Environmental Requirements for NC Lawn Grasses

Environmental Requirements  Temperature & Altitude-Climatic Zone  Cool-season  Warm-season vs.

Environmental Requirements  Type of Soil

Environmental Requirements  Use Tolerance or Wear  Excellent  Bermudagrass  Very Good  Kentucky Bluegrass  Tall Fescue

Environmental Requirements  Use Tolerance or Wear  Good  Zoysiagrass  Bahiagrass  Fair  Some mixtures  Poor  Centipedegrass  St. Augustinegrass

Environmental Requirements  Lime & Fertilizer  Follow soil sample recommendations.

Environmental Requirements  Watering  As needed depending on weather & water conservation laws.

Environmental Requirements  Mowing  Height varies from about 1” for….  Bermudagrass  Centipedegrass  Zoysiagrass

Environmental Requirements  Mowing  Height varies from about 3” for….  Tall Fescue

Environmental Requirements  Mowing  General rule for mowing frequency is that less than half the total leaf surface is removed.  Example:  If recommended mowing height is 2”, grass should be mowed when it is less 4” tall so that less than half will be removed.

Environmental Requirements  Pest Control for….  Weeds  Insects  Diseases  Moles

Environmental Requirements  Light Requirements  Different grasses are adapted to different amounts of sun or shade.  Examples:  Shade  Partial Shade  Full Sun

Methods Used to Start a Lawn

Methods to Start a Lawn  The four methods to starting a lawn are….  Seeding  Sodding  Plugging  Sprigging & Stolonizing

Seeding  Most common & least expensive way to start a lawn.  Methods are….  Hand Seeding  Hand Spreader  Cultipacker  Hydroseeder

Hand & Mechanical Seeding HAND SEEDINGHAND SPREADER

Machinery Powered Seeding Methods  Cultipacker  Hydroseeder  Applies seed, water, fertilizer & mulch at the same time. CULTIPACKER

Hydroseeder

Sodding  Using established turf (grass & roots) that is cut in thin layers and removed from the growing area in strips.

Sodding  Is taken to new lawn & rolled out and fitted together.  More expensive than other methods, but….  Provides instant lawn.  Works on slopes where seeds will wash away.

Plugging  Using small plugs or blocks of sod to plant in holes about 1 foot apart.  Very time consuming, but….  Is used for many warm season grasses that are poor seed producers.

Sprigging & Stolonizing  Uses plant runners, cuttings, or stolons without soil attached to start new lawns.  Sprigging is slow if done by hand.

Sprigging & Stolonizing  Can be done by broadcasting plant parts and rolled or disked into the soil.  Usually used on larger areas such as golf courses.