5 Types of Grass in Hawaii and How to Tell Which You Have

Hawaii is the only state where the whole cool-season lawn playbook simply does not apply. There is no spring green-up, no fall overseeding window, and no winter dormancy on the coast. The University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) puts it plainly: "Only 'warm-season grasses' (sometimes called 'tropical grasses') are suitable for lawns in Hawaii," and the shady-lawn mixes of bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass on store shelves "will provide temporary cover, but they die after about two months of summer weather." So the question here is never warm versus cool. It is wet versus dry, sun versus shade, sea level versus upcountry. A windward Hilo yard and a leeward Kihei yard sit in the same state and want different grasses, and a Kula or Waimea lawn at 3,000 feet plays by a third set of rules. Here is the lineup CTAHR covers, how to identify what you already have, and how the islands' climate zones sort them.

The types of grass that grow in Hawaii

Bermudagrass

Bermudagrass is Hawaii's default sunny-lawn grass. CTAHR's lawn grass table credits common bermudagrass with wear resistance, a "deep root system, low moisture requirement; tolerates saline, alkaline, and moderately acid soils," which is why it holds up on dry leeward coasts where irrigation and salt are facts of life, though it also invades where it is not wanted and throws frequent seed heads. The hybrids ('Tifway', 'Tifgreen', and the old Hawaii standby 'Sunturf', introduced in 1962) trade that for polish: CTAHR's bermudagrass publication credits them with "improved levels of quality, density, and color" and very few seed heads, with "higher maintenance requirements" as the cost, and puts mature stands on monthly nitrogen feedings. 'Tifway' is the one CTAHR says "is best utilized on golf course fairways and tees and on well maintained athletic fields and lawns." Two hard limits matter. First, sun: CTAHR states "a minimum of 6 hours of full sunlight is required daily," so it thins under trees and on the cloudy windward side. Second, cold: "in climates where temperatures fall below 55°F, such as those found at higher elevations in Hawai‘i, bermudagrass may undergo dormancy."

Zoysiagrass

Zoysia is the slow, dense, low-water choice, and CTAHR's zoysiagrass publication notes that "zoysiagrasses grow throughout the year in Hawai‘i." Three species are grown here (Z. japonica, Z. matrella or manilagrass, and mound-forming Z. tenuifolia or templegrass), but the home-lawn workhorse is 'El Toro', which CTAHR says "is commonly used in home lawns statewide," along with 'Z-3', a hybrid selected in Waimanalo. The trade-off is patience: plugging is the most common way to plant it here, and CTAHR's sources give different milestones. Its establishment column says plugged zoysia "may take up to 6 months to get full coverage," while the zoysiagrass publication says "approximately 12–18 months are required to completely fill in the bare soil between the plugs," depending on plug size, spacing, and conditions. Filled in, it asks for little: CTAHR describes watering on an "as-needed" basis once established, and it tolerates shade better than bermudagrass. Mow it low and often. CTAHR puts the optimum at 3/4 inch, says "a reel mower is required" at 1 inch or below, and warns that above 2 inches most zoysias form "a puffy, tufted, dense turf with a deep thatch layer" that scalps easily. Billbugs are the pest to watch.

St. Augustinegrass

St. Augustine is the shade grass, and on the windward side, where tree canopy and cloud cover are the norm, that makes it a favorite. CTAHR's St. Augustinegrass publication says it "is commonly used in home lawns and other landscaped areas, as it is adapted to a wide array of soils," with "better shade tolerance than most other warm-season turfgrasses." CTAHR ranks it highest of the island grasses for shade and second only to seashore paspalum for salt tolerance, so it also works near the beach. The most common cultivar in Hawaii is 'Floratine'. Its weaknesses are real: CTAHR says it "tends to be shallow-rooted and therefore does not withstand drought conditions as well as some other turfgrasses," it has "poor tolerance of wear," and "the major insect pest of this turfgrass in Hawai‘i is the chinch bug." CTAHR's mowing height for standard cultivars is 3 to 4 inches (1.5 to 2.5 for the semi-dwarfs). Keep nitrogen to 4 to 6 pounds per 1,000 square feet a year, and never put MSMA on it. Plugging is the usual way to start it here, and it is difficult to establish from loose stolons.

Centipedegrass

Centipedegrass, called hunangrass in CTAHR's older lawn table, is the wet-side low-input lawn. CTAHR's centipedegrass publication notes it "is sometimes called 'the lazy man's grass'" and that "centipedegrass thrives in areas receiving 40 inches or more of rain per year," which describes most of windward Oahu, Kauai, and the Hilo side. It wants moist, acidic soil with a pH of 5 to 6 and almost no fertilizer: one pound of slow-release nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in spring, never more than two pounds a year. It is also the one grass CTAHR says is most often started from seed here. Its limits track its strengths. Drought tolerance is poor, traffic tolerance is low, and it "has poor salt tolerance and therefore should not be used in areas subjected to salt spray (i.e., near the beach)." On coral or alkaline ground it yellows with iron chlorosis, and CTAHR suggests that on those sites the cheaper fix may be a different grass. Mow at 1.5 to 2 inches and never scalp it.

Kikuyugrass

Kikuyu is the upcountry grass, and it is the one CTAHR's turf series is quiet about. Its lawn-grass table and adaptation guide do not list it, but CTAHR's forage publication explains why you will meet it anyway: "the wide adaptability of the grass, from sea level up to 6000 feet elevation, makes it the predominant pasture grass in the state," and "it requires an annual rainfall above 35 inches." Its role as an upcountry lawn grass is an inference from that pasture range, not a CTAHR recommendation: CTAHR's turf guidance stops at bermudagrass dormancy below 55°F at higher elevations, and the University of California's IPM program, which does cover kikuyu in lawns, notes that "unlike bermudagrass, kikuyugrass is able to maintain its steady growth rate at lower temperatures." Put those together and cool, wet upland yards near pasture are where to expect it. UC IPM also calls it "an extremely aggressive perennial weed of turfgrass, ornamental plantings, orchards, and noncrop areas" in California, so treat it as a grass to contain. CTAHR notes it "is listed on the federal noxious weed list," seed imports need a USDA permit, and most stands are started from stems and stolons rather than seed.

Two more grasses matter on the islands even though they are not in the photo lineup above. Seashore paspalum is the salt specialist, and CTAHR's publication on it says it "should be selected over bermudagrass for coastal areas of Hawai‘i affected by salt spray." It tolerates brackish irrigation, forms a dark, waxy, bermuda-like turf, and CTAHR calls it and 'El Toro' zoysia "two of the more popular species of turfgrass that are being used for home lawns" here. 'Salam' is the most common cultivar, though the legacy paspalum present since the mid-1970s often gets that name too. The catches are heavy thatch, a need to mow below 1 inch, and sensitivity to many herbicides. Carpetgrass is the opposite case: CTAHR's lawn table says it "tolerates wet and shady conditions, poorly drained soils; prefers acid soils" but is "not suitable for a quality lawn." You will see it as the ground cover between coffee rows in Kona and in the soggiest windward yards. Hilograss (Paspalum conjugatum) is the wet-side volunteer that CTAHR calls "an invader in most cases"; it "does well in high rainfall areas" and "may cause an allergic rash to sensitive skin."