Establishing

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Establishing Maintaining Lawns

• By Johnny M. Jessup
• Agriculture Teacher/FFA Advisor

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North Carolina Lawn Grasses

• Most commonly grown grasses in NC are.

• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Bahiagrass
• Centipede
• St. Augustine

• Bermudagrass
• Zoysiagrass
• Tall Fescue
• Ryegrass

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Grass Identification

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

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Growth Habits

• Ways news shoots are produced.

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Growth Habits

• Rhizome
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Bahiagrass

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Growth Habits

• Stolon
• Centipedegrass
• St. Augustinegrass

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Growth Habits

• Stolon Rhizome
• Bermudagrass
• Zoysiagrass

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Growth Habits

• Bunch-type
• Tall Fescue
• Perennial Ryegrass
• Annual Ryegrass

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Cool-Season Grasses

• Grow best in spring and fall and stay green in
  winter.
• Examples include.
• Tall Fescue
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Fine Fescue
• Perennial Rye grass
• Annual Ryegrass

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Warm-Season Grasses

• Grow best in summer and go dormant in winter.
• Examples include.
• Bermudagrass
• Zoysiagrass
• St. Augustine
• Bahiagrass
• Centipedegrass

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Cool Warm Season Grasses

• Most of these grasses have several different
  cultivars.

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Kentucky Bluegrass

• Growth habit-rhizome
• Cool season
• Leaf texture-fine
• Color-Medium to dark green

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Bahiagrass

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

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Centipede

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

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St. Augustinegrass

• Growth Habit-stolon
• Warm season
• Leaf texture-coarse
• Color-medium to dark green

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Bermudagrass

• Growth Habit-both stolon and rhizome
• Warm season
• Leaf texture-fine
• Color-light to dark green

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Zoysiagrass

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

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Fescue

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

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Ryegrass

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

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U.S. Regions or Zones

• The U.S. has 6 regions or zones
  based on.
• Temperature
• Available moisture
• Length of growing season

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U.S. Regions or Zones
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U.S. Regions or Zones

• Three of the U.S. regions or zones are in North
  Carolina.
• Mountains western piedmont are region 1.
• Central eastern piedmont and coastal plains are
  region 2.
• Extreme southeastern coast is region 3.

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U.S. Regions or Zones

• Because of the wide range of climatic condition
  in North Carolina.
• Many lawn grass varieties are grown in the
  different areas of the state.

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Region 1 Grasses

• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Red Fescue
• Colonial Bentgrass
• Tall Fescue
• Bermudagrass
• Zoysia

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Region 2 Grasses

• Bermudagrass
• Zoysia
• Centipedegrass
• St. Augustine
• Carpetgrass
• Tall Fescue
• Kentucky Bluegrass

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Region 3 Grasses

• St. Augustine
• Bermuda
• Carpetgrass
• Zoysia
• Bahiagrass

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North Carolina 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.

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North Carolina Regions
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Environmental Requirements for NC Lawn Grasses
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Environmental Requirements

• Temperature Altitude-Climatic Zone
• Cool-season
• Warm-season

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Environmental Requirements

• Type of Soil

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Environmental Requirements

• Use Tolerance or Wear
• Excellent
• Bermudagrass
• Very Good
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Tall Fescue

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Environmental Requirements

• Use Tolerance or Wear
• Good
• Zoysiagrass
• Bahiagrass
• Fair
• Some mixtures
• Poor
• Centipedegrass
• St. Augustinegrass

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Environmental Requirements

• Lime Fertilizer
• Follow soil sample recommendations.

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Environmental Requirements

• Watering
• As needed depending on weather water
  conservation laws.

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Environmental Requirements

• Mowing
• Height varies from about 1 for.
• Bermudagrass
• Centipedegrass
• Zoysiagrass

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Environmental Requirements

• Mowing
• Height varies from about 3 for.
• Tall Fescue

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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.

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Environmental Requirements

• Pest Control for.
• Weeds
• Insects
• Diseases
• Moles

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Environmental Requirements

• Light Requirements
• Different grasses are adapted to different
  amounts of sun or shade.
• Examples
• Shade
• Partial Shade
• Full Sun

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Methods Used to Start a Lawn
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Methods to Start a Lawn

• The four methods to starting a lawn are.
• Seeding
• Sodding
• Plugging
• Sprigging Stolonizing

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Seeding

• Most common least expensive way to start a
  lawn.
• Methods are.
• Hand Seeding
• Hand Spreader
• Cultipacker
• Hydroseeder

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Hand Mechanical Seeding
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Machinery Powered Seeding Methods

• Cultipacker
• Hydroseeder
• Applies seed, water, fertilizer mulch
  at the same time.

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Hydroseeder
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Sodding

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

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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.

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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.

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Sprigging Stolonizing

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

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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.

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Steps Involved in Preparing a Seed Bed
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Grading

• Slope away from house to drain water away from
  house and basement.
• Slope should not be over 15 for lawn grasses
  because of mowing safety.

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Drainage

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

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Conditioning the Soil

• Six inches of topsoil should be spread over
  subsoil.
• If six inches are unavailable.
• Well-rotted or decayed organic matter should be
  added and mixed in soil.

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Conditioning the Soil

• Items should be removed such as.
• Roots
• Stones
• Dirt clods
• Metal
• Other trash

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Conditioning the Soil

• Lime fertilizer should be added to.
• Make pH 6.5 7.0.
• Meet fertilizer recommendations.

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Conditioning the Soil

• All soil additives should be worked into the soil
  such as.
• Lime
• Organic Matter
• Fertilizer
• Pesticides
• Etc.

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Conditioning the Soil

• Soil should be tilled to break the soil into
  small particles.

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Planting the Lawn

• Plant at the proper time of year.
• Warm-season grasses in spring.
• Cool-season grasses in early fall or
  very early spring.

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Planting the Lawn

• Choose the correct high quality seed for the
  climate and use.
• Sow ½ half recommended rate of seed in one
  direction and sow the other half across the lawn
  at a 90o angle to the first half.

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Planting the Lawn

• Cover seeds by lightly raking so that seeds will
  have contact with soil.
• Mulch with light cover of straw or use commercial
  mulching material.
• Especially on slopes.

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Planting the Lawn

• Water to keep seeds new seedlings moist until
  they are well established.

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Designed By

• Johnny M. Jessup FFA Advisor
• Hobbton High School