TURF TYPE is a common reason for health issues in our lawns, but what do we mean by “turf type?” Turf type can refer to the Cool or Warm Season grasses (read more below), but also to the specific VARIETY of grass or combination of grasses.
With our summers becoming hotter in our area, our Cool Season grasses are struggling! Cool-season grasses have optimal growth with air temperatures between 55-75 degrees (F) and soil temperatures between 50-65 degrees (F).
We are seeing significant lawn health issues especially when the “wrong” grass has been planted in the “wrong” area.
Specifically, fine fescue and poa trivialis turf types are being found in full sun areas at higher and higher rates each year. This will cause browning/dormancy in the heat of our summers. In the cases of the wrong grass in full sun, the areas that are browning out WILL get larger each summer.
In addition, care practices that have always “worked” in the past are not working in many cases. With the hotter soil temperatures (and air temperatures) in summer along with higher nighttime lows, our “cool season” grasses cannot tolerate long periods of dormancy or short mowing. Lawn care practices (watering, mowing and fertilization) must be appropriate for the weather conditions.
Cool Season Grasses in our Area
Turf type matters because certain turf types do better or worse given sun exposure, soil temperatures and care practices
Most of our lawns are made up of Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Fine Fescue, and Turf Type Tall Fescue. Most of our lawns are a “cool season mix” of those varieties, but some will also include other Fescue Grasses, Creeping Bentgrass, Coarse Fescue, Poa trivialis and others.
What is the Best Type of Grass for my Lawn?
The best approach if starting from scratch is to plant different turf grasses in each micro-climate of your yard considering various factors:
- Tolerance for shade, heat, cold, and wear
- Appearance (including during dormancy)
- Fertilizer and mowing requirements
- Ease and rapidity of establishment
In most cases, however, the grass is already there in your yard…….
What are the pros & cons of each grass type in YOUR lawn areas?
FINE FESCUE is a cool and shade-loving grass.
Pros:
- Very shade-tolerant
- Moderate establishment and seed germination rate
- Spreads rapidly in cooler spring and fall-this can also be a CON, as it does often spread into inappropriate areas
- Low thatch
- Lighter green color
- Cold tolerant
Cons:
- Poor sun/heat tolerance-WILL brown out in summer
- Poor disease resistance-very susceptible to dollar spot fungal disease, especially in full sun
- Will frequently decline in full sun, especially when mowed too short
- Commonly found in “sun/shade” seed mixes-Often accidentally seeded in sunny areas.
- More fragile and not as “wear” tolerant for heavier traffic
Fine fescue “brown out” has become a significant issue in many lawns in our area.
Unfortunately, when fine fescue is growing in sunny areas of a lawn, it WILL brown out EVERY summer and will usually show recovery in fall. During the cooler fall and spring, the fine fescue will spread and expand so that the browning area is larger each summer.
“How did the fine fescue get into my lawn?”
We see 3 main ways that fine fescue ends up in full sun.
- Fine fescue was in a shady area and the shade was removed (tree taken down, shed removed, etc) and the area is now full sun.
- Fine fescue from a shady area spread into a full sun area.
- Fine fescue was planted in the full sun area. Many seed mixes include fine fescue. Sun/shade blends will commonly contain fine fescue. Whether you or someone else seeded or overseeded, it is possible that fine fescue grass seed was planted.
Poa trivialis (or “rough” bluegrass) is another shade-loving grass that can be invasive and problematic in full sun areas. It becomes aggressive in full sun. It is also often included in shade grass mixtures, but may crowd out the other components of the mixture if grown in too much sun. It grows poorly in hot and/or drought conditions.
KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS is the most popular grass used for lawns in the US.
Pros:
- Dark-green color
- Soft velvety feel
- Spreading growth patterns
- Tolerates full sun
- Tolerates cold
Cons:
- Slow to germinate & establish
- Needs consistent watering
- Heavier thatch
- Does not tolerate high heat well
TURF TYPE TALL FESCUE is one of the most flexible, durable grasses available.
Pros:
- Heat tolerant
- Drought tolerant
- Traffic/”wear” tolerant/durable
- Low thatch
- Moderate germination and establishment rate
- Sun and shade tolerant (will thin out in heavy shade)
- Dark-green color
Cons:
- Less tolerant of cold conditions
- Bunch type growth vs creeping
- Coarse-textured blade (not as “soft” as blue grass)
PERENNIAL RYEGRASS is found in many cool-season seed blends and is a great mix for blue grass and/or turf-type tall fescue lawns.
Pros:
- Soft textured blade
- Rapid germination and establishment
- Low thatch
- Heat tolerant
- Traffic/”wear” tolerant/durable
Cons:
- Not shade tolerant/Needs full sun
- Low-Moderate cold/drought tolerance
- Needs consistent watering
Other:
We do find other grasses in our lawns and some of them are considered “grassy weeds”. Remember the definition of a weed is: “a plant out of place”, so certain grasses that have different texture or growth habit growing with other types of grasses might be a weed. For example, coarse fescue and quackgrass are usually considered weeds because they stick out quite significantly from the other cool season turf types described above. Nutsedge, a grass like plant, would also be considered a weed. Many people consider some varieties of tall fescue that have a clumping growth habit, that are growing in a stand of Kentucky blue grass to be a weed.
Most of these grassy weeds are more difficult to address because there are no effective selective herbicides that target those grasses. They typically require a more aggressive approach using a non-selective herbicide which kills all green material in the sprayed area and then reseeding.
Batavia’s Local Experts in Impactful Lawn Care
At Lawn Doctor of Batavia-Aurora, we don’t just offer weed control services to eradicate unwanted grassy and broadleaf plants. We also take a proactive approach to strengthening your lawn’s defense against these species while helping it thrive. We’re proud to serve homes and businesses throughout:
- Batavia
- Downers Grove
- Lombard
- Naperville
- Wheaton
- Winfield
- Aurora
- St. Charles
- Geneva
- Lisle
- Glen Ellyn
- West Chicago
- And the surrounding areas
When you want your lawn to flourish, we make it easy. To get started with expert weed control services from our hands-on team, simply contact Lawn Doctor of Batavia-Aurora today.
