Grasses used in South Dakota generally consist of Kentucky bluegrass or Kentucky bluegrass mixes with fine fescue. Both bluegrass and fine fescue have exceptional cold tolerance. Native grasses are also used such as buffalo grass and blue grama grass although their growing season is very short and dormancy periods are long.

Cool-Season Grasses:
Kentucky bluegrass - Kentucky bluegrass is the most desirable turfgrass for South Dakota lawns. Bluegrass has a vigorous underground rhizome system and is capable of rapid recovery from heavy traffic. Bluegrasses are slow to germinate and establish. They are good at repairing damaged turf areas because of their ability to spread. This can be a problem when flower beds border turf areas. Bluegrasses have a moderate to high fertility requirement.

Fine fescues - Fine fescues include creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, and hard fescue. Fescues have the finest leaves of any lawn grass. They perform best in shady lawns in mixtures with shade-tolerant Kentucky bluegrasses. These grasses are excellent for overseeding poor lawns to improve turf quality. In mixtures with other grasses, they add disease resistance to the turf. Fine fescues are adapted to well-drained, infertile soils. Often they are grown on slopes and left unmowed to create a meadow effect. Their fertilization requirements are low to moderate. The creeping red fescues have a spreading or rhizomatous root system that will easily cover open soil areas to create a lawn. The chewings fescues are bunchgrasses that do not spread. They should be planted thickly enough to ensure a dense and even turf. The hard fescues are also bunch-type, make excellent turf, have extensive root systems, and are drought tolerate.

Perennial ryegrass - Turf-type perennial ryegrasses germinate and establish very rapidly. They are extremely wear tolerant, producing beautiful lawns that do not form thatch. Ryegrasses blend well with other grasses and add disease and insect resistance to bluegrass mixes. Ryegrass leaves are fibrous, requiring a sharp mower blade to avoid shredding or tearing the turf. Like Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrasses require moderate to high fertility levels. Ryegrass woudl be a small percentage of a grass seed mixture for South Dakota.

Warm-Season Grasses:
Buffalograss - These warm season stoloniferous grasses, due to their drought resistance, are becoming popular in the West, even in cool season areas. Buffalograsses are resistant to heat and drought. They are well adapted to a wide range of soils, but especially to alkaline conditions and soils of low fertility. Buffalograsses are slow to establish (1 to 3 years) and they require infrequent mowing. Like most warm season grasses, they have a short growing season (4 to 5 months) in the due to their inability to withstand cold weather. Hence, during half the year or more in South Dakota, a buffalograss lawn will be tan or brown in color.

Click Name To View Grass Seed Choice	Â	Type	Applications
Buffalo Grass - Buffalo Supreme		Warm Season	Lawns - High Drought Tolerance - Full Sun
Cool Season Mix - Showtime		Cool Season	Lawns - Full Sun to Moderate Shade Rye, Kentucky Bluegrass, Fine Fescue Mix
Cool Season Mix - Garland		Cool Season	Lawns - Full Sun to Moderate Shade Rye, Fine Fescue Mix
Fescue/Bluegrass Mix - Combat Extreme North		Cool Season	Lawns - Wear Tolerant
Fine Fescue Blend - Legacy		Cool Season	Lawns - Full Sun To Moderate Shade
Kentucky Bluegrass - Bluegrass Supreme		Cool Season	Lawns - Golf Gourses - Full Sun
Kentucky Bluegrass - Midnight		Cool Season	Lawns - Golf Courses - Full Sun
OSP Ryegrass		Cool Season	Lawns - Golf Courses
Shade Grass - Poa Supina Mix		Cool Season	Lawns - Full Sun - Deep Shade - Best Shade Grass

Legacy Fine Fescue

Fescue Blend

 

Over the centuries, fine fescues have been renowned for their survival under extreme conditions. They grow in infertile and dry soils, tolerate close mowing heights, deep shade and grow in places where turf is neglected, tortured and forgotten. In these areas, fescues endure.

• Close-Mowing
• Lawns
• Resilient

Combat Extreme Northern

Cold Weather Tolerant

 

Combat Extreme™ Northern Zone grass seed has improved germination which allows it to establish more quickly than other varieties and its lower growth habit significantly reduces the amount of top growth. It does extremely well in full sun or partial shade in USDA Zones 4 - 5. Combat Extreme™ Northern Zone grass has the addition of Kentucky Bluegrass for extra cold tolerance and turf density. Combat Extreme™ Northern Zone grass seed an excellent choice for professional or home use.

• Excellent Color
• Withstands Cold Weather
• Cost Effective

Below is the USDA Zone Map for South Dakota so you can determine which zone you reside in. Below that are our picks for your state which will do best in your area. Next on this page are tables which list various grasses and their characteristics so you can compare before you decide on your purchase. Click on the product name (ie. Midnight) for more information about that grass and to make your purchase.

USDA Zone Map For South Dakota