1. Importance of a Lawn The lawn and other landscape components should complement the house and provide a pleasant area for family activities.

2. Importance of a Lawn Sound establishment and maintenance practices will improve the appearance of your lawn.

3. Importance of a Lawn Unkept Lawns reflect the people who live there and are unappealing to the neighborhood.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. Types of Cool Season Grasses Tall Fescue Fine Fescue Rye Grass Kentucky Bluegrass

7. Tall Fescue Most heat tolerant cool season grass Easily established from seed Very economical

8. 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.

9. Tall Fescue Reseeding is recommended each fall to reduces the gaps between clumps.

10. Tall Fescue Should be mowed to about 3 inches. Shorter mowing will stress the grass especially during summer.

11. Tall Fescue Very Coarse Texture Wide Leaf Blade Unappealing to some

12. Tall Fescue Poorly managed fescue lawns quickly become unattractive.

13. Fine Fescue Not widely used in Georgia Less heat tolerance than tall fescue

14. Fine FescueTall Fescue

15. Fescue Varieties of fine fescue are being researched and there is promise of heat and drought tolerant varieties for the south.

16. Kentucky Bluegrass Most popular lawngrass in the Northern United States Limited to only the northern part of Georgia due to poor hear tolerance

17. Medium Textured Grass Found commonly in mixed stands with fescue Kentucky Bluegrass

18. The boat shaped leaf tips readily distinguish Kentucky Bluegrass.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. Types of Warm Season Grass Common Bermuda Hybrid Bermuda Centipede St. Augustine Zoysia Bahia

22. 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.

23. Bermudagrasses Most popular warm season grass Most adapted grass to Georgia Can be mowed at short desirable lengths

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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

28. Bermudagrass The difference in texture of the finer hybrid bermuda and the more course common Bermuda can be seen here.

29. Bermudagrass Hybrids Hybrid bermuda grasses can be very beautiful if given the extra care that is required.

30. Bermudagrass Hybrids

31. Tifgreen 328 is best used on golf greens, but can be used on lawns.

32. 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.

33. Bermudagrass- Ultradwarf Used only for golf greens Selected for their close mowing ability Have a high maintenance requirement

34. 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.

35. Zoysiagrass Provides a neat and clean appearance. A slow grower Cannot be grown from seed Zoysia sod is expensive and the sprigs grow slow.

36. Zoysiagrass Zoysia can spread by stolons and rhizomes, shown here, as does bermuda.

37. Zoysiagrassvs. 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.

38. ZoysiagrassHybrid Bermuda

39. 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.

40. Zoysiagrass These plots were planted at the same time, ten months ago. The zoysia has not spread as well as the bermuda.

41. Meyer Zoysia The most widely used cultivar. Is known for its improved growing rate.

42. 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.

43. Emerald Zoysia Very fine leaf texture Poor cold tolerance

44. Centipedegrass Low Maintenance Required Easily and economically established from seeds. Less mowing and fertilizer needed than other grasses

45. Centipedegrass Ability to grow in the sun or shade Poor cold tolerance Yellow-green color is unattractive to some homeowners

46. Centipedegrass Coarse Texture Opposite leaf arrangement Single stem seed head

47. St. Augustinegrass Very popular in the Coastal Plains Region of Georgia but also grown successfully in the Athens-Atlanta area.

48. St. Augustinegrass Has large flat stems and wide coarse leaves. Lacks seeds, so must be propagated vegetatively. A very aggressive grass that spreads rapidly.

49. CentipedeSt. 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.

50. 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.

51. 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

52. 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.

53. 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

54. 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

55. Shade Tolerance RatingGrass ExcellentSt Augustine Good Zoysia Tall Fescue FairCentipede Poor Kentucky Bluegrass Bermuda

56. Shade Tolerance If the area is in deep shade, you should consider using a suitable ground cover or mulch.

57. 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 GrassRating