Kentucky bluegrass has been the traditional favorite for landscaping. It has few equals as fine textured, dense, durable and ‘soft’ grass. But there are alternate grasses that may be appropriate for landscape use. The key words are ‘may be’. No one grass is ideal for all locations. Try to select a grass suitable for its use in the landscape and for the conditions. Grasses are basically divided into sod forming or bunch grasses and into warm season or cool season grasses. Sod Forming vs. Bunch Grasses
Sod forming grasses will form a dense mat of vegetation that spreads primarily by rhizomes or stolons. They tend to have more of a ‘carpet-like’ texture and recover from injury more quickly than bunch grasses. Bunch grasses, as the name implies, tend to grow in discrete bunches. They tend to spread more by vegetative growth or new growth from seed. They are generally slower to recover from injury but can still be tolerant of wear and traffic. If over-seeded, they can also have a ‘carpet-like’ appearance.Cool Season vs. Warm Season Grasses
Cool season grasses are quicker to green up in the spring, and they stay green longer in the fall. They tend to go dormant during hot weather and are generally more shade tolerant than warm season grasses. Kentucky bluegrass is the best known example of a cool season grass. Warm season grasses are slower to green up and go dormant at the first frost. Buffalo and blue grama grass are good examples of warm season grasses. Drought Resistance and Water Efficiency
Finally, we need to distinguish between drought resistance or tolerance and water efficiency. They are not the same thing. A drought resistant or drought tolerant grass may require less supplemental water (applied less frequently) because it has more extensive roots and is able to extract water from a wider soil profile. The total soil moisture available for plant use may be greater but the plant is not necessarily more water efficient. Its total water use may be as high or higher than a grass with less extensive roots. Water use can vary tremendously for the same genus and species; the cultural conditions are often the determining factor. Field studies have shown that if bluegrass is grown on a base of properly prepared soil and is irrigated appropriately, it will perform well with one half of the recommended rate of supplemental irrigation.Grass Varieties for Lawn Areas
Kentucky bluegrass is a high quality, sod forming, cool season, shallow-rooted grass with excellent appearance and recuperative potential. It may require frequent irrigation, tends to form thatch and is somewhat disease and insect prone. Tall fescues are bunching, cool season, deep-rooted grasses that may be more drought resistant. They have few insect or disease problems, are slow to form thatch, and do well in shade. They are slow to recover from divoting, can become clumpy if not carefully established, require more frequent mowing, and are usually not available in pure sod form. Perennial ryegrasses are bunching cool season grasses that are compatible in appearance with bluegrass, do not form thatch, have good heat tolerance and may be drought resistant. They tend to be disease prone and offer poor freezing tolerance if flooded or exposed to wind. Fine fescues are divided into Chewing fescues, Hard fescues, Red fescues and Sheep fescues. For our purposes they are all grouped together. They are bunching cool season grasses, have a fine leaf texture, offer good shade and cold tolerance, and will adapt to poor soil conditions and fertility. They are not heat tolerant, are susceptible to diseases, can become thatchy, and are difficult to mow. Buffalograss is a sod forming, warm season, native grass that is extremely drought resistant. It is low growing and attractive in appearance with few disease and insect problems. Sound too good to be true? It is. We may be a little too high and have too short of a growing season for buffalograss to thrive. But if you have a warm, south facing location with heavy soil, it is well worth trying. It has the ability to go dormant under drought stress and then to quickly green up and resume growth once moisture becomes available. Native grass seed is expensive; buy only certified and treated seed. A few types are available as sod or plugs. Blue grama is the dominant native grass that is optimally adapted to our area. It is a bunching, warm season grass with a fine texture. It can be somewhat sod forming if mowed occasionally to a three-inch height. It has excellent heat and drought resistance. Like Buffalograss, it is green only during the warm part of the year and shares the ability to recover quickly from drought stress. It is slow to germinate and establish, so it has limited applications for ‘quick’ lawns. It may well be the grass of choice for a truly water efficient turf area. Western wheatgrass is a native semi-sod forming, cool season grass that tends to have a spreading growth habit if mowed occasionally to a three-inch height. It has good drought tolerance and is best adapted to heavier soils. It has a different appearance from other turf grasses since the leaf colors range from blue and blue-gray to green. It will tolerate both acidic and alkaline soils. Crested wheatgrass and smooth bromegrass are two other grasses that might have applications for the home landscape; however they are coarser grasses that usually will not form a tight sod and lack the density desirable for lawn areas. The Natural Resources Management Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) has developed dryland, range type and grass mixes suitable for sandy foothills and clay foothill applications. Summary
Bluegrass, the fescues and the perennial ryegrasses are cool season grasses that are relatively water intensive. The selection of a grass from this group should be based on factors other than water conservation. Buffalograss, blue grama and western wheatgrass can offer significant savings in water use.The basic consideration should be this:
Does a lawn area serve a purpose or function in the landscape?
If it's to be a play area with heavy traffic, then bluegrass or tall fescues would be good choices.
If it's to be a low traffic area, blue grama or fine fescues may be better options.
If no purpose is served, consider mulching or other plantings that require less water. The real choice for water conservation is to limit lawn areas to those that are needed, not to find alternate grasses. | 
