Types of Grasses
Northern grasses like cool weather. Grasses adapted to northern climates
do most of their growing during autumn, winter and spring, and slow down during
summer heat. The main one is Kentucky bluegrass. Most of the varieties do not
differ much, and like moderate attention. Merion, probably the best known, needs
heavy fertilization and is not suited to the warmer part of the area.
Fine fescues (such as Chewings, Illahee, Pennlawn, Creeping Red) are usually
included in bluegrass lawns. If you are going to start a new lawn, it is good
to have about 25% fescue in the seed mixture. Fescues sprout well, survive on
dry, poorer soils under trees, and are a good companion for bluegrass since
they respond to the same care.
Bentgrasses are for the fancy, more formal lawns that get a great deal of
care. They are used on golf greens, where they are meticulously tended, but
are ordinarily too troublesome for a home owner. However, in cooler coastal
areas, bent-grass lawns are standard because there un-pedigreed bentgrass has
gained a toehold in most lawns. If you want to plant bentgrass, choose one of
the less troublesome varieties such as Highland, rather than creeping sorts.
However, compared to bluegrass, it will require extra feeding and watering,
closer and more frequent mowing, disease prevention, and probably occasional
thinning.
The best and most important time of year to handle cool area lawn groundwork
is in the autumn. This is when the grass plants build strength for the following
spring. Early spring is the next best time - or even winter, if you live where
snow is not too bothersome.
When hot summer weather arrives, bluegrass does
not need as much attention as in cooler months. When you fertilize in autumn
and spring, all of the food goes to the grass, which is growing rapidly at that
time - while weeds are not. If, on the other hand, you feed in summer, you may
encourage and help weeds, because most of them do best in warm weather when
bluegrass is relatively inactive.
