or drought because of its shallow root system. Disease can be an issue with this grass, too. Keeping the mowing height high and making sure it receives adequate sunlight will help prevent common diseases like necrotic ringspot.<\/p> Other Notes:<\/strong> Can produce heavy thatch. Dethatching can be done with a rake or dethatcher and is best done in early fall or spring.<\/p> Grass Seed Options: Buffalograss<\/a> is a great option for those looking to reduce their water and fertilizer usage. Unlike the other grass options for Dayton, buffalograss is native to North America, meaning it\u2019s naturally adapted to the environment. As a result, it\u2019s heat and drought tolerant and can make it through Ohio cold winters. This type has one of the best cold resistance of the warm-season grasses. Plus, its disease resistance means less maintenance.<\/p> This blue-green grass loves full sun. Because of its fine texture, it can be damaged by heavy foot traffic. This is a great grass if you\u2019re looking for a hardy, low-maintenance option and know you won\u2019t have too many feet tromping through your yard.<\/p> Other notes:<\/strong> Overwatering can encourage invasive weeds. You can wait for the grass to wilt slightly before watering. <\/p> Grass Seed Options:<\/strong> If you find yourself frequently forgetting to water your plants, tall fescue<\/a> might be a good choice for you. It\u2019s one of the most drought-resistant grasses. Not to mention, it can handle heat and the cold, too, making it adaptable to a variety of climates.<\/p> It grows in bunches, which means it needs more frequent mowing. Its coarse blades have a medium to dark green color.<\/p> Other notes:<\/strong> With proper care, this grass stays green through hot summers. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: With a fine texture and bright green color that stays vibrant all year, fine fescue<\/a> can make a lovely lawn. It\u2019s relatively easy to care for as long as it receives enough water. <\/p> If you choose this grass, hold back on the fertilizer. It doesn\u2019t need as much nitrogen as, say, Kentucky bluegrass, and too much can contribute to diseases like red thread. If you notice disease, don\u2019t apply fertilizer and keep the mowing height above 3 inches.<\/p> Other notes:<\/strong> Wilted, folded, or curled leaves mean it\u2019s time to water. You should water until the soil is wet at a depth of 4-6 inches.<\/p> Grass Seed Options: If you\u2019re in a pinch and want to green up your yard quickly, perennial ryegrass<\/a> is a great option. Perennial ryegrass is a dark green, cool-season grass that is often mixed with other grasses like Kentucky bluegrass. It\u2019s often valued because it\u2019s quick to establish \u2014 you can go from seed to a mowable lawn in as few as 21 days. <\/p> This grass forms a dense turf, but it requires a decent amount of water \u2014 about 2.5 inches a week. It also needs regular fertilization (once every six weeks) to support its rapid growth. Look for newer cultivars like Calypso II and Paragon GLR that form deeper root systems for stronger drought and cold tolerance.<\/p> Other notes:<\/strong> Ryegrass needs more nitrogen than other types to thrive. Monitor it closely, though, because too much nitrogen can cause excess growth and diseases like dollar spot. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: Every backyard is different. These are a few questions to think about when making your choice.<\/p> The best time to seed<\/a> your cold-season grasses is late summer or early fall (Aug. 15 to Sept. 15). Consistent rainfall and warmer soil temperatures will help the seeds germinate and encourage deeper roots to prepare for winter. <\/p> Once your grass is established, you can start applying pre-emergent herbicides in early spring to prevent weeds as well as nitrogen fertilizer. When it\u2019s time to mow, make sure you\u2019re never \u201cscalping\u201d your lawn \u2014 removing one-third<\/a> of the leaf blade with each mow. <\/p> These steps will set you up to have a healthy, successful lawn. <\/p> If you need a hand getting started or maintaining your lawn, contact <\/em>a Lawn Love lawn care pro<\/em><\/a> in Dayton.<\/em><\/p> Main Photo Credit: Doug Kerr<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/p> 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>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We know the Wright Brothers ruled the skies in Dayton, but what about the ground? If you want ground control, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":7376,"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":[219],"tags":[427],"class_list":["post-7374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ohio","tag-lawn-care-dayton-oh"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/rsz_15755385590_6567be0d90_h.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Rachel Abrams","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/rachel-abrams\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7374","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\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Kentucky](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/kentucky-bluegrass-yard.jpg\")
Brenda Ryan | Lawn Love<\/figcaption><\/figure> 1. Kentucky bluegrass<\/span><\/h2>
<\/strong>\u2013 Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed<\/a> (3 lbs.)
\u2013 SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)<\/p> ![\"Buffalograss\"](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/3125030368_e6ce260c77_c.jpg\")
John Tann<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> 2. Buffalograss<\/span><\/h2>
\u2013 <\/strong>Everwilde Farms Buffalograss Seeds<\/a> (1 lb. of seeds)
\u2013 Scotts Pursue Buffalograss with Natural Seed<\/a> (1 lb. of seeds)<\/p> ![\"Tall](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/3863142192_5ee6dd93d7_c_800.jpg\")
Matt Lavin<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure> 3. Tall fescue<\/span><\/h2>
<\/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> ![\"Fine](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fine-red-fescue-1024x640.jpg\")
Matt Lavin<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> 4. Fine fescue<\/span><\/h2>
<\/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.)
\u2013 Outsidepride Hard Fine Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (10 lbs.)<\/p> ![\"Perennial](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/iStock-1318738514-scaled_800.jpg\")
iStock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> 5. Perennial ryegrass<\/span><\/h2>
<\/strong>\u2013 Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)
\u2013 Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed<\/a> (choose your size)<\/p> What to consider when choosing your grass<\/h2>
Caring for your lawn year-round<\/span><\/h2>