Do you want a gorgeous lawn? Then you should definitely get fast-growing grass to always keep your yard looking green and lush.
What is the fastest growing grass in the world? Read on as we get to the bottom of this.
What is the Fastest Growing Grass in the World?
The fastest-growing warm-season grass is Bermuda Grass. In the right conditions, it can germinate in a week or two and you can have a lush lawn in three to four months. The fastest-growing cold season grass is Ryegrass. It can germinate in anything from five days and then grows quickly within the first month.
Why Should You Choose Grass that Grows Fast?
A lawn could certainly upgrade the overall look of your property. However, if the lawn is filled with patches, then there will be no aesthetic upgrade.
If you have a fast-growing grass, though, you will be assured of having a green and lush yard throughout the year, or at least, as close to a year as possible.
Look
Don’t be discouraged that you have to mow the grass more often if it grows really fast. Mowing the lawn is part of the reason why the grass will look so good.
Think of mowing as your sweat equity to have a really vibrant lawn.
It’s not just about aesthetics
Having a lawn is also good for you. Remember that plants provide oxygen, and grass is certainly a type of plant.
Also, the grass will trap carbon dioxide to keep air cleaner. It also traps dust so that you will have purified air to breathe.
What else?
Grass will slow down runoff water and prevent clogging, or worse, flooding.
Grass will also keep the soil structure less compact. Compacted soil will prevent water from seeping under.
Meanwhile
If you keep it loose with the grass, the water will penetrate the ground and reach the roots of the grass. It’s like a cycle.
Here’s another fun fact
Lawns actually reduce noise pollution. When you have a hard ground, like cement or similar components, noise from vehicles and people will bounce off the hard surface.
However, the lawn will absorb the sound because grass serves as some sort of blanket or insulation.
And my favorite:
A really nice lawn can be a place where people hang out. A healthy grass is comfortable to sit on.
Even better, the entire family and some friends could even play some games or sports on the grass.
Healthy grass can actually be so much fun!
Important note:
If you want a healthy lawn, you should find some fast-growing grass.
Fast Growing Grasses
You would be surprised by the answer: bamboo!
Yep! Bamboo is a type of grass. It is considered one of the fastest-growing plants in the world–generally speaking.
Specifically
It is also considered the fastest-growing grass in the world. Some species of bamboo could grow as much as 36 inches in just one day.
That’s around 1.5 inches in just one hour.
Bamboo is also the largest type of grass in the world.
Okay, we’re talking about lawns
It was just worth mentioning that bamboo is the fastest-growing grass in the world. But since we are really tackling grass for lawns, let’s talk about some of the fastest-growing grasses in the world.
Before that
It’s actually quite hard to determine the fastest-growing lawn grass in the world. This is because of the different environmental situations and the different climates.
Different regions have different environmental circumstances that will also affect which grass type would grow faster.
What are these?
There are natural components that you can’t control like the type of soil you have and the weather. But there are also those that you can control:
- Do you water the lawn appropriately?
- Do you mow the lawn regularly?
- Do you aerate the soil?
- How often do you fertilize?
All these have an effect on how fast the grass grows.
Now, before we answer which among the types of grass lawn grows the fastests, let’s look at six fast-growing grasses:
Warm-season grasses
Bermuda
Bermuda grass is not actually a native of the Bermuda territory, although it is still prevalent in the area. That’s also because this type of grass is popular in most regions of the world.
Descriptions:
- It has short and flat leaves.
- Four to five slender spikes grow in one upright stem.
- The grass can grow between four and 16 inches.
- It has a deep root system with the roots growing as much as two meters.
- Bermuda has over hundreds of cultivars cultivated specifically for region-based tolerance.
How fast does it grow?
It’s called devil grass for a reason. While bermuda is a popular lawn grass, it can sometimes be considered a type of weed for its invasive nature.
When the weather is ideal (warm), bermuda seeds can germinate in a week or two. You can have fully lush grass in three to four months.
Notable characteristic:
Aside from the fact that it grows quite fast, bermuda is also resilient and tough. It can survive extreme heat and drought.
It can also recuperate easily from damage. This makes it good for areas with heavy foot traffic like sports fields.
St. Augustine
This is a popular grass in a pasture or in a ranch but it’s actually also pretty good as a lawn grass. You can also see it in marshes and shorelines.
Descriptions:
- It has dark leaves with broad and flat leaves.
- It spreads through its above-ground stolons.
- This is at its most vibrant in the summer as it turns brown in the fall and is slow to turn to green during spring.
- Among the warm-season grasses, this is the more cold-intolerant one.
How fast does it grow?
It’s actually best to plant grass plugs when it comes to St. Augustine. It would take between four and 14 days before the stolons started spreading.
For a regular-sized lawn, it would take more than a year before you can enjoy a lush St. Augustine grass lawn.
Notable characteristic:
If you want to truly maximize the growing process, you should plant St. Augustine grass during the summer. In the early days of growth, you have to water it multiple times a day.
You can reduce the water once the roots have been established.
Zoysia
This is a popular grass for golf courses because of its resilience to foot traffic and tolerance to extreme heat and rainwater.
Descriptions:
- It has a fine texture and is soft to the touch.
- It maintains a light to medium green color for much longer than any other warm-season grasses even when the season turns a bit colder.
- This is among the most resilient grass types and it will grow dense despite minimum care input.
- There have been a number of cultivars of zoysia grass to be even more resilient with temperature change.
- It also helps prevent soil erosion.
How fast does it grow?
When you plant zoysia grass at its appropriate time, then you can expect germination within two to three weeks. It would actually take years to have a fully lush lawn–between two and three years.
The wait is worth it because zoysia grass doesn’t need a lot of care to maintain its lushness.
Notable characteristic:
Zoysia grass grows so dense that few lawn weeds would creep over it. It’s really like a carpet on your feet.
Cold-season grasses
Ryegrass
This is a favored type of grass that can be seeded over a warm-season lawn so that when the latter goes brown in the winter, the ryegrass grows in its place.
This way, one can enjoy a green and lush lawn the whole year.
Descriptions:
- It has dark green leaves that are also smooth and glossy.
- The upper surface has parallel veins.
- It is also known to stabilize soil as it can prevent erosion.
- The perennial ryegrass is popular for pastures.
How fast does it grow?
Annual ryegrass can germinate in five to 10 days while the perennial one is faster at five to seven days. Aside from fast germination, it also has a speedy seedling growth.
After the germination period, you can expect grass growth within a month to a month and a half.
Notable characteristic:
Growth slows down in ryegrass as soon as it has been established. At least, you don’t have to mow the ryegrass lawn regularly.
Kentucky Bluegrass
This name has a lot of contradictions. For one, Kentucky bluegrass is always green. Two, this type of grass is actually a native of Europe.
Should be called European greengrass, right? Lol
You have to know, this is actually the most popular planting grass in the U.S.
Descriptions:
- It has boat-shaped tips with a narrowly linear structure.
- It has short ligules.
- There are a number of insects that feed on this grass.
- It is known for its winter hardness.
- It can repair itself with efficiency.
How fast does it grow?
The seed germinates within two weeks. When it begins to take root, then you can expect the growth to be faster. You have to water it regularly to achieve speedy growth.
The lawn could be completely filled out within four months, as long as proper care has been employed.
Notable characteristic:
Kentucky bluegrass is the grass of choice for Lambeau Field in Wisconsin, the home of the Green Bay Packers.
Bentgrass
It is sometimes referred to as an interfering weed. However, in cool regions, this is a great lawn grass as it requires cool temperatures in order to flourish.
It got its name from its shallow roots, which is known to bend just below the surface.
Descriptions:
- It has flat blades and slim stems.
- While it can be used independently, for golf courses, bentgrass is usually mixed with another seed.
- It is a resilient type of lawn grass that could withstand heavy foot traffic.
- It can be a low-maintenance lawn grass when grown in cool regions.
How fast does it grow?
The seed can germinate within a week or over two weeks. If you are in cooler regions, it can germinate in just over a week as bentgrass prefers to have cool nighttime temperatures.
You can already expect fully grown grass within a month.
Notable characteristic:
This is great for putting greens because of its tolerance for low mowing, which is exactly what golf courses need. It’s shade of green is also very attractive.
The Answer
So, back to the question: What is the fastest-growing grass in the world?
As mentioned, it’s hard to determine because of the many factors that affect it. That’s why we have further qualified it into the following:
Fastest-growing warm-season grass:
BERMUDA GRASS.
It can spread above the ground and below the ground through its above-ground stems known as stolons and the below-ground stems called rhizomes. It can retain its beautiful green color even with minimal water.
Fastest-growing cold-season grass:
RYEGRASS.
With its fine blades, ryegrass is known to form a lush green lawn even during the coldest winter months. It’s very quick to grow but goes dormant in the summer.
Summary
What is the fastest growing grass in the world? The correct answer is bamboo! Not the answer that you were expecting, right?
But if we’re talking about lawn grasses, the answer is also dependent on the region and the climate. There are grasses that grow best when there’s plenty of sunlight, while others prefer a cooler temperature.
Among the fastest-growing warm-season grasses are bermuda, St. Augustine, and zoysia. On the other hand, the fastest-growing cold-season grasses are ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and bentgrass.
Useful Resources
- Is Bluegrass Really Blue? – Wonderopolis
- The Best Grass Types for Your Most Luscious Lawn Ever – Country Living
- 21 of the Best Ornamental Grasses to Add Unbeatable Texture to Your Garden – Better Homes & Gardens
