Identifying, Classifying, and Selecting Turfgrass

1
Identifying, Classifying, andSelecting Turfgrass

• Student Learning Objectives. Instruction in this
  lesson should result in students
• achieving the following objectives
• 1. Identify major parts of turf grass plants.
• 2. Explain how turf grasses are selected based on
  climate.
• 3. Identify characteristics of grass plants use
  for turf grass purposes.

2
Terms. The following terms are presented in this
lesson (shown in bold italics)

• Auricle
• Bahia grass
• Bermuda grass
• Centipede grass
• Collar
• Cool-season turf grass
• Creeping bent grass
• Crown
• Fine Fescue
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Leaf blade
• Leaf sheath

• Ligule
• Perennial Ryegrass
• Rhizomes
• St. Augustine grass
• Stolon
• Tall Fescue
• Tiller
• Transition zone
• Turfgrass
• Vernation
• Warm-season turf grass
• Zoysia grass

3
What are the major parts of turf grass plants?

• Turfgrass is a collection of grass plants that
  form a ground cover. All turf grasses belong to
  the grass family, Poaceae.
• The types of grasses vary in appearance and
  growth habits. They are narrow-leaf plants that
  have fibrous root systems. Flowers of most
  grasses are not showy.

4
What are the major parts of turf grass plants?

• The stem of a grass plant is short or compacted.
  This compacted stem is called a crown.
• New leaves grow from the crown.
• There are three types of growth habits or
  patterns by which a turf grass spreads.
• They include stoloniferous, rhizomatous,
  bunch-type, and rhizomes.

5
What are the major parts of turf grass plants?

• Some grasses spread horizontally and produce new
  shoots called stolons.
• Stolons are stems that grow from the main plant
  above the ground. Bermudagrass, Zoysiagrass, St.
  Augustinegrass, and Centipedegrass are stolon
  producing turfgrasses.

6
What are the major parts of turf grass plants?

• Rhizomes are stems that grow under the soil
  surface. Like Stolons they grow horizontally and
  produce new shoots. Kentucky Bluegrass, Bermuda
  grass, and some Fine Fescues spread by rhizomes.
• Some grasses, such as Tall Fescue and Perennial
  Ryegrass, grow in bunches and expand somewhat by
  tillers. Tillers are shoots that develop
  alongside the parent
• shoot. Tillers grow upwards.

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What are the major parts of turfgrass plants?

• Grasses are identified by the shape of the
  auricle, collar regions, leaf blade, leaf sheath,
  ligule, vernation, and the shape of flower
  inflorescence. Other identification
  characteristics include growth habit, general
  appearance, and seed head.

8
What are the major parts of turf grass plants?

• 1. An auricle is a pair of tiny appendages
  between the leaf blade and the sheath.
• 2. The collar is a light-colored band between the
  leaf blade and sheath on the lower side of the
  leaf.
• 3. The leaf blade is the upper portion of a grass
  leaf.
• 4. The leaf sheath is the lower portion of a
  grass leaf.
• 5. A ligule is a membranous or hairy structure on
  the inside of a leaf at the junction of the leaf
  blade and sheath.
• 6. Vernation is the arrangement of the youngest
  leaf in the bud shoot, either folded or rolled.

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How are turf grasses selected based on climate?

• The environment plays a major role in selecting a
  turf grass. Temperature and precipitation are key
  factors affecting the growth of a turf grass on a
  site. Other environmental factors include the
  exposure to the sun, the type of soil, and
  humidity.

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• The United States has been divided into four
  turfgrass climate regions.
• These regions are based on the types of grasses
  that can be grown well within the particular
  region. Each region has certain environmental
  conditions that restrict growth of certain
  grasses.

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• Four major turf grass climatic zones are
  described
• a. Warm-humid The soils are generally strongly
  acidic and may be infertile due to low organic
  content.
• b. Warm arid/semi-arid best suited to
  warm-season grasses. The soils are usually
  alkaline with low fertility. They will not
  support grass without irrigation.
• c. Cool-humid The soils are generally acidic and
  some irrigation may be needed to supplement the
  natural rainfall of the area.
• d. Cool-arid/semi-aridThe soils are generally
  acidic and will usually not support other grasses
  unless there is adequate fertilization and
  irrigation.

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• Cool-season turf grass grows best in temperatures
  of 5075F.
• They grow best during the cool temperatures of
  spring and fall.
• Cool-season turf grasses with- stand cold winters
  in the northern part of the country.
• They may become dormant if allowed to dry out
  during the summer.

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• Warm-season turf grass grows best in temperatures
  of 7095F.
• They grow best from late spring until fall. They
  go dormant when temperatures drop to 40F or
• below.
• Warm-season turf grasses tolerate hot summers and
  drought conditions better than cool-season
  grasses.
• They are also more salt tolerant. However, they
• do not tolerate shade.

14

• A transition zone is an area between two major
  climatic regions. The transition zone can have
  cold winters and hot summers. Those conditions
  make it difficult for most warm and cool-season
  turf grasses.
• Only the cold-tolerant warm-season turf grasses
• and heat-tolerant cool-season turf grasses
  survive in the transition zone, but the
  climate isnt optimal for either type of grass.

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What are the characteristics of grass plants used
for turf grass purposes?

• Some of the major warm-season turf grasses are
  described
• 1. Bahia grass
• 2. Bermuda grass
• 3. Centipede grass
• 4. Saint Augustine grass
• 5. Zoysia grass

17
What are the characteristics of grass plants used
for turf grass purposes?

• Some of the major cool-season turfgrasses are
  described
• 1. Creeping Bent grass
• 2. Kentucky Bluegrass
• 3. Fine Fescues
• 4. Perennial Ryegrass
• 5. Tall Fescue

18
What are the characteristics of grass plants used
for turf grass purposes?

• Some grasses work fairly well in the transition
  zone.
• 1. Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass are two
  warm-season lawn turf grasses used in the
  transitional zone. The most cold-tolerant
  warm-season turf grass is buffalo grass.
• 2. Tall Fescue is the most common cool-season
  lawn turf grass used in the transition zone.