Conditional — Some Areas
para grass (zones 10-13) reaches only part of Louisiana (8b-10b): zone 10 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Para Grass in Louisiana — the short answer
Para Grass in Louisiana: hardy in zones 10–13, full sun, against a state median of ~298 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 10-13
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Louisiana zones
- 8b-10b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Jan 30 - Feb 17 – Nov 30 - Dec 8
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 265 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 90 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Louisiana spans zones 8b-10b, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score para grass against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
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Louisiana is not one climate
A single Louisiana answer averages 64 counties whose growing seasons are 100 days apart — from 265 frost-free days in Claiborne County to 365 in Plaquemines County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what para grass can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 64 counties runs 285–313 days, with a median of 298 days — a 100-day span end to end.
Measured across 64 Louisiana counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Louisiana Fits Best
Para Grass is rated for zones 10–13 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. Against Louisiana’s 64 counties that band holds in 1 of them, and the line runs at Plaquemines County (zone 10a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 10–13
1 county
0 of 1 shown
Below the zone 10 floor
63 counties
- Bienville County · zone 8b
- Bossier County · zone 8b
- Caddo County · zone 8b
3 of 63 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within Louisiana's zones 8b-10b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for para grass (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Para Grass Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-13
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 5 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Louisiana Has
- USDA Zones: 8b-10b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Jan 30 - Feb 17
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 30 - Dec 8
- Annual Rainfall: 50-65 inches
- Common Soils: Alluvial clay, Muck, Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 10-13)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Para Grass in Louisiana
The frost window
Across Louisiana, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 286-day window you can count on — up to 312 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Frost tenderness
Para Grass is frost-tender — FAO ECOCROP puts its killing temperature at 32°F — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 90 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 196 days to spare even in Louisiana's tightest freeze scenario — room for a later start or a second sowing.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says para grass survives winter in part of Louisiana, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Para Grass wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical Louisiana site sees ~298 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Para Grass needs ~3000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~6204 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Louisiana's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Para Grass tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.3-7.7) — 3.4 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Louisiana. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 6 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Louisiana soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Louisiana soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Para Grass in Louisiana
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Louisiana growers also need to think about:
Extreme humidity and rainfall promote rot and fungal diseases
Poor drainage in delta and coastal areas
Hurricane damage risk from June through November
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Louisiana grower, not just para grass — is covered on the Louisiana growing guide.
Timing shifts within Louisiana
Para Grass needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Claiborne County — Louisiana’s shortest season at 265 frost-free days — clears that by 145 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Louisiana. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Louisiana’s 64 counties the frost-free season runs from 265 days in Claiborne County to 365 days in Plaquemines County — a spread of 100 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Louisiana county sees 298 frost-free days, leaving para grass about 178 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Para Grass's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Louisiana Cooperative Extension
For Louisiana-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for para grass, the canonical source is LSU AgCenter. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Para Grass in Louisiana
When can I plant Para Grass in Louisiana?
Louisiana's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Para Grass is frost-tender — its killing temperature is 32°F (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
Can Para Grass mature before first frost in Louisiana?
Yes — Para Grass matures in 90 days (Growable Ground Plant Database), and Louisiana's dependable hard-freeze-free window runs 286 days (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020), leaving 196 days of margin. Plant once the last hard freeze has passed — two to three weeks later for anything tender — and it ripens ahead of the first fall freeze.
What hardiness zone is Para Grass grown in across Louisiana?
Louisiana spans USDA hardiness zones 8b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Para Grass carries a range of zones 10-13, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Louisiana site have?
A typical Louisiana site sees ~298 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Para Grass needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Para Grass in Louisiana?
Para Grass tolerates pH 4.3-7.7 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.4-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Louisiana site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Para Grass actually grow on my specific land in Louisiana?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores para grass against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Louisiana
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores para grass against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Louisiana para grass averages can't show:
We read public map data around Louisiana — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Louisiana para grass average
Explore More
Growing guides for para grass
Explore Louisiana county by county
Louisiana carries 64 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for para grass there:
Where else para grass grows
Para Grass's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Louisiana in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Louisiana
Louisiana has a growing page for 1,030 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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