Indianapolis is home to spring art fairs, fall colors, major car races (400/500), a booming downtown, and really big lawns. Knowing the best grass types for Indianapolis will increase the odds that your yard will stay green and healthy year-round.
In fact, Indianapolis reportedly has the largest lawns in America, and Kentucky Bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue are the best grasses to keep your yard lush.
Here is a guide to the best types of grass for Indianapolis lawns:
1. Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky Bluegrass is the first grass that should be chosen and planted in the state of Indiana. This grass is explicitly grown in the colder areas of the state and considered one of the best quality turf grasses.
Kentucky Bluegrass makes a finely textured lawn, without the need to reseed, grow in damaged parts of the yard and fill-in. It’s a winter hardy grass with the newer varieties more resistant against lawn diseases. You can mix it with fine fescue to use in a shady area, but it grows best in full sun areas.
Depending on where Kentucky Bluegrass is grown it can take up to three months to begin to develop and become established. Planting in September will give you the best results.
Lawn Mowing Height: 2 to 3.75 inches
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
2. Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass is usually blended with Kentucky Bluegrass. The combination of how fast the ryegrass grows works well with the length of time the bluegrass takes to become established. It has a good tolerance for drought, is fine textured but has a little less tolerance of cold than the bluegrass does.
Lawn Mowing Height: 2 to 3.75 inches
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
3. Tall Fescue
Tall fescue is a great grass to use in a low-maintenance area where grass with a coarser texture doesn’t matter. It will grow in soil which is low in nutrients, has good tolerance to infestations of diseases and insects, and doesn’t need much maintenance.
Tall fescue does establish itself rapidly but at a slower rate than perennial ryegrass.
When fully established, tall fescue has a deep rooting system. It has outstanding tolerance for wear, tolerates drought and tends to stay green for most of the Indiana summer without extra watering.
The seedlings of tall fescue aren’t cold tolerant and most likely will die if planted late in the season. But, seedlings which are well-established and lawns which are fully developed will survive most Indiana winters.
Lawn Mowing Height: 2 to 3.75 inches
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.)
4. Fine Fescue
The types of fine fescue are red, hard and chewing fescue which are all fine-leaved turf grasses. These fescues are suited for low fertility soil, shade, soils with little moisture and soils with pH levels which are unfavorable.
Fine fescues need soil which is well-drained and a little on the dry side Fine fescues are rarely planted alone but are mixed with other cool-season turf grasses for low maintained or lawns which are shady.
The best time for you to seed your lawn is late August through early October. This is because the cooler temperatures will keep the grass seed from drying out. There’s still sufficient rain and sun to encourage new growth before the grass goes into hibernation.
The grass seed also has a better chance of establishing because weeds and crabgrass start to die off. You can also plant your lawn in the early spring, from the first part of March into mid-May because of plentiful rain and cool conditions in Indianapolis
Lawn Mowing Height: 2 to 3.75 inches
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.)
– Outsidepride Hard Fine Fescue Grass Seed (10 lbs.)
Need help choosing a grass type for your lawn? Visit our Indianapolis lawn care page to get in touch with a professional!
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Main Photo Credit: Ron and Patty Thomas / Canva Pro / License
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