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Characteristics of Warm Season Grasses
Physiological type of plant: C4
Photosynthetic Rate: high
Photorespiration rate: low
Photoperiodic response:short day plants with no vernalization
Area of Adaptation: widely adapted
Characteristics of Warm Season Grasses
 6. Stem Type:
– Bermudagrass: rhizomes and stolons
– Zoysiagrass: rhizomes and stolons
– Bahiagrass: rhizomes and stolons
– St. Augustinegrass: stolons
– Centipedegrass: stolons
– Carpetgrass: stolons
– Buffalograss: stolons
Characteristics of Warm Season Grasses
 7. Common means of establishment:
– vegetative for hybrid bermudagrass, most zoysiagrasses, St.
Augustinegrass,
– seeded for common bermudagrass, carpetgrass, some new zoysiagrasses,
bahiagrass and centipedegrass; seldom mixed
BERMUDA GRASS
 Cynodon spp.
 Synonyms: devilgrass, wiregrass, couch-grass
 Vegetative Characteristics
– 1. Vernation: rolled/folded
– 2. Ligule: ring of hairs
– 3. Lateral stems: rhizomes/stolons
– 4. Texture: medium/fine
BERMUDA GRASS
 Adaptation
– 1. Origin: Africa
– 2. Adaptable: Warm and trans. zone*
– 3. Soils: drained, fertile
– 4. Shade tolerance: poor
– 5. Heat, drought, salt, wear: good
 Use:
– 1. lawns, tees, fairways, greens, roads, airports, cemetaries, parks
Characteristics:
– 1. Maintenance level: medium to high
– 2. Thatch producer: high
– 3. Establishment rate: fast
– 4. Recovery: good
– 5. Seedheads: few to many
– 6. Cold tolerance: poor to fair
 Characteristics (continued)
– 7. Mowing height:
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Common: 3/4 - 1-1/2 in.
Hybrid: 3/4 - 1 in.
Greens: 1/4 in
Mowing equipment: reel
Cultivars
 1. Seeded
– a. Common (Cynodon dactylon)
 1. Density: low
 2. Texture: medium
 3. Color: light green
 4. Seedheads: heavy
 5. Disease: moderate
 6. Cold Tolerance: poor
 Cultivars (seeded) - continued
– b. Guymon - Oklahoma
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1. Cold Tolerance: fair
 2. Texture: coarse
– c. Others (non-seeded)
 1. Vamont - VPI
 2. Midiron - KSU
 3. Tufcote - MD
 Cultivars (seeded) - continued
– d. Management
 1. Establishment: 1 lb/M or 8-10 bushels of sprigs/M
 2. Fertilizer Requirements: 2-6 lb/M/Yr
 3. Mowing Requirements:
– a. common 3/4 - 1-1/2 in.
– b. hybrid 3/16 - 1 in.
Hybrid Bermuda Grass Cultivars
 Common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) X African Bermudagrass (C.
transvaalensis)
 Tiflawn
– 1. Released in 1952
– 2. Texture between common and Tifgreen
– 3. Heavy trafficked lawns, playgrounds, athletic field
– 4. Rarely found today
 Tiffine
– 1. Released in 1954
– 2. Parents-Tiflawn X African bermuda grass
– 3. Finer in texture, softer
– 4. Rarely grown today
 Tifgreen
– 1. Released in 1956
– 2. Dr. Burton's selection X selection from Charlotte CC
– 3. Darker green and superior putting quality
– 4. Very popular bermuda for putting greens. Maintenance too high for
lawns.
– 5. Minimal seed head formation
 Tifway
– 1. Released 1960
– 2. Chance hybrid
– 3. Stiffer leaves, better frost tolerance, good fall color
– 4. Fairways, heavy trafficked lawns, playgrounds, athletic fields
– 5. Minimal seed head formation
 Tifdwarf
– 1. Released in 1965
– 2. Chance mutation from Tifgreen
– 3. Lower growing, darker green, fewer seedheads, low grain and thatch
– 4. Second to Tifgreen in popularity for use on putting greens
Tifway II
– 1. Released in 1981
– 2. Mutant (man-made) from Tifway
– 3. Better frost tolerance, spring color, nematode resistance than Tifway
– 4. Must be mowed shorter than Tifway for best performance.
– 5. Not used as much as it should
 Tifgreen II
– 1. Released about 1981
– 2. Mutant (man-made) from Tifgreen
– 3. Better frost tolerance, spring color, nematode resistance than Tifgreen
– 4. Acceptance has not been good
Very New Cultivars for Bermuda Putting Greens
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Mini-Verde
Floradwarf
MS-Supreme
Champion
ZOYSIAGRASS - ZOYSIA SPP.
 Vegetative Characteristics
– 1. Vernation: rolled, leaves stiff with long hairs near base
– 2. Ligule: hairy
– 3. Lateral Stems: rhizomes, stolons
– 4. Texture: fine to medium
 Adaptation
– 1. Origin: E. Asia (Korea, Japan)
– 2. Adaptable: Region II, III
– 3. Soils: Drained, fertile
– 4. lawn, fairways, tees, around greens
 Species
– 1. Japanese lawngrass (Z. japonica)
– 2. Mascarenegrass (Z. tenuifolia)
– 3. Manilagrass (Z. matrella)
 Characteristics
– 1. Texture: fine to medium
– 2. Establishment rate: very slow, often plugged or sodded
– 3. Recovery: poor
– 4 Wear tolerance: good (silica)
– 5. Cold tolerance: poor to good
Meyer is one of the most cold tolerant warm season grasses
– 6. Heat tolerance: excellent
– 7. Drought tolerance: excellent but first to show effects
– 8. Shade tolerance: good
– 9. Salt tolerance: fair - good
– 10. Seedheads: few
– 11. Thatch tendency: medium to high
– 12. Disease: medium (rust, dollarspot)
 1. Z. japonica (Japanese/Korean lawngrass)
– a. Characteristics
 1. faster growing
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2. coarser texture
3. cold tolerance: best
b. Cultivars
 1. common - seeded but rarely done
 2. Meyer - vegetative, golden color
 3. Belair - coarse texture, rotary, cold tolerance
 4. El Toro - from California
 2. Z. tenuifolia - mascarenegrass
– 1. Texture: finest
– 2. Growth: very slow
– 3. Cold tolerance: poor, least
– 4. Found: Florida/California/Hawaii
– 5. Establishment: vegetative
 3. Emerald (Z. japonica X Z. tenuifolia)
– 1. Cold Tolerance: winter hardy
– 2. Growth: fast spread
– 3. Texture: fine leaves
– 4. Density: good
– 5. Color: dark green
– 6. Establishment: vegetative
 4. Z. matrella (Manilagrass)
– 1. Texture: fine
– 2. Cold Tolerance: poor
– 3. Growth: slow
– 4. Establishment: vegetative
– 5. Cultivars: Cashmere
 Management:
– 1. Establishment: vegetative using plugs or sod on 2 inch centers. Takes 3
years to fill in
– 2. Seeded, 0.5-1#/1000. Weeds!
– 3. Fertilizer Requirement: 1/2 pound of N every 6 weeks
– 4. Mowing Regime: 0.5 to 1 inch
St. Augustine Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum)
 Vegetative Characteristics
– 1. Vernation: folded, collar constricted
– 2. Ligule: hairs
– 3. Lateral stems: stolons
– 4. Texture: very coarse
St. Augustine Grass
 Adaptation
– 1. Origin: W. Indies, Africa, Mexico, Australia
– 2. Adaptable: Florida-NC (marginal)
– 3. Soil: well drained, sandy
– 4. Establishment: vegetative, except for Raleigh S, a seeded variety
 Characteristics
1. Texture: coarse
2. Density: medium
3. Thatch: high
4. Salt tolerance: good
5. Wear tolerance: fair
6. Cold tolerance: least
7. Heat tolerance: excellent
8. Shade: the best
9. Recuperative Potential: good
10. Drought: fair
11. Seedhead: fair
12. Pests: SAD, chinch bugs
 Maintenance:
– 1. Fertilizer Requirements: moderate (2-4 lb N/1000/yr)
– 2. Mowing height: 2 - 3 in.
– 3. Mower: reel, rotary
 Cultivars
– 1. Common: open, coarse
– 2. Improved: dense, fine
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a. Bitter Blue
– 1. best shade
– 2. susceptible to SAD, chinch bugs
b. Floratine
– 1. fine texture
– 2. low growing
 Cultivars
– 2. Improved: dense, fine (continued)
 c. Floratam
– 1. resist chinch bugs, SAD poor shade tolerance
– 2. coarse, low cold tolerance
– 3. lacks shade
 d. Seville/Jade
– 1. fine + dense
 e. Raleigh
– 1. cold tolerant
– 2. susceptible to grey leaf spot, chinch bugs
Centipede Grass
(Eremochloa ophiuroides)
 Vegetative Characteristics
– 1. Vernation: folded
– 2. Ligules: membrane with short hairs
– 3. Spread: stolons
 Adaptation
– 1. Origin: China
– 2. Soils: acid, infertile soils, pH 5.5
– 3. Maintenance level: low
– 4. Color: light green
 Characteristics
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Texture: medium
Density: medium
Thatch: medium
Drought tolerance: poor
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5. Salt tolerance: poor
6. Wear tolerance: very poor
7. Cold tolerance: poor, better than St. Augustine
8. Heat tolerance: excellent
9. Shade tolerance: fair/good
10. Recovery: poor
11. Seedheads: few
 Cultivars
– There are a few, but most in the market is just common grown from seed
– 3. Pests:
 a.
centipede decline
 b.
fairy ring
 c.
ground pearl
 d.
nematodes
 Non-Pest problems
– a. high N
– b. high P
– c. low K
– d. high pH
– e. traffic
– f. compaction
– g. high thatch
– h. heavy shade
– i. winter kill
 Management:
– a. Establishment: sod, plugs,seeds
Seed expensive, use 1/4-1/2 lb/M
– b. Fertility Requirements:
1/2 N/M in spring and maybe fall
– c. Mowing regime: 1 inch
Bahia Grass
(Paspalum notatum)
 Vegetative Characteristics
– 1. Vernation: folded
– 2. Ligule: membrane, short
– 3. Spread: short woody rhizomes, stolons
Bahia Grass
 Adaptation
– 1. Origin: South America, West Indies
– 2. Soils: does better than bermuda in poorly drained soils, tolerates dry,
infertile, sandy soils
– 3. Rooting: deep
– 4. Mowing height: 1-1/2 - 3 in.
 Advantages
– 1. Heat/drought tolerance: excellent due to deep rooting
– 2. Pests: few
– 3. Wear tolerance: excellent
 Disadvantages
– 1. tough to mow - rotary or flail mower
– 2. seedheads many and frequent
– 3. recovery - poor
– 4. coarse, open turf
 Cultivars
– 1. Wilmington
 a.
finer texture, cold tolerant
 b.
fewer seedheads
 c.
vegetative - limited seed production
– 2. Pensacola
 a.
Florida - roads
 b.
Fine texture - high seed producer
– 3. Argentine
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coarse
 b.
many seedheads
 c.
darker green
 d.
density - good
 Management:
– a. Establishment: sod, seed 3-5 lb/M
– b. Fertility requirement:
1/2 lb N/M in spring and fall
– c. Mowing regime:
2-3 inches weekly
Buffalograss
(Buchloe dactyloides)
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1.Native to Great Plains (Montana-Mexico)
– Extremely cold, drought tolerant
– Greyish green in color
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2.Not expected to perform well in southeast:
– a.Diseases
– b.Not good on sand, shade or acid soils
– c.Does poorly on wet soils
– d.Poor wear tolerance
– e.Intolerant of high maintenance
– f. Poor germination
 3.Low maintenance
– Low irrigation, fertilization and low growing so little mowing
 4.Establishment: very slow
– a. Plugged
– b. Seeded @ 1/2 -5 lb/M
 5.Maintenance:
– Fertilization: 1/2 lb in spring or none
– Mowing: 3/4 to 2 inches