Tipos de césped natural: cuáles hay y cómo escoger el mejor para tu jardín

Posted By: Manuel Gaviño In: Garden Care Comment: 0 Hit: 1466

Si tienes tu propio jardín, es probable que sueñes con tener una pradera de césped extensa, que se mantenga verde todo el año.

Pero conseguir eso no es nada fácil.

If you have a garden, you probably dream of having a large grass meadow, which keeps green throughout the year.

But achieving that is not easy.

And that’s because the grass is a plant like any other we have in our garden.

This means that there are different species, and each one is more suitable for your climate.

Besides, unlike other plants, the lawn is subject to special conditions, being a plant that we are possibly stepping on constantly.

That is why it is so important to choose a suitable type of grass.

If not, it may turn yellow or even dry out and show bald spots that force you to reseed often.

If you have doubts, keep reading, because in this post we are going to tell you what types of grass there are and what criteria to follow to choose yours.

Let's go there.

How to choose a type of natural grass for your garden

Césped. Viveros González.comPixabay

The criteria for choosing one variety of grass or another are diverse.

When we design a garden for a customer, we take into account aspects such as the type of soil it has, the time the customer has to maintain it ...

But to make the choice easier, in this post we will focus on the three aspects that we consider fundamental:

  • The climate in which you live.

  • The use that you are going to give it.

  • The amount of sun or shade you will receive.

Let's see which species is better in each case.

Types of grass according to the weather

We start by choosing a type of natural grass according to the place where you live, which is the factor of these three that we can least control.

Just as there are plants that resist heat better and others that endure colder temperatures, with grass species the same thing happens.

Lawn for hot climates

Within the different types of grass, some are better adapted to the Mediterranean and subtropical climates.

These varieties are capable of withstanding light frosts (hovering around -3º in some cases) but only for a few hours.

During the cold, these varieties go into dormancy, and their leaves often turn brown, like deciduous trees.

This is not a concern.

With the arrival of spring and the rise in temperatures, they will regain all their vigor.

The fact that they are suitable for the Mediterranean climate means that they also withstand arid conditions, periods of drought and salinity typical of coastal areas.

Its leaves are thick and wide to retain more water.

Some types of natural grass for hot climates are:

  • Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon)

  • St. Augustine grass (Stenotaprhum secundatum)

  • Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum)

  

Lawn for cold climates

We now turn to cold-resistant natural grass types.

Contrary to the previous ones, these varieties have long and very thin leaves, which grow in a more grouped way to isolate the roots from the cold.

They are much better at withstanding frost, and in fact, it is during the summer that they enter a period of dormancy.

Its ideal temperature for germination is between 15º and 24º degrees at most.

The best varieties of grass for the cold are:

  • Agrostis (Agrostis estolonifera).

  • Fescue (Festuca arundinacea).

  • Ray-Grass (Lolium perenne).

Types of natural grass according to use

Jardín con césped. Viveros González.comPixabay

Not all types of natural grass are suitable for trampling, and that is something you should keep in mind.

Some are more fragile and will only serve you for decorative purposes, in areas where there will be no transit of people.

Let's look at some types of both.

Grass for ornamental use

In this case, what we are looking for is a very fine and dense leaf variety, which creates that dense meadow feeling.

As it is not very resistant, this type of grass is not thought to be trampled often, because this would break the leaves.

Also, a possible drawback is that it requires constant maintenance.

You have to mow it every week and water it more or less frequently depending on the specific variety.

These varieties take time to germinate, but when they do, the result is spectacular.

The best types of natural grass for this purpose are these:

  • Fescue rubra.

  • Agrostis stolonifera.

  • Dichondra repens.

  • Ray-grass.

Lawn for family use

On the opposite side, we have the varieties suitable for trampling.

These are very resistant types of grass on which you can walk, put chairs and a table in summer and even play with children. Also, it requires little maintenance.

Another advantage if of these varieties if you are looking for a type of lawn for an outdoor garden is that they also resist pests very well.

Some of the toughest grass varieties are:

  • Cynodon dactylon.

  • Festuca arundinacea.

  • Poa pratensis (and in general all varieties of Poa).

  • Agrostis.

Types of natural grass according to sun exposure

Pradera de césped. Viveros González.comPixabay.

Finally, we have to take into account the hours of sunshine that they will receive.

This is closely linked to the climate in which you live. If you are in a Mediterranean area, for example, your lawn will be exposed to the sunlight for several hours (hence they have to be drought resistant species).

But remember that this can be arranged with a good garden design.

For example, if you have small grassland areas, you can protect them by providing shade with thick canopy trees.

Even so, the easiest thing is to choose a variety that adapts well to the conditions of your garden.

Let's go see them.

Natural lawn for sun

In general, this type of grass has wide leaves that support the sun well and do not dry easily.

These are the best options:

  • Canine agrostis.

  • Brazilian grass (Axonopus sp).

  • Water grass (Paspalum vaginatum).

  • Hawk (Stenotaphrum secundatum).

Natural grass for shade

Prepared to resist intense shade.

Since they are not exposed to light conditions or extreme temperatures, they are varieties that need medium-low maintenance to survive.

Among the best natural grass shade options we have:

  • Fescue rubra.

  • Sheep fescue.

  • Zoysia japonica.

  • Poa nemoralis.

  • Stenotaphum secundatum.

Can I mix several types of natural grass?

As you see, in some cases species of one type are repeated in another.

Thus, the agrostis stolonifera is both a grass suitable for cold weather and ornamental use, while the fescue rubra is suitable for both continuous trampling and keeping it in the shade.

But what happens when you want to have a garden with green grass all year round?

In these cases, it is usually to mix different varieties of natural grass whose characteristics complement each other.

These mixtures can include up to three or four varieties in different proportions, according to the criteria we have explained to you and others such as your type of soil and others.

But beware.

Mixing grass varieties successfully is a delicate process.

Unless you have a lot of knowledge, what we recommend is that this is done by a gardener or a specialized garden designer.

We can help you that the lawn of your garden is always green

You cannot just have an idea of ​​the several owners that we have helped to make decisions regarding what type of grass to use for its garden.

That is why, based on experience, we have ended up developing an intuition to know which variety or varieties of natural grass will work best in each case.

If you need help designing your garden, you can contact us and explain to us your case.

We will ensure that your garden always looks green. ;)

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