Establishing and Maintaining Lawns Competencies

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)

Growth Habits  Ways new shoots are produced  Three types:  Rhizome  Stolon  Bunch-type

Cool Season Grasses  Grow best in spring and fall and stay green in winter  Tall fescue  Kentucky Bluegrass  Fine fescue  Perennial Ryegrass  Annual Ryegrass

Warm Season Grasses  Grow best in summer and go dormant in winter  Bermudagrass  St. Augustine  Bahiagrass  Centipede

Kentucky Bluegrass  Growth habit- rhizome  Cool season  Leaf texture-fine  Color-Medium to dark green

Bahiagrass  Growth Habit- Rhizome  Warm season  Leaf texture-coarse  Color-medium to dark green

Centipede  Growth Habit-stolon  Warm season  Leaf texture-medium  Color-Light green

St. Augustine  Growth Habit-stolon  Warm season  Leaf texture-coarse  Color-medium to dark green

Bermuda  Growth Habit-both stolon and rhizome  Warm season  Leaf texture-fine  Color-light to dark green Most common type found in Wayne County

Zoysia  Growth Habit-both stolon and rhizome  Warm season  Leaf texture-fine  Color-medium to dark green

Fescue  Growth Habit-bunch type  Cool season  Leaf texture-medium to coarse  Color-medium green

Ryegrass  Can be annual or perennial  Growth Habit-Bunch type  Cool season  Leaf texture- Perennial-fine, annual-medium  Color-medium green

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

Region 1 Grasses  Kentucky Bluegrass  Red Fescue  Colonial Bentgrass  Tall Fescue  Bermudagrass  Zoysia

Region 2 Grasses  Bermudagrass  Zoysia  Centipede  St. Augustine  Carpetgrass  Tall Fescue  Kentucky Bluegrass

Region 3 Grasses  St. Augustine  Bermuda  Carpetgrass  Zoysia  Bahiagrass

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

Environmental Requirements

Temperature/Climate  Cool season  Warm season

Type of soil

Use tolerance or wear  Excellent-Bermudagrass  Very Good-Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue  Good-Zoysiagrass, Bahiagrass  Fair-some mixtures  Poor-Centipede, St. Augustine

Lime and Fertilizer  Follow Soil Sample recommendations

Watering  As needed, depending on weather and water conservation laws

Mowing  Recommended height varies from about 1” for Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia to 3” for Tall Fescue  General rule of thumb is that less than half of the total leaf surface should be removed

Pest Control  Weeds  Insects  Diseases  Moles

Light Requirements  Different grasses are adapted to the amount of sun or shade  Shade  Partial Shade  Full sun

Starting a Lawn

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

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

Hydroseeder

Sodding  Using established turf (grass and roots) that is cut into thing layers and removed from the growing area in strips  Taken to a new lawn and rolled out and fitted together  More expensive than other methods  Provides an instant lawn  Works on slopes where seeds will wash away

Sodding

Plugging  Using small plugs or blocks of sod to plant in holds about one foot apart  Very time-consuming  Used for many warm season grasses that are poor seed producers

Sprigging and stolonizing  Uses plant runners, cuttings or stolons without soil attached to start new lawns.  Slow if done by hand  Can be done by broadcasting plant parts and rolling or disking into the soil  Usually used on larger areas such as golf courses

Preparing a Seed Bed

Steps to Preparing Seed Bed  There are four steps to preparing a seed bed:  Grading  Drainage  Conditioning the soil  Planting the lawn

Grading  Slope away from the house to drain water away from the house and basement  Slope should not be over 15% for lawn grasses because of mowing safety

Drainage  Necessary for proper root growth  Slope affects drainage. Drainage tile below the surface can be used.

Drainage

Conditioning the Soil  Six inches of topsoil should be spread over subsoil or if six inches are unavailable, well-rotted or decayed organic matter should be added and mixed into the soil.  Roots, stones, dirt clods and other trash such as metal, etc. should be removed  Soil should be tested for pH and nutrient recommendations

Conditioning the Soil  Lime and fertilizer should be added to make pH of 6.5 to 7.0 and to meet fertilizer recommendations.  All soil additives such as lime, organic matter, fertilizer, pesticides, etc., should be worked into the soil. Soil should be tilled to break the soil into small particles.

Planting the Lawn  Plant at the proper time of year: warm season in spring and cool season in early fall or very early spring  Choose the correct high quality seed for the climate and use  Slow one-half recommended rate of seed in one direction and sow the other half across the lawn at a 90 degree angle to the first half

Planting the Lawn  Cover seeds by lightly raking so that seeds will have contact with the soil  Mulch with light cover of straw or use commercial mulching material, especially on slopes  Water to keep seeds moist and new seedlings moist until they are well established