THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603130705
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDENING COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
ALMOST EVERY GOLFER has once asked, ``What grass can I grow that won't need a lot of time and care?''
There are new grasses coming along that may be the answer to that question.
A native turfgrass that is getting much attention is called buffalo grass. It grows in full sun and has excellent drought tolerance.
Hybrid varieties developed for use as lawn grass are available. An example is Mobuff, which was developed at the University of Missouri. It is a slow-growing grass you mow two or three times a summer, says the university's Tom Fowler.
Mobuff is a warm-season grass, like Bermuda, St. Augustine, centipede and zoysia. It is not only drought tolerant but keeps its bright green color all summer.
Mobuff germinates and establishes itself more quickly than most native grasses, Fowler says. Many buffalo grasses are gray-green, but Mobuff is green, he says. It turns brown in fall and is slow to green up in spring, as are other warm-season grasses.
Another development is zoysia that can be started from seed rather than plugs. Seed is on the market now, which makes starting a zoysia lawn much easier.
In crabgrass control, the newest product is Barricade, from Sandoz Corp. John Parrish, department manager at wholesaler Todd Co., says: ``Forget the old `forsythia bloom adage' for it doesn't work as the barometer for applying crabgrass control. Watch the (Chesapeake) Bay temperature instead. Crabgrass germinates at a soil temperature of 52 degrees, which in this area is usually the first week of April. So you need to get your crabgrass control on before then. But applying it too early will reduce the length of control.
``For an accurate time of application, remember that soil temperatures in this area tend to be 2 to 3 degrees below Bay water temperature. Don't be fooled by a `one day' jump in temperature. Several days of warm temperatures do not do much to change soil temperatures. Watch Bay temperatures daily and then make your decision on when to apply crabgrass controls.''
If you grow any of the warm-season grasses, they need to be fertilized, starting next month, with a high-nitrogen fertilizer such as 30-5-10. Apply at the rate of 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, monthly through August.
If you grow fescue, do not fertilize until April. Then, fertilize lightly with a turf food of the same or similar analysis. Most fertilizer for fescue should have been applied last fall.
Well-fed grass will be thick and full, crowding out weeds. There's no need to apply weed killers, ``weed and feed'' or other chemicals that can harm the environment.
Be prepared to spend more for a good lawn fertilizer than one for shrubs, flowers or vegetables. Lawn food contains more nitrogen, the most costly ingredient.
Some manufacturers also guarantee iron in lawn fertilizer. Iron will help make the grass greener.
If you're concerned about nitrate runoff, which contaminates groundwater, use a fertilizer with long-lasting nitrogen, listed as water-insoluble nitrogen (W.I.N.) on the back of the bag.
Or use an organic fertilizer that takes longer to disseminate but won't quickly wash away. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ROBERT STIFFLER
Blair Fowler is proud of the expanse of grass he maintains around
his Virginia Beach home.
Graphics
MOWING BASICS
Whatever grass you plant, remember these basics:
Never remove more than one-third of the grass blade at any
cutting.
Follow a consistent mowing schedule. Don't let the grass get too
high.
Mow high (3-plus inches) in hot summer months.
Keep blades sharp to reduce stress on your turf and improve the
cut-grass appearance.
Dale Langford
WHAT HEIGHT FOR MOWING GRASS?
Mow grass to the height given in inches. Wait to cut until the
blades reach the leaf height listed (also in inches). In this area,
tall fescue and Bermuda are the most widely grown grasses.
Type of grass Mowing Height Leaf height
Bermuda 1 1/2 2 1/4
Zoysia 1 1/2 2 1/4
Centipede 1 1/2 2 1/4
St. Augustine 2 3
Bluegrass 2 3
Perennial rye 2 3
Tall fescue 2 3
Fine fescue 2 3
Buffalo grass 2 3
SOURCE: The Lawn Institute
KEYWORDS: WEEDER'S DIGEST by CNB