 | Justin Cawyer is the CEO of American Lawn & Landscape Inc., and has been in the landscape industry for 22 years. Starting out as a mowing service, their business has expanded to include everything from landscaping to fertilizing and weed control. For a complete list of services, you can see their ad in Names and Numbers, visit yardsbyamerican.com, or call 620-249-5700. |
Lawn, Garden & Landscaping
2011-06-01 11:08:00
Types of grass
Question: We are completely redoing our landscaping and want it to be right for our needs. One of the biggest concerns is that everything will have to be both attractive and hearty. This is particularly true for the lawn. We have four rowdy boys that use it for football, soccer and other activities. What types of grass hold up best to brothers of destruction?
Answer: It sounds like you need something just short of Astroturf as far as durability! Fortunately, there are many types of grasses that hold up well under challenging conditions.
The first thing you need to know is that grass types are divided into two groups, Cool-Season, which prefer winters that are mild and wet to frigid and snowy, or Warm-Season, which prefers winters that are mild and hot or dry summers.
For Cool-Season grasses, here are the most hearty and durable choices:
•Kentucky Bluegrass- This grass is
the most common cool season
grass. Although it does not like
extremely shady areas, it takes the
heat and cold well and is perfect
for high traffic lawns.
•Perennial Ryegrass- This type of
grass can take a beating, and
takes the cold and heat as long
as it is not too extreme. It is
great for over seeding and using in
combination with other grasses.
•Tall Fescue- Tall Fescue is another
great choice. This grass is not
fussy about soil types and will
grow well in full sun or shade. It
holds up under tough conditions
and temperature variations.
Warm-Season Grasses:
•Bermuda grass- Bermuda is going
to hold up the best under high
traffic. As a matter of fact a lot of
football fields and other athletic
fields have Bermuda on them for
durability.
•Buffalograss- This grass is known
for its warm season heartiness, but
has excellent winter hardiness as
well. It grows well in most soil
types with the exception of sand
based soils.
•Zoysiagrass- Zoysiagrasses are
among the most wear tolerant turf
grasses. It takes the heat and cold
well and it can take a lot of traffic.
However, it does like well-drained
soil.
The most popular and well growing grasses in Kansas consist of cool-season grasses with Tall Fescue ranking highest.
Once you start investigating, you will find that there are so many types of grasses that it can be overwhelming. A lawn care professional can help you sort out the differences, determine your soil type and choose the one that will hold up best under your particular conditions.
