In addition to differences in life cycle, grasses differ in their growth habit and response to climatic variables such as day length and temperature. Grasses may be referred to as:
- forage or turf grasses (based on their intended use),
- sod-forming or bunchgrasses (based on their form of tillering),
- short or tall grasses (referring to both potential height and water requirements),
- jointing or non-jointing (with respect to their regrowth characteristics), and
- cool-season or warm-season (with respect to their optimal season of growth).
This section describes each of these categories and the management required for optimal utilization.