Warm season grasses best adapted for lawns in these soils are Bermuda, Centipede, Carpetgrass, and St. Augustine. Bermuda grass dominates the majority of the state, able to withstand drought conditions, low or high fertility, full sun and higher humidity along with surviving cold weather temps found in Georgia. 

Vegetative and seeded Bermuda varieties are widely used depending upon usage. The Tif’s (Tifgreen, Tifdward, Tifway, Tiflawn - all vegetatively grown) are used predominately on golf courses and athletic fields and in landscaping where an immediate high quality sod coverage is necessary.  A Georgia native, Dr. Glenn Burton has been responsible for developing a large amount of the improved turf grasses grown in Georgia and throughout the Southeast.

GEORGIA CLIMATE ZONES 8 & 9 Grass Zone Selection Chart

Along the coast,  St, Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia, and Centipede are used. Centipede is probably better adapted to most of the soil in two thirds of the state (Atlanta south), and is planted extensively both from seed and sod.  Since is responds well to slightly acid, poorer soils and thrives when enough water is available. Carpetgrass does well in wetter, sandy soils in low-lying areas in filtered shade to full sun. 

Zoysia is grown successfully in the middle part of the state up into the higher elevations and cooler temperatures. Zoysia has enjoyed a increase in popularity with the new seeded varieties (Zenith, etc.) and the problems with fescues and bluegrasses due to drought and disease the last couple of years.

Fescues can be year round in the upper elevations lying in the transition zone and can be used in the winter in the rest of the state to overseed other grasses. From the ATLANTA area north toward Tennessee, Fescues are very popular for their beautiful color and year-round greenery. Unlike warm season grasses, Fescues thrive in the cooler temperatures.  Tall Fescue is the predominate variety used with many new turf type species now on the market.  Shade tolerant varieties such as creeping red fescue and associated improved varieties are also used in lawns.  Some Bluegrasses are used in the northern mountain areas, mainly more "heat tolerant" varieties such as Huntsville.

Annual ryegrass is used throughout the state for overseeding when warm season grasses are in dormancy; with perennial ryegrass used to overseed athletic fields when maintained properly.