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I just purchased a house in climate zone 6a (Ohio), and I'm trying to figure out what type of grass I have - so that I can accordingly fix my lawn.

Here are some pictures:

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I want to be 100% sure I have the right type because looking at examples... a few look similar to one another.

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Identifying grass is one of the toughest ID's to do for plants. Need the flowers and microscope and AWLs or close ups of the stems.

You have a cool season grass, thank goodness. Ohio, all lawns would be a mix of cool season grasses. You can find seed at your local sod company. 'Professional's Choice' is excellent if you have it available.

Cool season lawns are a mix of grasses. Kentucky blue, fescues...your lawn btw looks great in the pictures as a crop. What have you been doing for maintenance? Fertilizer? Aeration?

Mow no lower than 3". Ever. 3 1/2 inches is best. Aeration, pulling plugs out of the lawn, allowing them to disintegrate where they fall has to be once per year. Watering has to be deep (4 - 6" deep) and then you have to allow that soil to dry before watering again. The best trick is to walk on your lawn and if your footprints stay visible, that is the time to water and water again deeply. Don't water until those blades of grass stay down when stepped on.

I see a few spots but if you simply raked those spots clear of debris right down to the soil, you could then over seed a little using the correct grass seed choice. All the lawns where you live have the same species mix of grasses. You need to find a mix that says, "Zero Weed Seed" on the seed ingredient label. Do not use a seed mix from Home Depot or Lowes unless you talk to their garden aisle manager. If the label says, "Professional's Choice"...that is perfect. Zero weed seed.

You should get a couple of pH tests of the soil of your lawn. You should have a great gas powered Hydraulic non-push mower. With an extra set of sharpened blades. The other important machine is a blower. Gas powered, Stihl blower. Back pack is best. And one other critical machine is a gas powered line trimmer, Stihl. I've tested all the brands and Stihl is still the bestus. Honda makes a great mower. Make sure your mower can be raised to 3" cut. Or you will have to have a lawn equipment fix it company do a custom raise. If you want to have the least amount of work, the healthiest lawn with the least amount of work, you have to cut that grass high. It looks as if it has been cut high, and that is so important for these cool season grasses. They have huge root systems, genetically. If the top growth, the food making factories is too short, too wimpy to make food to feed these roots, your grass will be out competed by weeds.

Watering deeply and allowing the soil to dry in between waterings kills any weed seed trying to germinate. The height of the grass shades the weed seeds effectively. Just proper management easily eliminates weeds, promotes a yummy grass grass crop.

Ohio lawn care

This information is lacking, if you want to add or replace your lawn, please come back to get better information. But this article tells you the 4 or 5 types of species you will find in any lawn in your state.

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  • Wow! It's the 2nd year taking care of my own lawn and I have tons of great notes now! I had it aerated last spring when we moved in, but the prior owner was meticulous about his yard. We have hard clay and a lot of shade so that's 70% of the yard is like the photos but the rest I have to fill in better (standing water when it rains, little sunlight areas, etc). Also, have a gas backpack and tiller... half the property is landscaped with groundcover plants so the blower was necessary. Had an electric but gave up quick. So you're saying it's hard to identify because it is a mixture of grasses?
    – justiceorjustus
    May 3, 2018 at 13:19
  • I'm going to look for that seed and do overseeding and possibly tilling some very bare, clay areas with some gypsum, better soil, and fertilizer where water tends to pool. Thanks!
    – justiceorjustus
    May 3, 2018 at 13:24
  • Tilling lawn soil beds is not a good thing. Grasses need great soil/seed to germinate seed so a roller to compact newly disturbed soils meant for a lawn bed is critical when installing a new lawn. 70% shade? Clay is great soil for lawns. But 70% shade means that your mixture of grasses has changed to mostly the fescues, those can deal with some shade. The other sunlight hungry grasses such as Kentucky will simply die off. If the fescues are unable to cover the bare area then you will have moss. Moss doesn't kill grass it simply takes over moist, shady bare soils. Don't use gypsum.
    – stormy
    May 3, 2018 at 22:06
  • ...do not fertilize the wet areas. You should cut the fertilizer in half for the grasses in shade, however. I would love to see a pic of your entire lawn. Good for you to aerate last year. Check out Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer or one of its peers. I don't expect miracles in gardening but when I started to use this particular fertilizer, extended release...comes with thatch eating bacteria...and other beneficials, just flat out blew me away. Takes longer to notice that is a good thing, lasts longer as well. 2 or 3 applications versus 4. Trying to grow lawns in shade is nuts, honest.
    – stormy
    May 3, 2018 at 22:11
  • You need an extra set of blades and use sharp blades every time you mow. I got a little OCD about that because I had a lot of acres of lawns to be responsible for and dull blades make a gorgeous lawn look 'dusty', opens avenues for disease. Send a few more pictures. After half a century of getting to know this creature/monster called a lawn, I think I know a thing or two, grins!!
    – stormy
    May 3, 2018 at 22:14

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