Identifying Turfgrasses

1
Identifying Turfgrasses
Agents Commercial Ornamental Horticulture
In-service Training - May, 2005
2
Common Turfgrasses in Tennessee

• Warm-season
• Bermudagrass
• Zoysia
• Centipedegrass
• St. Augustinegrass

• Cool-season
• Tall fescue
• Fine fescues
• Kentucky bluegrass
• Perennial ryegrass
• Annual ryegrass

3
Rhizomes
Turfgrass Growth Habit
Tillers
Stolons
4
Growth Habit

• Bunch spread by tillering
• Uniformity is problem long term or at low seeding
  rates
• Tall, Chewings and Hard Fescues, and Annual and
  Perennial Ryegrasses

5
Growth Habit

• Rhizomatous
• Below-ground lateral shoots
• Storage organs
• Uniform turfs
• Sod production
• Bermudagrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Creeping Red
  Fescue and Zoysia

6
Growth Habit

• Stoloniferous
• Above-ground lateral shoots
• Foraging organ grow faster than rhizomes
• Uniform turfs
• Close mowing preferred
• Sod production
• Bermudagrass and Zoysia

7
A Turfgrass Plant
8
Vernation
Folded
Rolled
9
Leaf Tip
Pointed
Rounded
Boat-shaped
10
Ligule
11
Collar
12
Auricles
13
Tall Fescue

• Growth habit bunch
• Vernation rolled
• Ligule med.(0.4 - 1.2 mm), blunt
• Auricles short, blunt, hairs
• Collar broad, divided, short hairs
• Blade wide (5-10 mm), flat, stiff (coarse leaf)

14

• Vernation folded
• Ligule membranous, 0.5 mm, blunt
• Auricles none
• Collar narrow, continuous
• Blade 11/2 - 3 mm, often remaining folded

Red fescue
15
Hard fescue (Festuca longifolia)

• Growth habit bunch
• Very stiff leaves, wider than sheep fescue
• More tolerant of moist, fertile soils than sheep
  fescue
• Uses shade mixtures and soil stabilization

16
(No Transcript)
17
Poa spp.

• Most commonly used temperate grass
• More than 200 species
• Vernation folded
• Auricles none
• Leaf blade boat-shaped tip distinct central
  vein parallel light veins
• Growth habit bunch, stoloniferous or rhizomatous
  depending on species
• Cutting height 1 to 4 inches

18
Kentucky bluegrass

• Ligule membranous, very short (0.2 - 0.6 mm),
  blunt
• Collar broad, divided
• Leaf blades smooth, central vein, boat-shaped tip

19
Annual bluegrass (Poa annua)

• Damp/moist, fertile soils
• Sun to shade
• Major component of many golf greens
  (unintentionally) and lawns often form
  conspicuous patches

20
Annual bluegrass

• Ligule long (0.8 3mm), membranous, pointed
• Collar broad, divided
• Blade two - 3 mm wide light- to dark-green
  ecotypes

21
Seed producer (1,190,000 seeds / lb.)
Wrinkled leaves
Long ligule
Annual bluegrass
22
Rough bluegrass(Poa trivialis)

• Growth habit stoloniferous
• Fine-textured, light green
• Damp/moist, fertile soils
• Poor heat/drought tolerance
• Moderate to heavy shade
• turns brown thins out in sun during summer
• Overseeding bermudagrass

23
Rough bluegrass

• Ligule long (2 - 6 mm) membranous, pointed or
  notched
• Collar broad, divided
• Blades one - 4 mm wide glossy
• surface sheath has onion-skin look

24
Rough bluegrass
Weak, small and short stolon
Rough bluegrass
25
(No Transcript)
26
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

• English ryegrass
• Growth habit bunch
• Origin British Isles
• Annual or perennial according to location

27
Perennial ryegrass

• Vernation folded
• Ligule 0.5-2 mm, membranous, blunt to rounded
• Auricles small, claw-like
• Collar broad, divided
• Blades flat, 2-5 mm wide glossy underside

28
Other ID tips Very red at the base Seeds are
wider above the mid-point
Perennial ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass
29
Annual ryegrass

• Italian ryegrass
• Annual or short-lived perennial
• Growth habit bunch
• Vernation rolled
• Ligule ½ - 2 mm, membranous, rounded
• Auricles pointed, claw-like
• Collar broad, continuous

30
Annual ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass
31
Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.)

• Most common southern turfgrass highly variable
• Several species and hybrids
• Common Cynodon dactylon (18 chromosomes)
• African C. transvaalensis (36 chromosomes)
• Hybrids C. dactylon x C. transvaalensis Sterile

32
Bermudagrass

• Vernation folded
• Ligule fringe of hairs
• Auricles none
• Collar continuous, narrow to broad
• Blades flat, 1.5 - 4 mm wide, smooth or hairy
  above below
• Growth habit stoloniferous, rhizomatous

33
Bermudagrass
34
Zoysia
35
Zoysia (Zoysia spp.)

• Three species used for turf
• Japanese lawngrass Zoysia japonica
• Manilagrass Zoysia matrella
• Mascarenegrass Zoysia tenuifolia

36
Zoysia

• Vernation rolled
• Auricles none
• Ligule fringe of hairs
• Collar broad, continuous, w/ long hairs
• Blades flat, 2-4 mm wide, stiff, long hairs on
  top (bottom)
• Growth habit stoloniferous, rhizomatous

37
Zoysia
pointed, stiff, upright leaves
38
Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides)

• Moderately coarse -textured
• Stoloniferous
• Adaptation and Uses
• Coastal, southern transition zone
• Lawns, rights-of-way
• Use is increasing

39
Centipedegrass
40
St. Augustinegrass

• Coarse-textured
• Stoloniferous
• Leaf blade constricted at the base

41
(No Transcript)