Columnists
Let’s talk about grass
It’s that time of year when we all become a little obsessed about our lawns. This also happens to be the time that I start getting thousands of questions about grass. So for my next few articles, I think its about time to put all of my knowledge out there so that you can grow the best turf possible for your home.
The grass in our lawns is predominantly made up of just a few species. In cold weather climates, we use Kentucky Blue Grass, Fescues and Rye grass blend. It is important to know this because there are characteristics of each type of grass that impacts how it grows, what it needs and what likes to feed on it. You can’t compare the grass we grow to hot climates like Florida or the Caribbean, which grow and look very different.
Kentucky Blue is a classic type of lawn grass and the one we all associate with the perfect lawn and is the predominant base grass that we use because it is the prettiest. Unfortunately there are a few downsides; the most notable is that KB is shallow rooted. Its entire root structure usually only grows down to between four and six inches. Shallow rooted grasses are not the best at competing for nutrients or available ground water, which means that you have to supplement them more often with regular watering and additional fertilizing. This is also why Kentucky Blue does not preform well around aggressive trees like maples; their heavy root systems strip the soil of everything that the grass needs to grow well. Kentucky Blue does have a few advantages though. This grass spreads horizontally very well. It sends roots on top of the soil (stolons) and roots below the soil (rhizomes) that help the lawn establish new growth to fill in the empty patches in your yard. Kentucky Blue is relatively slow at turning green in the spring and has a bad habit of turning brown in the hot summer months but will quickly rebound when cooler nighttime temperatures arrive. Kentucky Blue is a particular favourite for grubs and chafer beetles. They love to live just below the surface, eating the tender roots in the spring.
Fescue grass isn’t as pretty as Kentucky Blue with narrower leaves and a coarser appearance, but is generally much tougher. Fescues are best suited for high traffic areas; they have deeper root systems, some going down as deep as six feet. They also do better over the winter months, coming up greener faster than other options. Fescues also have something in them called endophytes, which many insects including grubs don’t like them. There are downsides to fescues; this grass doesn’t handle heat well and needs a lot of watering in the summer months.
Rye Grass is a blender in our yards and should never be the main seed that we use. Rye grass is the fastest growing option and amazingly at quickly fixing brown patches. However, Rye grass doesn’t do well in heat or shade situations. Most savvy homeowners use rye grass to top dress their lawns in the spring to get a flush of healthy green before the Kentucky Blue starts to grow.
Almost all of our lawn problems and questions go back to choosing the best grass options for your space.
If you have grubs, start adding more fescue seeds to your lawn.
If your lawn looks brown in the spring, add more rye grass to the mix.
If you have brown patches in the hot summer months, add more fescue.
If your lawn doesn’t have that lush look you want, add more Kentucky Blue.
There is a lot more to know about growing the perfect lawn, but understanding the type of grass you are working with makes problem solving significantly easier.
Next week: fertilizing, weeding, aerating and mowing.
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