Knoxville is located in the transition zone<\/a>, which means you could plant cool-season or warm-season grass types, depending on the characteristics of your environment. Most areas in Knoxville and Eastern Tennessee are better-suited for cool-season grasses<\/a>. If your home is at a lower elevation and receives a lot of sunlight, warm-season grasses might be better for you. Find out which one is the right choice for your home. <\/p> Tall fescue is one of Knoxville\u2019s favorite grass types. It\u2019s an extremely adaptable, cool-season grass, making it a great choice for the climate in Eastern Tennessee. What makes tall fescue adaptable is that it\u2019s more tolerant to heat, drought, and shade compared to other cool-season grass types. It\u2019s durable throughout the winter and keeps its color year-round. <\/p> Tall fescue is relatively low maintenance and can handle a lot of foot traffic. Thatch is rarely an issue<\/a> with tall fescue. Tall fescue is coarse, dark green, and has a wide blade. It\u2019s a wonderful option for active families or homeowners with pets.<\/p> Grass Seed Options: Kentucky bluegrass is another favorite and is widely used across the country. It is durable and maintains a soft, smooth texture that is pleasant on bare feet. Kentucky bluegrass is what most people imagine when they\u2019re thinking of turfgrass. It handles cold temperatures better than the other cool-season grasses, but is more sensitive to high temperatures and drought. <\/p> Kentucky bluegrass is a bit more high maintenance and will go dormant during droughts. Be sure to keep an eye on thatch buildup. If you can handle putting in some effort to maintain it, this grass type can be a wonderful option for your home. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: Creeping red fescue<\/a> is a variety of fine-leaf fescue that thrives in shaded environments. It can<\/p> be used alongside Kentucky bluegrass in shaded areas of your lawn. While it\u2019s not the most popular grass type, it can be a great option for busy homeowners who don\u2019t have a lot of time for maintaining a lawn. It requires little mowing, fertilization, or irrigation. It\u2019s not very durable compared to other grasses, so it\u2019s not good for homes with heavy human or pet foot traffic. <\/p> Other Notes: <\/strong>Creeping red fescue can be left unmowed as a ground cover. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: Buffalograss is a warm-season grass that can survive extreme heat, extended droughts and grow in low-nutrient soil. While it needs plenty of direct sunlight, overall it doesn\u2019t require much maintenance. Beware of overwatering buffalograss \u2014 overwatering creates the perfect conditions for weeds and disease to thrive. <\/p> Buffalograss can tolerate cold weather better than other warm-season grasses. Buffalograss is also the base of most native seed mixes<\/a>. This grass type grows well in clay soil. <\/p> Grass Seed Options:<\/strong> Bermudagrass is commonly used for athletic fields<\/a>, and its durability is what makes it a great option for active families. Bermudagrass does not produce allergenic pollen<\/a> and it can be invasive<\/a> in backyard gardens. Look out for thatch buildup. <\/p> Bermudagrass ranges in color from gray-green to blue-green to dark green. In the winter, bermudagrass can go dormant and becomes dull in color. While it is sensitive to cold temperatures, it is quite tolerant to heat and drought. <\/p> Grass Seed Options: Centipedegrass is a low-maintenance warm-season grass, perfect for a busy household. <\/p> Compared with other warm-season grasses, centipedegrass is a bit more sensitive to the cold. It\u2019s a light green color, and iron deficiency<\/a> will cause it to turn a light yellow. Keep in mind that it\u2019s not very tolerant of foot traffic. <\/p> Other Notes: <\/strong>Produces less thatch than other warm-season grass types.<\/p> Grass Seed Options: There are plenty of things to consider when figuring out which grass type is best for your property, especially when living in the transition zone. While tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, creeping red fescue, buffalograss, Bermudagrass, and centipedegrass can all do well in Knoxville, you should keep a few things in mind before coming to a decision: <\/p> Answer these questions and you\u2019re on your way to finding the perfect grass type for your Knoxville home. <\/p> Need a hand keeping up with your yard? Contact a <\/em>Knoxville lawn care professional<\/em><\/a> to assist with all of your landscape design, installation, and maintenance needs. <\/em><\/p> Main Photo Credit: Brian Stansberry<\/a> | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0<\/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":" Knoxville was once known as \u201cThe Scruffy City,\u201d but that doesn\u2019t mean your lawn needs to be scruffy too. Make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":7727,"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":[184],"tags":[457],"class_list":["post-7725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennessee","tag-lawn-care-knoxville-tn"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/rsz_11280px-gay-street-bridge-knoxville-tn1.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Sav Maive","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/sav-maive\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7725","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\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"illustration](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/rsz_grass_zones.png\")
<\/figure> 1. Tall fescue<\/span><\/h2>
![\"Tall](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/23480915048_629a89fac4_k_800.jpg\")
Ty Haller<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/strong>\u2013 Triple-Play <\/a>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> 2. Kentucky bluegrass<\/span><\/h2>
![\"Kentucky](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/kentucky-bluegrass-yard.jpg\")
Brenda Ryan | Lawn Love<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/strong>\u2013 Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed<\/a> (3 lbs.)
\u2013 SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed<\/a> (5 lbs.)
\u2013 Jacklin Seed – Biltmore Blue Blend – 100% Kentucky Bluegrass (5 lbs.)<\/p> 3. Creeping red fescue<\/span><\/h2>
![\"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>
<\/strong>\u2013 Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed<\/a> (choose your size)
\u2013 Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed<\/a> (25 lbs.)<\/p> 4. Buffalograss<\/span><\/h2>
![\"Buffalograss\"](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/3139246071_47110d3ef9_c.jpg\")
John Tann<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>
\u2013 <\/strong>Everwilde Farms Buffalograss Seeds<\/a> (1 lb. of seeds)
\u2013 Buffalograss seed (primed)<\/a> (5-lb. bag)<\/p> 5. Bermudagrass<\/span><\/h2>
![\"Well](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Bermudagrass_couch_overseeded_800.jpg\")
Gilba Solutions Pty Ltd<\/a> | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/strong>\u2013 <\/strong>Pennington Bermudagrass Bare Spot (5 lb. bag)
\u2013 Pennington Smart Seed Bermudagrass Mix (8.75-lb. bag)
\u2013 Scotts Turf Builder Bermudagrass<\/a> (10-lb. bag)
\u2013 Hancock Seed Co. Bermudagrass<\/a> (50-lb. bag)<\/p> 6. Centipedegrass<\/span><\/h2>
![\"centipedegrass\"](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/centipedegrass.jpg\")
Pxhere<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/strong>\u2013 <\/strong>Gulf Kist Coated Centipedegrass Seeds<\/a> (1 lb.)
\u2013 Scotts EZ Seed Patch and Repair Centipedegrass<\/a> (3.75 lbs.)
\u2013 TifBlair Centipedegrass<\/a> (5-lb. bag)
\u2013 Pennington Centipedegrass and Mulch (5-lb. bag)<\/p> How to choose the best grass type for your Knoxville home<\/h2>