History of Turfgrasses
Biblical references: grasses used in Persian and Arabian
gardens
13th century literature referred to the use of turf on lawn
“bowling” areas
The word “turf” is derived from the Sanskrit “darbhus”,
meaning a tuft of grass
16-17th century, golf and turf areas developed
History continued
First lawn mower invented by Edwin Budding , England,
1830
Private lawns developed in Victorian England, brought to
US by English settlers. Had to wait until the hardwood
forests were cleared to permit grass establishment.
Williamsburg classic example of small turf areas at each
house. This was the change.
Origin of Turfgrasses
Most species used for turf are not native to North America,
with the exception of buffalograss. All the primary species
have been introduced
Most turf species are “forest-fringe” species, which
distinguishes them from taller prairie species
Origin of Turfgrasses
Turfgrasses developed in close association with
domesticated animals. Man thus unwittingly imposed
natural selection on many of the grasses we now use for
turf
Only grasses able to withstand repeated grazing (close
cutting) were able to survive
Many grasses introduced to US as feed for livestock from
the ships, or seed that “hitched a ride”
Recent History
Tremendous changes in last 40 years
Linked to rising interest in golf, TV
Many new, improved cultivars (cultivated varieties - a
named variety)
Pesticide development - 2,4-D one of first
Refined fertilizer programs, inorganic fertilizers , cheaper,
more convenient
New equipment such as aerifier, vertical mower, modern
irrigation systems
Size of the Turf Grass Industry
UNITED STATES (1983)
– 25 To 30 million acres (size of New England)
– $25 Billion in annual maintenance costs
STATE SURVEYS = $1 BILLION EACH
– New York (1982), California (1983), Virginia, North Carolina
(1994) Pennsylvania (1992)
North Carolina currently about $2.2 Billion
North Carolina Survey (1994)
Over 2 Million Acres
$1 Billion in Annual Maintenance Costs
Over 2 Million Homelawns
76,000 Miles of Roadsides
550 Golf Courses (13 Million Rounds of Golf)
What Species are Grown in NC?
Tall fescue 52% of total
Bluegrass/fescue 8%
Bermudagrass 7%
Centipedegrass 4%
others: zoysiagrass, ryegrass, bahiagrass, carpetgrass, St.
Augustinegrass
Where’s the Money?
How Golf Courses Allocate $
Labor, Mowing 28.3% of total
Mowing Equipment etc.15.1%
Labor, Pesticides 8.4%
Fertilizer 7.9%
Labor, Irrigation 3.6%
Segments of the Turf Grass Industry
Homelawns
Roadsides
Golf Course
Lawn Care
Parks
Athletic Fields
Sod Production
Schools
Commercial Grounds
Cemeteries
Churches
Institutions
Turf Sales
Airports
Selected Turf and Turf-related Occupations
Cemetery Management
Consultants
Education/ Extension
Equipment Manufacturers / Sales
Fertilizer Manufacturers / Sales
Garden Stores/Nurseries
Golf Course Operations
Irrigation Installation and Design
Journalism, Newsletters, Etc.
Landscaping / Construction
Lawn Care
Parks Management
Pesticide Manufactures/Sales
Research
Seed Firms/Sales
Sod Production
Turf Management, Parks, Etc.
Definitions
Turf
– A covering of mowed vegetation plus the medium (soil) in which
the grasses are growing
Turfgrass
– the plant community consisting of certain species in the Poaceae
forming a continuous ground cover with persists under regular
mowing and traffic
Definitions
Grass
– Any Plant of the Poacea Family (Cereals, Forages,
Bamboo)
– Parallel Venation
– Monocot-Having One Cotyledon (Seedling Leaf) in the Seed
Definitions
Turfgrass culture
– Science and practice of establishing and maintaining turfgrass
Turfgrass management
– Encompasses labor supervision, recordkeeping, budgeting, and
cost accounting as well as culture
Sod
– Harvested intact turf
Definitions
Green
– A closely mowed, highly manicured turfgrass maintained for a
specific purpose
– Types: golf, bowling, tennis
Native Grass
– Originate and persist in a region
Naturalized Grass
– Adapt and persist but not originate from the region
CLASSIFICATION OF MERION KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
Kingdom Plantae
Division Embryophyta
Subdivision Phanaerogama
Branch Angiospermae
Class Monocotyledoneae
Subclass Glumiforae
Order Poales
Family Poaceae
Subfamily Pooideae
Tribe Poeae
Genus Poa
Species pratensis
Cultivar Merion Stopped here
The Importance of Turf
In 1971 life magazine conducted a survey and found that
95% of respondents said "green grass and trees around
me" is the most important environmental factor
In 1980 Better Homes and Gardens chose lawns as most
important landscaping element (61%)
Reasons for Turf
Aesthetics
– Ornamental Grasses
– Mental Relaxation
Recreation
– Exercise
– Sporting Events
Safety (Functional)
– Reduce Glare
– Roadside Stopping
– Reduce Fire
– Reduce Rodents, Snakes
– Reduce Injuries
Environmental Quality
– Moderate Temperatures
» 15 Degrees Cooler Than Bare Ground
» 30 Degrees Cooler Than Concrete
» Home Lawn = 3 to 4 Ton Air Conditioner
– Reduce Erosion
» Absorb rain 6x better than wheat field, 4x better than hay field
» Absorb 15x more water compared to thin turf
– Reduce dust, lengthen life of equipment
– Reduce noise 30-40%
– Convert unusable land
– Recycle effluent
– Release oxygen
– Absorb toxic emissions
– Reduce allergies (but can also cause allergies)
Economics
– Realtors say landscaping adds 6% to value
– Homeowners say landscaping adds 15% to selling price
– Sell faster
– Recovery value 100-200% but only 40-70% for patio and
deck
Turf Quality
Turf quality is a function of use, appearance and playability
There are two categories:
– Visual
– Functional
Visual Quality
Density - number of shoots per area
Texture - leaf width
Uniformity - even appearance
Color
Growth habit - type of shoot growth
Smoothness - surface feature that affects quality and playability
Functional Quality
Rigidity
Resistence of leaves to compression
Elasticity
Tendency of leaves to spring back
Resiliency
Capacity to absorb shock without changing surface
Yield
Clippings removed with mowing
Functional Quality (continued)
VERDURE
AERIAL SHOOTS REMAINING AFTER MOWING
ROOTING
AMOUNT OF EVIDENT ROOT GROWTH
RECUPERATIVE CAPACITY
RECOVERY POTENTIAL
Tribute to grass
Next in importance to the divine profusion of water, light
and air, those three great physical facts which render
existence possible, may be reckoned the universal
beneficence of grass. It is at once the time of our life and the
emblem of our mortality. Lying in the sunshine among the
buttercups and dandelions of May, scarcely higher in
intelligence than the minute tenants that mimic wilderness,
our earliest recollections are of grass; and when the fitful fever
is ended, and the foolish wrangle of the market and forum is
closed, grass heals over the scar which our descent into the
bosom of the earth has made, and the carpet of the infant
becomes the blanket of the dead.
Grass is the forgiveness of Nature--her constant
benediction. Fields trampled with battle, saturated with blood,
torn with the ruts of cannon, grow green again with grass and
carnage is forgotten. "Streets abandoned by traffic become
grass-grown like rural lanes, and are obliterated. Forests
decay, harvests perish, flowers vanish, but grass is immortal.
Beleaguered by the sullen hosts of winter, it withdraws
into the impregnable fortress of its subterranean vitality, and
emerges upon the first solicitation of spring. Sown by the
winds, by wandering birds, propagated by the subtle
horticulture of the elements which are its ministers and
servants, it softens the rude outline of the world.
Its tenacious fibers hold the earth in its place, and prevent its
soluble components from washing into the wasting sea.
Unobtrusive and patient, it has immortal vigor and aggression.
Banished from the thoroughfare and the field, it abides its time
to return, and when vigilance is relaxed, or the dynasty has
perished, it silently resumes the throne from which it has been
expelled, but which it never abdicates. It bears no blazonry of
bloom to charm the senses with fragrance or splendor, but its
homely hue is more enchanting than the lily or the rose. It
yields no fruit in earth or air, and yet should its harvest fail for a
single year, famine would depopulate the world."
John J. Ingalls Senato
(Kansas)
1873-1891
REASONS TO GROW A LAWN
Home Lawns Help the Environment
The next time you're mowing on a hot day, thinking that
green concrete may really be the answer, consider all of
the ways your lawn returns your favor of good care:
1. The front lawns of a block of eight average houses
have the cooling effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning.
The average home central air conditioning unit has about
3-4 ton capacity. Consider how much energy is saved by
those lawns!
2. On a hot summer day, grass can be 10 to 14 degrees
cooler than exposed soil and as much as 30 degrees
cooler than concrete or asphalt.
3. A 50 by 100 foot well-maintained grass area will create
enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of four every
day.
4. Acting like a gigantic sponge, lawns absorb all types of
airborne pollutants such as soot, dust and carbon dioxide,
as well as noise.
5. Recent studies show healthy lawns absorb rainfall six
times more effective than a wheat field and four times
better than a hay field, being exceeded only by virgin
forest. Lawns filter the moisture to the water table where it
can again be used by everyone.
6. A Penn State University study showed "thick lawns
slow the velocity of runoff and allow the water to infiltrate."
Differences of the magnitude of 15 times between runoff
from a high quality lawn and that from a patchy lawn with a
lot of weeds have been documented.
7. A turfgrass sodded test plot, without bare spots, had
a runoff rate of about half gallon a minute during peak
rainfall. By comparison, 7.5 gallons a minute of runoff
water occurred on a neighboring plot that was thinly
seeded and had bare areas.
8. A quality turfgrass also prevents erosion by water or
wind and the loss of valuable topsoil.
9. Homes, sports fields and parks with healthy lawns
provide safer recreational areas when grass acts as a
cushion to reduce shock and potential injury.
10. Aesthetically, there can be no argument that a
beautiful lawn is immediately pleasing to the eye and
relaxing in its appearance. A lawn is the canvas against
which we paint our landscape.
ll. While some may scorn its needs, others find lawn
maintenance requirements an excellent opportunity to
enjoy reasonable exercise and as a diversion from the
hustle and bustle of life.
An average 2,500 square-foot lawn contains approximately
482 million separate grass plants, each busy performing
these beneficial functions.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
FOLLOWING TERMS:
– A. TURFGRASS CULTURE VS TURF MANAGEMENT?
B.NATIVE VS NATURALIZED GRASS?
– C.TURF VS TURFGRASS?
– D.DENSITY VS TEXTURE?
– E.RESILIENCY VS RIGIDITY?