9 Types of Sod for Your Lawn and How to Choose One

There are pros and cons to laying sod to start a new lawn, as opposed to sowing seed. On the plus side, laying sod gives you an instant lawn. On the minus side, though, you pay for that immediate gratification: Sod costs more than seed. Also, don't let the quick results to be had from laying sod lull you into a false sense of security regarding the amount of work required: There is just as much preparation involved in laying sod as in sowing grass seed, and proper maintenance (mainly in the form of watering) of the sod should begin right after you have finished laying it.

Nonetheless, there are situations in which homeowners feel that they need a new lawn and need it right now (for instance, when selling a home); in those cases, sod can be a great choice, and the only question that remains is what type of sod you should choose.

How to Choose the Best Sod for Your Lawn

A number of factors come into play when deciding what's the right type of sod grass for you, including where you live, how you envision using your lawn, and your tolerance or intolerance toward challenging conditions.

Where you live usually determines whether you will want a warm-season grass or a cool-season grass. Warm-season types are generally grown in the southern part of the United States. They grow actively during the warmest periods of the year, from mid-April to mid-October. Cool-season types are generally grown in the northern part of the United States. They grow actively during periods that enjoy moderate temperatures: spring and fall.

Not everyone uses the lawn in precisely the same way. For example, if you are going to let your dog play on the lawn, that puts wear and tear on it. Dog urine can also damage a lawn. Human foot traffic, too can damage a lawn. Not every grass performs equally well when subjected to such stresses; pick a type that holds up relatively well under these conditions.

Some types of grass are more tolerant of particular challenging conditions than others. If your grass struggles to meet those challenges successfully, that will mean more lawn maintenance for you. For example, some types tolerate drought better than others. If your grass is intolerant of drought, that will mean more watering on your part. Some grasses tolerate shade better than others. If you grow a type that is intolerant of shade in a shady area of your landscape, it may perform poorly.

If you are faced with multiple challenges, you may not find a single type of grass that successfully meets each and every one of them; instead, you will have to "pick your poison" and adjust accordingly. Here are nine types of sod commonly sold.

01 of 09
Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

David Beaulieu

There are different types of ryegrass, including annual types such as Lolium multiflorum. But when selecting ryegrass sod, you will be dealing with Lolium perenne, a perennial ryegrass.

This cool-season grass has negatives both in terms of maintenance and appearance, including that it requires more water and fertilizer than many other grasses. It also forms clumps instead of spreading through stolons or rhizomes as do many other grass types, a characteristic that can lead to a patchy-looking lawn rather than a nice smooth one.

But ryegrass does hold up well to human foot traffic, dog traffic and urine.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7
- Blade Color: Pale green
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, moist, rich, with a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH
- Mature Size: 1 to 2 feet tall
02 of 09
Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis)

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A cool-season type, Kentucky bluegrass tolerates not only human foot traffic, dog traffic, and urine but also light shade. A drawback is that it needs more fertilization than do some of the other types of grass. But for those who live in the states furthest north, it makes up for this by being among the most cold-hardy of grasses. It spreads via rhizomes to form a dense mat with an attractive color.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 6
- Blade Color: Bluish
- Light: Full sun to light shade
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, fertile, with a soil pH of 6 to 7; average water needs
- Mature Size: 18 to 24 inches tall
03 of 09
Tall Fescue Grass (Festuca arundinacea)

David Beaulieu

It's easy to pick out this cool-season grass. It has wide blades that are very coarse to the touch, and the topsides are shiny. It spreads mostly by seed distribution rather than creeping. The consequent upright, clumping growth habit will be deemed awkward-looking by those looking for a lawn that is a uniform mat. But it does hold up well to human foot traffic, dog traffic, and urine.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
- Blade Color: Dark green
- Light: Full to partial sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, with an acidic to neutral pH; low water needs
- Mature Size: 4 to 12 inches tall
04 of 09
Fine Fescue (Festuca spp.)

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In contrast with tall fescue, fine fescue has narrow leaf blades, giving it a fine texture and a superior appearance to its taller cousin. There are actually a number of different types of fine fescue (all are cool-season grasses); sometimes you will get a blend of chewings fescue, two different types of creeping red fescue, hard fescue, and sheep fescue.

Fine fescue may be most valued for its tolerance to shade. But it is also drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant (making it suitable to seacoast communities). All in all, it is superb as a low-maintenance type of grass, including the fact that it does not require much fertilization. But it does not hold up to traffic, either from dogs or people, very well.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 7
- Blade Color: Dark green
- Light: Partial shade
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, with a neutral soil pH; average water needs, low fertility needs
- Mature Size: 8 to 12 inches tall
Continue to 5 of 9 below.
05 of 09
St. Augustine Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum)

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This warm-season grass has a low, creeping habit that permits it to form dense mats. It spreads via stolons. The grass blades are wide and flat. St. Augustine grass is salt-tolerant, so it is an ideal choice for people who live along the ocean. It is also an ideal choice for Southerners with shady spots in the yard, as St. Augustine is the most shade-tolerant of the warm-season grasses.

Another selling point of St. Augustine grass is that you don't have to mow it much, a quality that you will appreciate if you value low maintenance. But it certainly isn't without maintenance altogether: It performs best with adequate irrigation and fertilization.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 12
- Blade Color: Bluish-green
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, with a soil pH of 6 to 7.5; moderately low water needs
- Mature Size: 6 to 12 inches tall
06 of 09
Zoysia Grass (Zoysia japonica)

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Zoysia grass spreads by stolons and rhizomes to form a dense mat. In fact, a drawback is that it can spread too freely, thereby invading adjacent flower beds. It also tends to produce heavy thatch, which you will have to correct to keep your lawn healthy.

But this warm-season grass withstands human foot traffic, dog traffic, and urine well, and it is reasonably drought-tolerant.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 10
- Blade Color: Medium green
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, with a soil pH of 6 to 6.5; low to medium water needs, average fertility needs
- Mature Size: 9 inches tall
07 of 09
Centipede Grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides)

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This warm-season grass does not hold up particularly well to human foot traffic, dog traffic, and urine. But it does tolerate acidic soil. Nor does it require a great deal of fertilization or irrigation; indeed, it is valued most for its low maintenance. It spreads via stolons to form a thick mat that keeps the weeds down, which also reduces lawn maintenance.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 10
- Blade Color: Light green
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, with a soil pH of 5 to 6; average water needs, low fertility needs
- Mature Size: 5 inches tall
08 of 09
Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon)

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This warm-season grass, which spreads by means of stolons and rhizomes, is known for its vigor. But vigor can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Bermuda grass holds up well to human foot traffic, dog traffic, and urine, and it displays excellent drought tolerance and salt tolerance. On the other hand, it requires frequent mowing, and its aggressive growth rate makes it challenging to contain, both of which add to your lawn maintenance.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 10
- Blade Color: Medium green
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, with a soil pH of 6.5 to 8; low water needs, but requires regular feeding
- Mature Size: 15 to 24 inches
Continue to 9 of 9 below.
09 of 09
Bahia Grass (Paspalum notatum)

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This warm-season grass is great for soils that are low in fertility, as it actually prefers such soils. This also means you save money on fertilizers. It is also an ideal choice if you have acidic ground and you don't want to bother having to raise the soil pH. Bahia grass is drought tolerant, too. It holds up moderately well to human foot traffic, dog traffic, and urine. Finally, although it spreads via stolons, it isn't as aggressive a spreader as some of the other stoloniferous grasses, making it easier to keep it out of your garden beds.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 11
- Blade Color: Vibrant green
- Light: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained ground, that is sandy and of poor fertility, with an acidic soil pH; low water needs
- Mature Size: 8 to 30 inches tall