Transcript courses.cropsci.ncsu.edu

History of Turfgrasses
Biblical references: grasses used in Persian
and Arabian gardens
 13th century literature referred to the use of
turn on lawn “bowling” areas
 The word “turf” is derived from the Sanskrit
“darbhus”, meaning a turf of grass
 16-17th century, golf and turf areas
developed
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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.
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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
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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”
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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
 New equipment such as aerifier, vertical
mower, modern irrigation systems
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Size of the Turf Grass Industry
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UNITED STATES (1983)
– 25 To 30 million acres (size of new england)
– $25 Billion in annual maintenance COSTS
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STATE SURVEYS = $1 BILLION EACH
– New York (1982), California (1983), Virginia,
North Carolina (1986) Pennsylvania (1992)
North Carolina Survey (1994)
Over 2 Million Acres
 $1 Billion in Annual Maintenance Costs
 Over 2 Million Homelawns
 76,000 Miles of Roadsides
 500 Golf Courses (12 Million Rounds of
Golf)
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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
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Where’s the Money?
How Golf Courses Allocate $
Labor, Mowing
 Mowing Equipment etc.
 Labor, Pesticides
 Fertilizer
 Labor, Irrigation
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28.3% of total
15.1%
8.4%
7.9%
3.6%
Segments of the Turf Grass
Industry
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Homelawns
Roadsides
Golf Course
Lawn Care
Parks
Athletic Fields
Sod Production
Schools
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Commercial Grounds
Cemeteries
Churches
Institutions
Turf Sales
Airports
Selected Turf and Turf-related
Occupations
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Cemeteries
Management
Consultants
Education/ Extension
Equipment
Manufacturers / Sales
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Fertilizer
Manufacturers / Sales
Garden
Stores/Nurseries
Golf Course
Operations
More ...
Selected Turf and Turf-related
Occupations
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Irrigation Installation
and Design
Journalism,
Newsletters, Etc.
Landscaping /
Construction
Lawn Care
Lawn Service Firms
Lime Production/Sales
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Parks Management
Pesticide
Manufactures/Sales
Research
Seed Firms/Sales
Sod Production
Turf Management,
Parks, Etc.
Definitions
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Turf
– A covering of mowed vegetation plus the
medium (soil) in which the grasses are growing
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Turfgrass
– the plant community consisting of certain
species in the Poaceae forming a continuous
ground cover with persists under regular
mowing and traffic
Definitions
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Grass
– Any Plant of the Poacea Family
(Cereals, Forages, Bamboo)
– Parallel Venation
– MonocotHaving One Cotyledon (Seedling
Leaf) in the Seed
Definitions
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Turfgrass culture
– Science and practice of establishing and
maintaining turfgrass
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Turfgrass management
– Encompasses labor supervision, recordkeeping,
budgeting, and cost accounting as well as
culture
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Sod
– Harvested turf
Definitions
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Green
– A closely mowed, highly manicured turfgrass
maintained for a specific purpose
– Types: golf, bowling, tennis
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Native Grass
– Originate and persist in a region
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Naturalized Grass
– Adapt and persist but not originate from the
region
CLASSIFICATION OF MERION
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
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Kingdom
Division
Subdivision
Branch
Class
Subclass
Order
Family
Subfamily
Tribe
Genus
Species
Cultivar
Plantae
Embryophyta
Phanaerogama
Angiospermae
Monocotyledoneae
Glumiforae
Poales
Poaceae
Pooideae
Poeae
Poa
pratensis
Merion
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
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Reasons for Turf
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Safety
– Reduce Glare
– Roadside Stopping
– Reduce Fire
– Reduce Rodents, Snakes
– Reduce Injuries
Reasons for Turf
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Environmental Quality
– Moderate Temperatures
»15 Degrees Cooler Than Bare Ground
»30 Degrees Cooler Than Concrete
Reasons for Turf
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Environmental Quality (continued)
– Reduce Erosion
– Reduce dust, lengthen life of equipment
– Reduce noise 30-40%
– Convert unusable land - land fills for
example
Reasons for Turf
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Environmental Quality (continued)
– Recycle effluent
– Release oxygen
– Absorb toxic emissions
– Reduce allergies (but can also cause
allergies)
Reasons for Turf
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Economics
– Realtors say landscaping adds 6% to
value
– Homeowners say landscaping adds 15%
to selling price
– Sell faster
– Recovery value 100-200% but only 4070% for patio and deck
Sporting Events that Utilize Turf
as a Playing Surface
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Archery
Badminton
Baseball
Cricket
Croquet
Football
Frisbee
Golf
Horseracing
Horseshoes
Lawn Bowling
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Lawn Darts
Playgrounds
Rugby
Skiing, lawn
Skiing, snow
Soccer
Softball
Steeple Chase
Tetherball
Track & Field
Volleyball
Turf Quality
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Turf quality is a function of use, appearance
and playability
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There are two categories:
– Visual
– Functional
Visual Quality
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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
Density
Texture
Uniformity
Smoothness
Functional Quality
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Rigidity
 Resistence
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of leaves to compression
Elasticity
 Tendency of leaves to spring back
Resiliency
 Capacity to absorb shock without
changing surface
Yield
 Clippings removed with mowing
Rigidity
Elasticity
Ball Roll
Clippings
Verdure
Functional Quality (continued)
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Verdure
 Aerial
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shoots remaining after mowing
Rooting
 Amount,
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depth of root growth
Recuperative capacity
 Recovery potential
TEN GOOD REASONS TO
GROW A LAWN
Home Lawns Help the Environment
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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:
10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn
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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!
10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn
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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.
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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.
10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn
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4. Acting like a gigantic sponge, lawns absorb all
types of airborne pollutants such as soot, dust and
carbon monoxide, as well as noise.
5. Recent studies show healthy lawns absorb
rainfall six times more effectively 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.
10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn
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6. A Penn State University study showed
"thick lawns slow the velocity of runoff and
allow the water to infiltrate." A healthy,
high quality lawn was at least 10 times
more effective than a patchy lawn with a lot
of weeds.
10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn
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7. While a quality turfgrass reduces runoff
water, it also prevents erosion by water or
wind and the loss of valuable topsoil.
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8. 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 Good Reasons to grow a lawn
9. Aesthetically, there can be no argument
that a beautiful lawn is immediately
pleasing to the eye and relaxing in its
appearance.
 l0. While some may scorn the work, others
find lawn maintenance requirements an
excellent opportunity to enjoy reasonable
exercise and as a diversion from the hustle
and bustle of life.
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Quiz
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What is the difference between the
following terms:
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A. Turfgrass culture vs turf management?
B. Native vs naturalized grass?
C. Turf vs turfgrass?
D. Density vs texture?
E. Resiliency vs rigidity?