Houston lawns want a warm-season grass that shrugs off heat and humidity and does not mind heavy clay. For full sun, Bermuda is the workhorse and the least expensive. For shade, St. Augustine. For a dense, upscale lawn that tolerates some shade, Zoysia. Lay it in spring or fall, not in the worst of July and August. Every Houston order is cut fresh to order, arrives on a 450 square foot pallet, and delivery is a flat $200.
Houston is one of the cities that calls us most, so here is a guide written for it.
The short answer
Bermuda for sun and budget. St. Augustine for shade. Zoysia for a thick, low-traffic showpiece. Put a layer of topsoil on the clay, lay it in spring or fall, and water it hard for two weeks.
Houston's climate and what it does to a lawn
Houston is hot, wet and humid most of the year. It gets around 50 inches of rain, summer highs sit in the 90s for months, and a hard freeze is rare but not unknown.
That combination does three things to a lawn:
- Heat and humidity favor warm-season grasses. Cool-season grasses like fescue struggle here and are not something we sell in this market.
- Fungus and pests thrive. Wet, warm nights breed brown patch and chinch bugs. Mowing height and morning watering matter more here than in a dry climate.
- The soil holds water. Which brings us to the clay.
The soil problem: gumbo clay
Most of Houston sits on heavy clay, the sticky stuff locals call gumbo. It drains slowly, cracks when dry and compacts when wet. Sod can root into it, but it needs help at the surface.
What works: a layer of topsoil or compost worked into the top few inches, then graded so water runs away from the house. That gives roots a loose place to start and keeps seams out of standing water. Do you need topsoil before laying sod? walks through how much and when. Top soil is on the Houston menu if you want it delivered with the sod.
Sand or topsoil? This comes up on Houston calls more than anywhere else, usually because a neighbor suggested sand. A thin layer of sand over clay tends to act like a bathtub: water moves through the sand and stops at the clay. Sand is useful for leveling low spots on an established lawn. Under new sod on clay, use topsoil or compost.
Best sod types for Houston
Everything below is cut for Houston orders and shows a price when you enter your ZIP. Bermuda is the least expensive of the three groups, Zoysia the most, and St. Augustine sits between.
Bermuda
- Bermuda TifTuf. Drought-tough and quick to recover from wear. A strong pick for kids, dogs and full sun.
- Bermuda Tifway 419. The classic fine-textured Bermuda. Wants full sun and regular mowing.
- Celebration Bermuda. A darker, slightly coarser Bermuda that handles a little more shade than the others.
The catch: Bermuda does poorly in shade. If your yard has big trees, look elsewhere.
St. Augustine
- Palmetto St. Augustine. The shade-tolerant choice of the group and a good all-rounder for Houston yards with trees.
- ProVista St. Augustine. Bred for slower, more upright growth, so it can be mowed lower and less often than a typical St. Augustine.
- Raleigh St. Augustine. The cold-hardy Texas standard. Handles the occasional Houston freeze well.
The catch: St. Augustine wants more water than Bermuda, and chinch bugs are its common pest. Best grass for shade covers how much shade each grass can take.
Zoysia
- Emerald Zoysia. Fine-textured and dense, the carpet look.
- Palisade Zoysia. A coarser blade with good heat and traffic tolerance.
- Zeon Zoysia. Fine blade, deep green, tolerates partial shade.
- Zorro Zoysia. Fine-textured with good shade and wear tolerance.
The catch: Zoysia is slow to establish and slow to repair bare spots. It rewards patience and light use.
For a statewide comparison, see best grass for Texas.
When to lay sod in Houston
Spring and fall are the windows. Soil is warm enough for roots to take, and the air is not yet punishing.
- March through May. The best stretch. Warm soil, regular rain, months of growth ahead.
- September through November. Also good. Roots keep growing well into a Houston fall.
- June through August. Possible, but the sod dries out fast and needs watering two or three times a day. Wait if you can.
- December through February. Sod can go down in mild spells. It may arrive dormant and brown, which is normal and not dead.
Care in a Houston year
- Water in the morning, never at night. Wet grass overnight is how fungus starts in this humidity.
- Mow high in summer. Taller grass shades its own roots.
- Watch for chinch bugs in St. Augustine during the hottest, driest weeks. Yellowing patches near sidewalks and driveways are the usual first sign.
- After a freeze, leave brown grass alone. It greens up when the soil warms.
The watering schedule for new sod covers the first 30 days, where most Houston lawns are won or lost.
How we deliver in Houston
Your sod is cut by a farm near Houston against your order, with a goal of 24 hours from harvest to your driveway. A Houston pallet covers 450 square feet. Delivery is a flat $200 on any order with sod, six days a week, with 3 to 4 days of lead time.
Houston is a full-service market. We offer professional installation here, priced per pallet as its own line, and an on-site measurement, which is credited toward your sod order at checkout. How much does sod installation cost? and what does an on-site measurement cost? explain both.
The bottom line
Pick the grass by sun: Bermuda for open yards, St. Augustine for trees, Zoysia for a dense showpiece. Fix the clay with topsoil, not sand. Lay it in spring or fall and water it hard for two weeks.
Browse the Houston sod menu to see today's per-pallet pricing, check your ZIP code to confirm coverage, or call 1-866-886-2763 and the team will help you pick a grass for your yard.
