Hi, northeast (Boston) relatively new homeowner. My grass is nice and green in the summer but turns this bright yellow in the late fall/winter. It is much brighter yellow than other lawns in my area which are the usual mix of yellow and green or all green.
It seems to be some other type of grass as it's got sort of a vine on it when I pull it up.
Any advice?
by toastboy15
6 Comments
Are you serious?
*sigh*. Ok. So the Earth’s axis is tilted from its plane of orbit around the sun…
You have a species Bermuda grass. Drought resistant but cold intolerant..it practically takes care of itself. It goes into dormancy during the winter.
Your neighbors lawns, that remain lush and Green throughout the winter are some species of Fescue, or bluegrass. It’s cool weather resistant, but drought intolerant. And pricey to maintain.
So if you want an easy and generally cheaper lawn to take care of..keep your Bermuda.
If you want green grass all year round while having to fight the same weeds and trying to keep invasive grass species out(what you currently have) then I’d hire a company to pull your turf and lay down Fescue sod.
You have a warm season grass. The “vine” you are referring to is a stolon. Basically a root that spreads above ground that occasionally roots down and sprouts new grass blades along the way. This seems slightly unusual given that you live in Boston. Your neighbors all likely have cold season grasses. Kentucky bluegrass or perennial rye grass or tall fescue are all likely candidates for what they have. You can more than likely overseed with kbg or prg, and see good results in both summer and winter. But all grass will go dormant when it is too hot or too cold, some are just happier warmer or cooler relative to others.
My neighbor in south coast MA has zoysia that turns this color in winter while mine is more green (fescue/bluegrass). I think it does better during summer during drought but zoysia is considered a warm season grass which is typical of the south. Most grass up here are cool season varieties.
Thanks everyone for the helpful comments. I suspected it was a different kind of grass but the specifics are helpful to know!
Thanks again, except for two of you who seemed kind of mean. Clearly I was comparing to other houses near me, not why it turns more yellow in the winter. Oh well, I guess some people like to feel smart.