Should I Pick Bermuda Grass or Zoysia Grass Sod?

People call us asking if Bermuda grass or Zoysia grass would be the best choice for their lawn project. In this video, Michael talks about the differences between Zoysia grass sod and Bermuda grass sod and the factors you should consider in selecting between them for Houston lawn projects.

Should You Pick Bermuda Grass or Zoysia Grass for your Project

Summary of the Pick Bermuda Grass or Zoysia Grass Video

The Palisades Zoysia pallets I ordered came freshly cut and bright green. I followed Michael’s advice of watering 2 inches the day the grass was installed and half an inch per day after that. One week later the grass is taking root and looks beautiful. I am a builder and we have been using Zoysia for over 5 years and this is by far the highest quality sod we have had the pleasure to use.

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ALEX COLLINS BLACKSTONE HOMES

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Should I pick Bermuda grass or Zoysia grass? There is a lot of difference between these two types of grass. Bermuda grass, in my opinion doesn’t really have a place in a homeowners’ yard.

Bermuda Grass Requires Full Sun

The main reason that Bermuda grass is used in homeowners’ yards is that it has excellent drought tolerance. That information is out there and it’s absolutely true. But, the biggest disadvantage of Bermuda grass is that it needs 100% sunlight. That means anywhere grass is close to a fence or where the sun rises or falls at the wrong direction the grass will die off. If Bermuda grass is too close to the house or an overhang or there is a tree in the yard, the grass will eventually disappear. Anywhere Bermuda grass gets underneath those shadier areas it’s going to start to disappear and thin out and be really, really ugly.

Click for easy ways to determine how much sun your lawn gets.

Bermuda grass has its place, but unless it’s in a wide open area I don’t believe that it works well in most peoples’ yards. It is also harder to make it look good without specialized mowers. It requires more frequent mowings and more frequent fertilizations to look its best.

When should someone pick Bermuda grass over Zoysia grass? I would say that one of the big differences between Zoysia grass sod and Bermuda grass sod is that Zoysia grass grows very slowly — that’s just its growth habit. The reason they use Bermuda grass on sports fields is because it recovers very rapidly. They use it on football fields and out on the golf courses because it grows back out of the dirt and fixes those torn up spots very readily. The Zoysia grass would not do that.

If you’re not needing the fast recover or repair time, your choice between Bermuda grass or Zoysia grass would be mainly based on aesthetics. I would say that in most cases, at least for a homeowner, Zoysia grass would be the one that’s more aesthetically pleasing. But if you do need that fast recuperation period, whether it’s because of people traffic or dog traffic, or something like that, a Bermuda grass would probably make more sense in a scenario like that.

I think when people are looking for Bermuda grass, a lot of times they’re looking for a lower maintenance grass. In my opinion that’s not what you get when you install Bermuda grass for a house lawn.

Some HOAs Require Bermuda Grass

We talked to a lot of people, that have bought houses in a neighborhood where Bermuda grass was installed in the whole neighborhood. They are required to have Bermuda grass in the front yard and a lot of them are very put out with the fact and they are having lots of problems with it

If you are picking between Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass, I would say Zoysia, if you have the freedom to make the choice, and the HOA is not telling you what you have to do.

Comparison of the grass blade size of Bermuda Grass and Palisades Zoysia Grass

For Most People, Zoysia Grass is the Better Choice

If someone asks, “would you put Bermuda grass or Zoysia grass in your yard,” I’m putting Zoysia every time. Zoysia is more expensive in all cases than the Bermuda. It is more expensive than the St. Augustine’s that we have. But if that is not a determining factor and nobody is telling you what you have to put in there, the Zoysia grass wins every time.

The Palisades Zoysia is a hands-down choice if you’ve got plenty of sunlight (six to seven hours of direct sunlight each day). And then the Cavalier Zoysia and Emerald Zoysia that we carry are the two fine-bladed Zoysia varieties. If you got some shade to contend with, they can handle that pretty well (they can do well with four to five hours of direct sunlight each day).

In summary I’d pick Zoysia grass, I love the Palisades Zoysia. It looks really nice. It’s probably one of the prettiest grasses, maybe the prettiest grass, that we sell. It’s also fairly easy to take care of.

Houston Grass Delivers Quality Direct from Our Family Farm

Houston Grass carries two varieties of St. Augustine grass sod, two varieties of Bermuda grass sod, and three varieties of Zoysia grass sod.  Everything we sell is top quality and freshly cut.  Please contact us for a quote on your next project, whether it’s a few pieces of St. Augustine grass or an 18 wheeler full of Zoysia grass pallets, we can provide you with top quality grass at a great price! Our grass comes from our family farm outside of Bay City, Texas, where we’ve been in the grass business since 1981.

Houston Grass is located in Arcola, TX, a few miles east of Sienna Plantation near the intersection of Highway 6 and FM 521. We’re on McKeever Road, just off Highway 6. You can pick up fresh cut grass sod at our office or you can arrange delivery to your project area anywhere in the Metro Houston area. We can also arrange for professional installation.  Please call us at 281-431-7441 for more information about choosing the ideal grass for your project and quick quotes too.