What Is the Best Colorant for Your Grass Type?

First, Know Your Turf Grass Species: What Type of Grass Do You Have?

The first step to learning the best colorant for your grass type is to learn what type of grass you have. Because Sod Solutions recently created a graphic and blog to help you determine your grass type, we thought we would share that as a resource. From there, once you know whether you have a warm season or cool season grass and which species it is, you can learn the best colorant for that grass type.

How to choose the best Endurant turfgrass colorant for your grass type and species
Which shade of Endurant turf colorant is best for your grass? Let this chart assist you with the top two choices for your grass species. [Source: Endurant by Geoponics]

Check out Sod Solutions blog and graphic to determine your grass type here. Then, check our chart further in the blog to find the best colorant for you.

What is your grass species type table by Sod Solutions
SOURCE: Sod Solutions

Cool and Warm Season Grasses

Warm season grasses and lawns go dormant in the winter while cool season grasses and lawns do not. With winter dormancy comes a change from green to brown grass. Use Endurant Turf Colorants to maintain, add, change or enhance turf grass color. Many users choose Endurant Perennial Rye for application on warm season grasses with its natural light tone. And in many cases, Endurant Premium is their choice for cool season grasses, but it is also popular for adding deeper color to warm season grasses too. Endurant Fairway is commonly used on cool season grasses and is the deepest, darkest color in the line. Read further to help determine your favorite. Also note that bermudagrass is a warm season grass that may be an exception to the rule. Although it's a warm season grass, many prefer either the Endurant Premium or Endurant Fairway.

Benefits of Endurant Turf Colorants:

  • Conserve water, especially compared with overseeding practices.
  • Save seed and avoid seed shortages and prices hikes.
  • Reduce fertilizer usage, preventing water damaging runoff, preventing soil toxicity over time and avoiding increased fertilizer costs.
  • Reduce labor and maintenance costs.
  • Enhance aesthetics.
  • Maintain agronomy standards.
  • Prevent loss of play on golf courses and sports fields by avoiding transition challenges.

The Best Colorant for Your Grass Type: Warm Season Grasses

Now that you know what type of grass you have, let's get the best colorant. As you've seen, you either have a warm season or a cool season grass. Endurant Turf Colorants come in multiple colors and these three of the turf grass paints are the most concentrated. These three are Endurant Fairway, Endurant Premium and Endurant Perennial Rye. Those are listed from darkest to lightest to best coordinate with grasses' natural colors and tones.

Generally, warm season grasses go best with Endurant Perennial Rye or, for a darker tone, Endurant Premium.

You may use any of the colorants on any grass species. However, some coordinate best with certain species and with either warm season or cool season.

If you're looking for an easy spot treatment, choose Endurant ready-to-use spray bottles of Green Again Pro made for either warm season or cool season grasses. Green Again Pro Warm Season and Green Again Pro Cool Season are very popular with home users looking to beautify or fix a pet urine stain or other spot on a lawn. Green Again Pro is available at our online store, Amazon and through our distributors located throughout the U.S. and other countries.

The Best Colorant for Your Grass Type: Cool Season Grasses

As mentioned, any of the Endurant colorants can be selected based on personal preference and desired final results. However, most people will choose either Endurant Premium or Endurant Fairway for their cool season grasses. Endurant Premium is a rich, dark tone. Premium (Endurant P+) is a bit darker than the Endurant Perennial Rye. Endurant Fairway (Endurant FW) is the darkest color and creates the most dramatic results when that look is desired.

Again, for spot treatment go with Green Again Pro. It is available in Cool Season color.

Selecting the Best Turf Colorant for Your Grass Species Based on Your Zone

Another way to choose the best turf colorant for your grass type is to choose based on your zone. In this U.S. map below, you will see the areas most likely to have warm season or cool season grass. Then, you can select the colorant.

Map of U.S. shows the zones for warm and cool season grasses and the best turf grass colorant for each zone
Select the best Endurant turf colorant for your grass type based on your zone.

Choose the Best Turf Grass Colorant for Transitions

Choose Endurant Flex for Transitions

If grass is going dormant and you're overseeding, Endurant Flex is likely your best choice. Geoponics created Endurant Flex (Endurant FX) for transition zones.

Whether transitioning between grass species, seasons or in a transition zone, Endurant Flex provides the ideal coverage.

What makes Endurant Flex unique is that it's a hybrid colorant. Flex includes the staying power of a paint with the affordability of a pigment. Use paints for dormant grass (though they can be used at any stage of growth) and use pigments for actively growing grass. Flex is a winning combination of both and is particularly popular for use in the fall in conjunction with overseed to allow for lighter rates of seed and best results in aesthetics, agronomy, affordability, playability and other factors. Learn about the benefits of Endurant Liquid Overseed, whether choosing Endurant Flex or another colorant in the Endurant line.

Choose Endurant Turf Enhancer for Actively Growing Grass

Endurant Turf Enhancer (Endurant TE) is a pigment. Use Endurant TE to add color to turf grass that is actively growing. Do not choose Endurant TE for brown or dormant turf. Instead, use TE on grass that has some naturally occurring color but could use a pop of added spring time green. TE is an affordable choice for adding to grass for temporary color enhancement.

On the other hand, paints, including Endurant Premium, Fairway and Perennial Rye are for longer term colorant. They last up to three months, depending on rate of growth, stage of dormancy, frequency of mowing and other factors.

Recommendations from a Turf Grass and Colorant Specialist

Options of shades of Endurant turf grass colorants
Available shades of Endurant Turf Colorant options prior to the brand new Endurant Flex, the only hybrid colorant with the benefits of a pigment and a paint.

Another approach to selecting the best colorant for your grass type is to consult with a specialist. Brad Driggers of Geoponics shares which colorants are most popular with each species. His recommendations may differ slightly. See what Driggers had to say about the choosing a colorant based on grass species in this previous blog "Choose the Best Turf Colorant."

You Choose

Lastly, it's all about personal preference. If you get the color you like, whether subtler with Endurant Perennial Rye (Endurant PR) or almost "see it from the moon" from a heavy rate application of Endurant Fairway (Endurant FW), what's important is that you love the results. There is no necessity in choosing the colorants based on the above recommendations.

Where to Buy Your Endurant Turf Colorant

Endurant Turf Colorants are available on ShopGeoponics.com, at our Amazon store and through distributors located throughout the U.S. and internationally.