California Lawn Grass Types (most common sods in California)

The Most Common Grass Types in California

Hello everyone, my name is George, and I’m the CEO of Sod and Seed, Inc. Let’s talk grass for a minute, more specifically, about California grass types. Too many times, people are stuck with big department store sod that has been held in stock and sitting at the store for days on end. This is where Sod and Seed, Inc. comes in. Sod and Seed, Inc. was created to fill that gap in the industry. We strive to help educate customers about the different types of grass, which one is best for their lawn, and then delivering that grass type fresh from the farm. Most customers do not realize that there are different blends to suit different needs, as we will soon cover. I will keep it short and sweet. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below or send us a message.

Climate Conditions for Lawns in California

California has a diverse climate for lawns. However, Sod and Seed, Inc. knows not one type of sod fits all needs. Instead, we take the time to talk about your lawn. We may ask a few questions to better understand the conditions the grass will be in. Then, we can make a more informed and educated recommendation about the grass type that will best suit your conditions. In California, our geographical location and moderate climate allows for a diversity of landscapes and conditions. Even within each region, climate can vastly differ. For example, San Francisco and Concord are only 30 miles apart, but their climate is vastly different. Or say, the difference in climate between NorCal, the Bay Area, Central California (The Central Valley) and SoCal. Fort this reason, we cannot make one blanket recommendation for all of our customers. We care about the health and longevity of our products, and will work with you to ensure this. 

Native Lawns in California

Our most popular native lawn option is Frog Fruit. Frog fruit is sought after for many reasons, but two are most important. Firstly, Frog fruit is highly drought tolerant. Secondly, frog fruit never has to be mowed. Frog fruit grows laterally, making it a low growing ground cover that resembles grass. Frog fruit also blooms miniature white flowers twice annually, giving it a unique aesthetic. Frog fruit is a perfect option for California because it has high heat and drought tolerance for our hotter days, and tolerate some shade and cooler temperatures for the less warm climate of California. 

Fescues, Our Most Popular Grass Types in California.

Our most popular blends in California currently are hybrid tall fescues. Our best-selling sod is our Delta Tall 9010, and here’s why. Hybrid tall fescues have deeper rooting systems, which give them many benefits. A deeper rooting system will help hybrid tall fescues fast recovery rates from wear and tear. Today, lots of homeowners look for a safe environment for their children to play on, which may require a grass type that can better recover from wear and tear damage. In addition to that, more and more people are now enjoying family pets. It’s hard to find a blend that can hold up to pet-related factors such as dog urine. However, our Delta Tile 9010 will be the grass type that will do the best out of all of our sods, filtering out the high pH in dog urine. Please note, this does not mean our Delta Tall 9010 is dog-proof. In fact, no sod is dog-proof. We can only speak to sod blends that are better equipped for certain conditions, such as pets. 

Grass Types for Shade in California

Although California is known as the "sunshine state", there are plenty of cities with a dense tree landscape, causing shadows and posing a need of grass types for shade. If you have an area that’s both sun and shade, remember you need at least 50% sun for any sod to thrive. We recommend any grass type receive at least 6 hours of sun per day. For areas that are mixed sun and shade with pets or heavy foot traffic, we recommend our special Shade Blend. Our Shade Blend is a mixture of hybrid tall fescue and fine fescues. The shade-loving fine fescues help give this hybrid tall fescue durability in areas that don’t see full sunlight.

Bluegrass and Ryegrass Type Mixes for California

If you have a small lawn, watering is not your concern and would rather have a softer textured grass type, we offer many Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass blends that may suit these needs. We have many options for our Blue Rye mixtures, and mixes with both types are bestsellers. Our most popular Blue Rye is our Delta Bluegrass Ryegrass Mix 50-50. These are great for homes with young children due to their soft texture and the slow growth pattern. Bluegrass and Rye grass do less well with pets and dog urine. They require regular watering, every other day, and while they do grow slower, they are more delicate to wear and tear. Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Rye both have a great aesthetic look to them. If you are selling a home, these would make the picture-perfect lawn. We provide 100% Kentucky Bluegrass and this will give you the best visual look due to the shiny side of a bluegrass blade. We also have 100% Ryegrass, which has a lighter texture or color, and is a little softer than Kentucky Bluegrass. Both these types of grass are winter grasses, therefore, stay green year-round. The options that are a mixture of these two types of grass work together to increase disease resistance and drought tolerance. We also offer an 80-20 Rye Blue option, meaning it is 80% perennial ryegrass and 20% Kentucky bluegrass. These mixtures are all fine-textured, slow-growing, and soft to the touch, making them a favorite for young children! However, this delicate texture does make them too delicate for dogs larger than 20 pounds or female dogs who spot.

Bermuda Grass Types for California

Bermuda grass types are another option for California lawns, such as the Latitude 36 Bermuda. Bermudas do go dormant towards the end of fall and then come back in the spring time. This is why they are great alternatives for people who want to save water during the time most of us aren’t active around our lawns. During their dormancy period on the winter, Bermuda's turn brown but do not die. We have gotten so many calls from customers thinking their Bermuda lawn has died, but it is likely just dormant during this time. One option for Bermuda lawns is to over-seed them with rye seed seasonally to keep the lawn green with rye grass while the bermuda is dormant. Or, you can just leave it as is until temperatures begin rising into the 70s and 80s and the bermuda grass comes back. Bermudas are fascinating for the fact that they repair themselves and do not need seeding for damaged areas. They can be cut lower than other grass types and are used in many sporting applications such as golf, football,  baseball and even in the Olympics many large soccer fields are a mixture of Bermuda and ryegrass. With choosing your lawn, if you want something you could cut low with low maintenance, this is a sub for you. Please be aware that without Borders, this lawn will keep expanding and will need edging seasonally. CLICK HERE to check out our blog, "5 Things You Should Know About the Best Bermuda Grass for California" for more information on CA bermudagrasses. 

Bentgrass in California

Bentgrass is a wildly popular grass for golfers in California. It is important to note that a standard lawnmower will destroy this sod, and it should be cut with a particular mower. We have our Native Bentgrass option and our Pure Distinction Creeping Bentgrass. Note that other types of Bentgrass can withstand regular mowing and be grown up to 24 inches. It is also key to note this sod tends to be higher maintenance than some of our other selections. 

If you didn't know, now you are informed of the many types of grass and the best types of grass in California. Sod and Seed, Inc. proudly offers you the largest selection of lawns in California, and the support needed to choose the turf type that will best suit your needs. Which grass type would match your lawn? We hope one of our bestsellers works for your California lawn, and if not, we have plenty more options. We hope to hear from you soon.  

Thank you for reading, 

George

CEO