Selecting the Right Turf Varieties. Charles Schuster Extension Educator University of Maryland Extension

Transcription

1 Selecting the Right Turf Varieties Charles Schuster Extension Educator University of Maryland Extension

2 Warm or Cool Season Grasses Selection is personal What is the Difference?? Cool Season Grasses Green up Earlier in the Season in this Region. Warm Season Grasses Handle Heat and Traffic better. Warm Season Grasses tend to turn Brown in the Fall and Winter Ugly!! To some people.

3 Cool Season Turf Cool Season Grass Seed is most often sold as Mixtures or Blends A Mixture is a combination of two or more grass species. A Blend is three or more cultivars of the same species. Both are popular as they increase the diversity of the turf. This improves disease, insect and stress problems.

4 Select the Proper Turf Look at the site. Map the property noting trees, structures and uses of each segment. Note how moisture moves during storms. Indicate heavy use areas, pet lots, play areas entertainment areas.

5 Select the Proper Turf Look at the site. Classify each part in one of the following categories- High Traffic Shade Partial shade Full Sun

6 Species Drought Tolerance Days to Seed Germination Full Sun Shade High Traffic tolerance Insect and Disease resistance Excellent Excellent Fair Good Good 7-14 Turf-type tall fescue Kentucky Good Excellent Fair - Poor Excellent Poor bluegrass Fine fescue Good - Good - fair Excellent - Poor Good 7-14 fair good Perennial Poor Excellent Fair - Good Poor (fair if ryegrass poor seeds contain 5-10 endophytes*) Zoysiagrass Excellent Excellent Poor Good Good N/A Bermudagrass Excellent Excellent Poor Excellent Good N/A *Entophytes are beneficial fungi or bacteria that live within plant tissue. Perennial ryegrass and fescue turf with high entophyte levels are more drought resistant and less prone to damage from sod webworm and chinch bugs.

7 Tall Fescue Forms a persistent and durable turf for home lawns, parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields. It is commonly used in other low-maintenance situations such as utility areas, highway medians, airstrips, and fairgrounds. Recommended for most homeowner sites

8 Tall Fescue Many new and improved varieties (called turf-type tall fescue) have a finer texture, high tiller densities, and a darker green color than the early-developed, coarse-textured, light green varieties such as Kentucky 31

9 Tall Fescue Tall fescue is the most tolerant of heat and drought, due to its ability to form a deep root system. Most resistant to disease and insect damage, but only has a fair recovery potential from damage.

10 Tall Fescue It performs well in open, sunny areas and is moderately shade tolerant (needs about four hours of direct sunlight). It is more shade tolerant than Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. It grows best in well-drained soil.

11 Fine Fescue Utilized for low-maintenance areas such as slopes, rights of way, or vacation homes. Of the cool-season species, are the most tolerant of shady sites. Do not tolerate high rates of nitrogen fertilizer.

12 Fine Fescue Creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) Hard fescue (Festuca longifolia Thuill) and Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina L.)

13 Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L. Performs best in well-drained soils and open, sunny areas. Does not tolerate poorly drained soils or heavily shaded areas. Cold tolerant, wear tolerant, and moderately heat and drought tolerant. Has superior recuperative potential compared to most other cool-season turfgrasses.

14 KBG Requires a higher amount of nitrogen (N) fertilizer than other cool-season turfgrasses. Is more susceptible to disease and insect infestations (white grubs). Is considered to be a high-maintenance turf. Produces a significant amount of thatch. Periodic dethatching is necessary

15 Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) Grows best in neutral to slightly acidic well-drained soils. ( pH) Commonly used in grass-seed mixtures because of its quick germination rate. Very susceptible to turf diseases, such as gray leaf spot.

16 Selection the Proper Turf Cool Season Grasses High Traffic Areas A mixture of Turf Type Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass, 80% to 20% ratio. Kentucky Bluegrass with its spreading root system will help the area heal after hard use. Turf Type Tall Fescue will handle drought stress much better than the KBG.

17 Selection the Proper Turf Cool Season Grasses Shade Fine Fescues handles shade well. Fine Fescue responds to drought situations fairly well. Trees present a drought issue as they compete for the same soil moisture.

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19 Fescue

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22 Selection the Proper Turf Cool Season Grasses Partial Shade Fine Fescue again works well. Turf Type tall Fescue is a good second choice

23 Selection the Proper Turf Cool Season Grasses Full Sun Avoid using Fine Fescue Turf Type Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass do well Perennial Rye also works under these conditions.

24 Perennial Rye

25 Selection the Proper Turf Warm Season Grasses Zoysiagrass Drought Tolerant Likes Full Sun Handles High Traffic Well Resistant to most insect and disease problems.

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27 Selection the Proper Turf Warm Season Grasses Bermudagrass Drought Tolerant Likes Full Sun Has been used with excellent results in High Traffic Areas. (Sports) Resistant to most insect and disease problems.

28 Purchasing Seed You do get what you pay for. Look at the label Maryland Certified Seed has been inspected by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. What should you really look for?

29 Purchasing Seed, The Label Name and Address of the Labeler Species or Cultivar of the Turf grass Seed in the bag, listed in order of predominance. The word MIXTURE must appear on the label is it is a mix of different turf grass species.

30 Purchasing Seed, The Label Percentage by weight of purity of each species in the bag. Germination Percentage or percent viable seed, should always be above 70%. Also check the date off test. Percentage of other crop or weed seed. Should be 0 to 0.5%

31 Purchasing Seed, The Label Percentage by weight of weed seed. No why pay for weeds! Percentage by weight of noxious weed seed. This should be 0%. Percentage by weight of inert matter, soil, chaff, debris. This should be 0.5% or less.

32 Establishing Warm Season Grasses Established by Sprigs and Plugs Sprigs are pieces of stolons or individual plants, that contain a node where new grass develops. Plugs are small pieces of sod that are planted at regular intervals.

33 ces/documents/tt%20bulletins/tt- 77%20Recommended%20Turfgrass %20Cultivars%20For%20Certified% 20Sod%20Production%20And%20Se ed%20mixtures%20in%20maryland. pdf

34 Questions?