Common Bermuda Grass -- Common bermuda grass is light green in color and has a coarse texture. It establishes fairly rapidly and is competitive against weeds. Common bermuda grass is tolerant of heat, poor soils, alkalinity, salt and heavy traffic. It is fairly tolerant to dry conditions. Insect and disease resistance are generally good. It needs full sun for best performance and spreads rapidly.

Common bermuda grass is often planted in seed mixes with bahia grass for road sides or eroding sites. It should be seeded at a rate of 80 pounds/acre. The optimum time for planting is during the rainy season (typically October through January) to insure that the seeds receive adequate moisture for germination and establishment.

Bahia Grass -- This grass is a light green, low-growing perennial that spreads by short, heavy runners. Bahia grass requires less maintenance than other grasses and has excellent drought tolerance. It tolerates little salt and does not grow well in alkaline soils with a pH above 8.0, but it is relatively free from insects and diseases, and is somewhat wear resistant. In areas that have poor soils, bahia grass will make a reasonable substitute for common bermuda grass.

Bahia grass should be seeded at a rate of 20 pounds per acre, and should be planted during the rainy season. Most seeding failures are moisture related.

Buffel Grass -- Buffel grass is a warm-season, leafy, perennial bunch grass with tough, knotty crowns and a mass of long, tough, rhizomatous roots that can reach up to eight (8) feet deep. It has leafy, slender, usually bushy stems that can reach up to four (4) feet tall, with light green, narrow leaves. Because of its tremendous massive root system, erosion control and soil building qualities are unequaled. Buffel grass is easy to establish, drought resistant, and a high forage producer. It is better adapted to sand and medium-textured soils than to heavy soils, and produces well in low rainfall areas.

Buffel grass should be seeded at a rate of six (6) to eight (8) pounds per acre (or 2 - 3 lbs. of hulled seed per acre).

Hurricane Grass -- Hurricane grass is the most predominant lawn grass in the Virgin Islands. It is a hardy, aggressive, native grass which stands up exceptionally well to wear. Hurricane grass has a dense thatch and apparently is drought, salt, disease and insect resistant. It does not tolerate dense shade, but persists well in moderate shade if regularly mowed. The main disadvantage of Hurricane grass for lawns is that frequent mowing is required to remove seed heads. Hurricane grass should be seeded at a rate of three (3) pounds per acre.

Rye Grass -- Rye grass is an annual, cool season grass used in the hydroseeder grass mixture to provide temporary cover until the perennial grass (bermuda or other grass species) germinates and becomes established. The recommended seeding rate for rye grass is 20 pounds per acre.

* For erosion control purposes on critical areas (steep or highly erodible soils) mowing is NOT recommended.

** For best results, apply fertilizer according to a soil test. Contact the UVI Cooperative Extension Service for information on soil testing.

Make sure to provide the grass seed with enough water for the seed to germinate. This may require pre-germination (as discussed previously in this handbook) and/or daily watering for seven (7) to ten (10) days after hydroseeding. This is especially important during the dry season.