Establishing and Maintaining Lawns Objective 6.00

North Carolina Grasses  Most commonly grown grasses in NC include  Kentucky Bluegrass  Bahiagrass  Centipede  St. Augustine  Bermuda  Zoysia  Fescue  Ryegrass

Grass Identification  Grasses are identified by  Growth habits  Warm or cool season  Leaf texture (fine, medium, coarse)  Color (light to dark green)

Leaf Color  Light to dark green  Dark green  Medium green  Light to dark green  Medium to dark green

Leaf Texture  Fine-thin needle textured blades  Medium-medium textured blades  Coarse-thick, wide textured blades

Growth Habits  Ways new shoots are produced  Three types:  Rhizome-underground stem that grows horizontally  Stolon-above ground stem that grows horizontally  Stolon and rhizome-above and underground stems that grow horizontally  Bunch-type-blades grow in small cluster or tufts from the soil

Grass Wear  How the grass stands up to foot traffic  Excellent  Very Good  Good  Fair  Poor  Very Poor

Cool Season Grasses  Grow best in spring and fall (65-75 degrees) and stay green in winter. Best established in fall.  Tall fescue  Kentucky Bluegrass  Fine fescue  Perennial Ryegrass  Annual Ryegrass

Warm Season Grasses  Grow best in summer (80-95 degrees) and go dormant in winter. Best established in spring.  Bermudagrass  St. Augustine  Bahiagrass  Centipede

Tall Fescue  Region 1, 2, 3,  Growth Habit-bunch type  Cool season  Leaf texture-medium to coarse  Color-medium green  Wear-Very Good  Location-Sun and part shade

Red Fescue  Region-1,2 (some counties)  Season-cool  Leaf color-medium green  Leaf texture-fine  Growth habit- rhizome  Wear-fair  Location-shade

Kentucky Bluegrass  Region 1,2  Growth habit- rhizome  Cool season  Leaf texture-fine to medium  Color-Medium to dark green  Wear-very good  Location-sun

Creeping Bentgrass Special treatment- requires fans on golf courses and frequent watering to keep seed beds moist and cool  Region 3  Cool season  Leaf color-bluish green  Leaf texture-fine  Growth habit-stolon  Wear-poor  Location-sun

Centipede  Region 2,3  Growth Habit-stolon  Warm season  Leaf texture-medium  Color-Light to dark green  Wear-poor  Location-sun

St. Augustine  Region 2,3  Growth Habit-stolon  Warm season  Leaf texture-coarse  Color-medium to dark green  Wear-poor  Location-sun but shade tolerant

Bermuda  Region 2,3  Growth Habit-both stolon and rhizome  Warm season  Leaf texture-fine  Color-light to dark green  Wear-excellent  Location-sun

Zoysia  Region 2,3  Growth Habit-both stolon and rhizome  Warm season  Leaf texture-fine  Color-medium to dark green  Wear-good  Location-sun or part shade

Bahia  Region 2, 3  Growth Habit- Rhizome  Warm season  Leaf texture-coarse  Color-medium to dark green  Wear-good  Location-sun Not recommended for lawns, most commercially used for highway grass

Annual Rye  Region 2  Growth Habit-Bunch type  Cool season  Leaf texture-medium  Color-light green  Wear-good  Location-sun Used for over seeding fields and some lawns, never used alone

Perennial Rye  Region 1  Cool season  Leaf color-medium green  Leaf texture-fine  Growth habit-bunch  Wear-very good  Location-sun Seeded with Kentucky Bluegrass, never alone

Climate

U.S. Regions or Zones  The U.S. has six regions or zones based on climate  Temperature  Available moisture  Length or growing season

Zones in NC  Three of the U.S. regions are in NC  Mountains and western piedmont are region 1  Central and eastern piedmont and coastal plains are region 2  Extreme southeastern coast is region 3  Because of the wide range of climatic conditions in NC, many lawn grass varieties are grown in different areas of the state

NC Regions  Western-use cool season grasses  Piedmont-use either cool season or warm season depending on location  Coastal Plain-use warm season grasses and cool season Tall Fescue

Fertilizer  Apply with a rotary or drop type spreader  Apply half in one direction and the other half at a 90 degree angle to the first pass

When to Fertilize  For seeded lawns  Six to eight weeks after the seed emerges  For sodded, plugged or sprigged lawns  Every three to four weeks throughout the growing season

Irrigating  Keep the top 1.5” of soil moist by watering 2-3 times a day for the first 7-21 days when establishing seeds.  Water early in the morning to reduce the risk of disease and water loss.

Irrigating  Water established lawns 2-3 times per week ½ inch each watering.  Soil should be moist 6-8 inches to encourage good root development.

Mowing  Mow when grass is 50% higher than the desired height.  Mow when grass is dry with a sharp, clean blade.  Mow to the suggested height.

Suggested Mowing Height GrassMowing Height Tall Fescue Inches Kentucky Bluegrass Inches Red Fescue Inches Creeping Bentgrass Inch Centipede1-1.5 Inches St. Augustine2.5-4 Inches Bahia2-4 Inches Bermuda.75-2 Inches Zoysia.75-2 Inches

Pest Control-Weeds  Common in newly seeded lawns  Proper mowing will eliminate most weeds  Follow the directions on a selective herbicide if weeds are an issue.

Pest Control-Insects  Check newly established lawns on a regular basis for insect issues.  Identify and treat as needed.

Pest Control-Diseases  Do not overwater newly established lawns as this can cause diseases.  Hot summer weather can also cause disease issues.  Identify and treat as needed.

Starting a Lawn

Methods to Start a Lawn  There are four major methods used to start a lawn  Seeding  Sodding  Plugging  Sprigging

Seeding  Most common and least expensive  Sown by hand or with a mechanical device such as rotary or drop type spreaders or powered by machinery such as  Cultipacker seeder  Hydroseeder (a sprayer that applies seed, water, fertilizer and mulch at the same time)

Hydroseeder

Seeding  Apply half the seed in one direction and the other half at a 90 degree angle to the first pass.  Roll the soil lightly to ensure good seed to soil contact.  Lightly cover the seed with peat moss or weed free straw.  Water to stabilize the seed and peat moss or straw.  Purchase quality seed-read the label.

When to Seed  Cool Season Grasses  September 1-15 in the piedmont region  September 15-October 15 in the coastal region  August 15-September 1 in the mountain region  Emergency seeding mid-February-early March  Warm Season Grasses  March 1-July 1

Sodding  Using established turf (grass and roots) that is cut into thin layers and removed from the growing area in strips  Taken to a new lawn and rolled out and fitted together  Start the sod from a straight edge to ensure uniformity.  Butt strips together and stagger rows in a brick pattern.  The new lawn soil should be moist before laying the sod.

Sodding  Water after installing the sod.  Install the new sod within 24 hours to prevent roots from drying out.  Unroll sod if it cannot be laid within 48 hours  Sodding provides an instant lawn  Sodding for cool season grasses-anytime during the cooler times of the growing season  Sodding for warm season grasses: April-July 1

Sodding

Plugging  Using small plugs or blocks of sod to plant in holes about 6-12 inches apart  Very time-consuming  Used for many warm season grasses that are poor seed producers  Timing for warm season April-July 1

Sprigging  Uses plant runners, cuttings or sprigs (cut stems)  Sprigs are rolled or pressed into the top ½ to 1 inch of soil  Usually used on larger areas such as golf courses  Sprigging for warm season grasses March 1-July

Preparing a Seed Bed

Steps to Preparing Seed Bed  Remove trash and debris.  Control weeds with herbicide. Spray post-emergence broadleaf herbicides four to six weeks before seeding or sodding.

Steps to Preparing Seed Bed  Grade avoiding steep slopes, low areas are poorly drained areas.  Slope should not be over 15% for lawn grasses because of mowing safety

Steps to Preparing Seed Bed  Protect existing trees and bed areas with silt fencing, edged borders or mulch.  Incorporate a 2%-3% slope away from the home or structure.

 Soil preparation  Till soil to a depth of 2-3”  Add 4-5” of top soil  Run a soil test  Incorporate lime and fertilizer based on the soil sample results  Finish grade  Roll area with lawn roller  Water  Seed or install sod Steps to Preparing Seed Bed

Grass Seed Terminology

Viable  The ability to germinate

Inert Ingredient  Stems and/or other plant products that are not viable

Weed Seed  Any seed not defined as a component in “other crop”

Noxious Weed  Invasive, hard to control weed seed