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Photos:: Lawns: Best warm-season grasses for drought conditions

Jim Baird, turfgrass specialist at UC Riverside, displays grasses he is studying for drought tolerance.

Jim Baird, turfgrass specialist at UC Riverside, displays grasses he is studying for drought tolerance.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Turfgrass experts agree that warm-season types, which need 20% less water than cool-season grasses, are the best bet for California’s drought conditions. Here are some of the best.

Bermudas

Bermudas
‘Bandera,’ ‘Bull’s Eye,’ ‘Princess-77,’ ‘Santa Ana,’ ‘Tifway’
Features: Best overall warm-season grass for California; high traffic tolerance; needs sun; recuperates well; very good drought and salt tolerance; available in sod, sprigs or seed. ‘Bandera’ and ‘Santa Ana’ do well along the coast; ‘Bandera’ offers better shade tolerance among the Bermudas; ‘Princess-77’ available in seed.
Downside: Very aggressive growth.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Seashore Paspalum

Seashore Paspalum
‘Platinum TE,’ ‘Sea Spray’
Features: High traffic tolerance; shorter dormancy period; stays green nine months or longer; extreme salt tolerance -- can take pure salt water, a plus for those using gray water, which can have a high salt content; also does well in clay; good for the coast. ‘Sea Spray’ available in seed.
Downside: Higher water requirement than the Bermudas.
  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

St. Augustine

St. Augustine
‘Palmetto,’ ‘Sunclipse’
Features: High traffic tolerance; great shade tolerance; recuperates well and repairs quickly; great lawn for dogs.
Downside: Coarse texture because of wide leaf blades.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Zoysia 'De Anza'

Zoysia
‘De Anza’
Features: Good traffic tolerance; some shade tolerance. ‘De Anza’ was developed for improved color retention.
Downside: Slow to establish by seed, so sod is better; slow to repair.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Kikuyu 'Whittet'

Kikuyu
‘Whittet’
Features: High traffic tolerance; heat and drought tolerant; best color retention of the warm-season grasses; good for the coast; resembles St. Augustine.
Downside: Very aggressive and invasive.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Buffalo grass

Buffalo grass
‘UC Verde’
Features: Very low water needs; can survive in extreme drought conditions; low fertilizer needs; reduced or no mowing required. Meadowlike, rather than a manicured look, when unmowed.
Downside: Longer winter dormancy period inland (also goes dormant in extreme drought in summer).   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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