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Selecting Lawn Grasses
By: Matthew Flanders Dr. Keith Karnok Dr. Frank Flanders
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Importance of a Lawn The lawn and other landscape components should complement the house and provide a pleasant area for family activities.
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Importance of a Lawn Sound establishment and maintenance practices will improve the appearance of your lawn.
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Importance of a Lawn Unkept Lawns reflect the people who live there and are unappealing to the neighborhood.
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Selecting Turfgrasses
The first and most important step is to choose the proper grass species. Of course, this is no way to do it.
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Building a Good Lawn The characteristics of your site should be considered when selecting a turfgrass. Grasses will not grow in incorrect conditions without any regard to your effort.
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Selecting Turfgrasses
Do not make the assumption that all grasses are alike. There are several grasses to choose from and they require various conditions and treatment for good growth. They also differ in appearance. Color variation is easily seen here.
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Selecting Turfgrasses
A homeowner should become familiar with the turfgrasses adapted to his/her area and then select a species based his/her personal preference and the environmental requirements of the species.
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Warm Season vs. Cool Season
Turfgrasses for Georgia can be divided into two categories, warm season and cool season. If you live south of Atlanta and Athens you should not consider a cool season grass because of stress from summer heat and drought. The warm season grasses generally can be grown all over the state, but with the exception of the North Georgia mountain areas.
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Types of Grasses Warm Season Grasses Common Bermuda Hybrid Bermuda
Centipede St. Augustine Zoysia Bahia Seashore Paspalum Cool Season Grasses Tall Fescue Fine Fescue Rye Grass Kentucky Bluegrass
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Cool Season Grass Characteristics
Cool season grasses as the name implies, grows best during the cool part of the year; fall, winter and early spring. They are recommended only north of Atlanta and Athens area. If properly managed the grasses will remain green all year. The major problem of cool season grasses is the lack of heat tolerance.
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Types of Cool Season Grasses
Tall Fescue Fine Fescue Rye Grass Kentucky Bluegrass
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Tall Fescue Most heat tolerant cool season grass
Easily established from seed Very economical
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Tall Fescue The biggest problem of fescue is that it doesn’t spread and becomes clumpy and spotty. It lacks rhizomes and stolons to fill in bare ground in the landscape.
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Tall Fescue Reseeding is recommended each fall to reduces the gaps between clumps.
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Tall Fescue Should be mowed to about 3 inches.
Shorter mowing will stress the grass especially during summer.
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Tall Fescue Very Coarse Texture Wide Leaf Blade Unappealing to some
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Tall Fescue Poorly managed fescue lawns quickly become unattractive.
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Fine Fescue Not widely used in Georgia
Less heat tolerance than tall fescue
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Fine Fescue Tall Fescue
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Fescue Varieties of fine fescue are being researched and there is promise of heat and drought tolerant varieties for the south.
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Kentucky Bluegrass Most popular lawngrass in the Northern United States Limited to only the northern part of Georgia due to poor hear tolerance
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Kentucky Bluegrass Medium Textured Grass
Found commonly in mixed stands with fescue
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Kentucky Bluegrass The boat shaped leaf tips readily distinguish Kentucky Bluegrass. The boat shaped leaf tips
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Ryegrass Two types: Annual and Perennial
Not usually grown in Georgia as a single grass lawns. Used mostly to overseed dormant warm season grasses for winter color.
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Cool Season Grass Mixes
Sold commonly in Georgia. Suitable for Georgia in or north of Athens or Atlanta or if your lawn has a variety of conditions such as sun and shade or dry and wet Usually more expensive than single grass seed There may not be any advantages over a single grass lawn.
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Warm Season Grass Characteristics
A major disadvantage is that they become dormant and turn brown in the winter. They can be overseeded with ryegrass to provide green color in the winter. Grow during late spring, summer and fall.
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Types of Warm Season Grass
Common Bermuda Hybrid Bermuda Centipede St. Augustine Zoysia Bahia
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Warm Season Grasses- Vegetative Reproduction
Most of the finest grasses are hybrids and must be reproduced vegetatively. This can be slow if sprigged or plugged and expensive if completely sodded.
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Bermudagrasses Most popular warm season grass
Most adapted grass to Georgia Can be mowed at short desirable lengths
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Bermudagrass Selecting and breeding of bermudagrass has been present since 1950. The University of Georgia Coastal Experiment Station in Tifton has been a leading producer of successful cultivars.
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Bermudagrass Seed Heads
Seeds are most abundant on common bermuda. A very unattractive characteristic. Hybrid breeds have been selected for their lower number of seed heads.
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Four Groups of Bermudagrass
Common (Arizona Common) Improved Common or Seeded- have better color, density, or traffic tolerance than common bermuda, depending on the type. Hybrid- produces sterile seed and can only be propagated vegetatively. Has a finer leaf blade than common. Ultradwarf- relatively new, they are selected for their low mowing height. Used mostly for golf greens.
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Common Bermudagrass Distinguished by its coarse texture and open habit of growth. Most widely used lawngrass in Georgia Grows very easily Can be reproduced by seeds
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Bermudagrass The difference in texture of the finer hybrid bermuda and the more course common Bermuda can be seen here.
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Bermudagrass Hybrids Hybrid bermuda grasses can be very beautiful if given the extra care that is required.
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Bermudagrass Hybrids Tifgreen 328 (right) and Tifway 419 (left) are the most popular hybrids. As with most of the hybrids only an expert can distinguish between them by simple observation. Their differences lie in their adaptation to certain uses.
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Bermudagrass Hybrids Tifgreen 328 is best used on golf greens, but can be used on lawns. Tifgreen 328 has proven best for golf greens. However, it can be, and is, used on lawns.
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Bermudagrasses for Lawns
Tifway 419 is the most popular hybrid bermuda used for lawns. It is also well suited for golf fairways and football fields.
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Bermudagrass- Ultradwarf
Used only for golf greens Selected for their close mowing ability Have a high maintenance requirement
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Bermudagrass Characteristics
Bermuda is commonly confused with Zoysia The leave angles are different for the two species. Bermuda leaves are at 45º angles, while Zoysia leaves are at 80 º angles. Zoysia is also much stiffer and spindly to the touch than Bermuda.
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Zoysiagrass Provides a neat and clean appearance. A slow grower
Cannot be grown from seed Zoysia sod is expensive and the sprigs grow slow.
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Zoysiagrass Zoysia can spread by stolons and rhizomes, shown here, as does bermuda.
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Zoysiagrass vs. Bermudagrass
Zoysia and bermuda are difficult to tell apart. Bermuda leaves, on the right, stand at 45º angles to its stems. Zoysia, on the left, has leaves that stand at about 80º to its stems.
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Zoysiagrass Hybrid Bermuda
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Zoysiagrass Zoysia makes a beautiful lawn but grow slowly and requires a lot of extra care. It can be grown in light shade, unlike bermuda.
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Zoysiagrass These plots were planted at the same time, ten months ago. The zoysia has not spread as well as the bermuda.
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Meyer Zoysia The most widely used cultivar. Is known for its improved growing rate.
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El Toro Zoysia The El Toro variety is a high quality hybrid. This fine textured grass has a low growth habit, attractive color and high density. However, its cold tolerance is less than other varieties of Zoysia.
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Emerald Zoysia Very fine leaf texture Poor cold tolerance
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Centipedegrass Low Maintenance Required
Easily and economically established from seeds. Less mowing and fertilizer needed than other grasses
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Centipedegrass Ability to grow in the sun or shade Poor cold tolerance
Yellow-green color is unattractive to some homeowners
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Centipedegrass Coarse Texture Opposite leaf arrangement
Single stem seed head
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Centipedegrass- Tifblair
Tifblair is a more cold tolerant variety of centipede, making it more suitable for North Georgia.
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St. Augustinegrass Very popular in the Coastal Plains Region of Georgia but also grown successfully in the Athens-Atlanta area. St. Augustine is very popular in the coastal plains of Georgia but it is often grown quite successfully in the Atlanta, Athens area.
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St. Augustinegrass Has large flat stems and wide coarse leaves. Lacks seeds, so must be propagated vegetatively. A very aggressive grass that spreads rapidly.
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Centipede St. Augustine
St. Augustine is sometimes confused with centipede. Centipede (right) which has a narrower leaf and whose leaves are opposite on the stem. St. Augustine's leaves (left) are alternate on the stem and are much taller.
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Bahiagrass Not usually recommended as a lawn grass, with the rapid production of unattractive seed heads being the most objectionable trait. Bahia is used mostly where quality is not important, such as roadsides and ditches.
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Seashore Paspalum Recently developed in Florida Tolerates poor soils
High salt tolerance (Can even be irrigated with ocean salt water!) Highly suitable for coastal regions
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Seashore Paspalum Used mostly on golf courses near the coast
Can be mowed to an 1/8 inch height but ½ to 1 ½ is recommended.
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Seashore Paspalum Seed heads grow quickly, however not enough viable seed is produced to be effective. Vegetative propagation is used with stolons, rhizomes, and sprigs
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Selecting a Grass Matching the proper grass to a site can be confusing. Remembering all the characteristics of each grass is difficult for a beginner. Find a grass that best suits your situation
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Shade Tolerance Rating Grass Excellent St Augustine Good Zoysia
Tall Fescue Fair Centipede Poor Kentucky Bluegrass Bermuda
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Shade Tolerance If the area is in deep shade, you should consider using a suitable ground cover or mulch.
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Wear Tolerance Wear tolerance refers to the traffic or use of the grass. Areas that receive a lot of hard use, such as playgrounds and lawns where children play need a high wear tolerant grass like bermuda. Hybrid Bermuda Common Bermuda Bahia Tall Fescue Kentucky Bluegrass St. Augustine Centipede Most Tolerant Least Tolerant Grass Rating
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Drought Tolerance Drought can be a real problem during the summer in Georgia unless an irrigation system is installed. Assuming no irrigation bermuda and zoysia would be the best choice. Bahia Bermuda Zoysia Tall Fescue St. Augustine Centipede Excellent Least Tolerant Grass Rating
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Low Temperature Hardiness
A more critical factor in North Georgia. The colder winter temperatures can severely harm or even kill some warm season grasses. Kentucky Bluegrass Tall Fescue Zoysia Bermuda Centipede St. Augustine Bahia Excellent Very Poor Grass Rating
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High Temperature Hardiness
A bigger factor in Central and South Georgia. Cool season grasses will suffer greatly in the summer. Bermuda Bahia Zoysia Centipede St. Augustine Tall Fescue Kentucky Bluegrass Excellent Very Poor Grass Rating
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Adaptation to Georgia Grass Region(s) Bahia Central and South Bermuda
All Centipede Kentucky Bluegrass North Seashore Paspalum Central and South (Coastal) St. Augustine Tall Fescue Zoysia
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Maintenance Generally, the higher quality lawn grasses, require the most hours of maintenance. Low maintenance grasses, such as centipede, reduce time working on the lawn. Grasses are best cut with a reel mower as seen here, although they may be too expensive to be practical for homeowners.
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Choosing a Lawngrass With a little study of the characteristics and requirements of various turfgrasses and a decision about what you really want in a lawn, the puzzle of “Choosing a Lawngrass” can be solved quite easily.
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References Emmons, Robert. Turfgrass Science and Management. 3rd Ed. Albany, NY: Delmar University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences “Turfgrass." Georgia Commodities (11 Nov 2002).
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