Going Green in New York: The Best Grass Types

Choosing the Best Grass Seed

Kentucky Bluegrass

Perennial Ryegrass

Rough-Stalk Bluegrass

Getting to Know Your Lawn

Lawn Diseases

Management Practices

Going Green in New York: The Best Grass Types
Lawn care may not seem like a natural topic for New Yorkers. But for the lucky folks in the city with outdoor space and for folks in suburbs, a lovely New York lawn needs proper care. If you're looking for the right type of lawn, read on for suggestions on grass varieties that thrive in the New York area.

A number of cool-season lawns grow well in New York, including Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescues, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and creeping bentgrass. To choose the best one for your yard, consider the following:

How Much Energy Do You Want to Put Into Lawn Care?
Some lawns do fine without all that much maintenance, like tall fescue. Others, like creeping bentgrass, need plenty of attention. Kentucky bluegrass, the most popular grass in the New York area, tends to be a good middle-of-the-road choice. It looks great with lots of water and fertilizer, but it can survive with much less attention.

Is Your Yard Shady?
All lawns need at least partial sun, so if your yard is overshadowed by skyscrapers, even the most lavish lawn care won't give you healthy turf. Your best bet in that case is a shade-loving groundcover. But if you're dealing with a partly shady situation, the fine fescues are a good choice. Kentucky bluegrass requires plenty of sun, making it a poor choice for shady yards, but Kentucky bluegrass/fine fescue blends can thrive in yards with mixed sun and shade.

How's the New York Traffic?
Is your lawn more of a showpiece or a stomping ground? If you want resistance to wear and tear, you might consider tall fescue. It stands up to serious traffic and doesn't require much in the way of lawn care at all. But it's also coarse and tends to be bunchy, so it doesn't always make for the most attractive lawn. Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues are a good compromise, fairly wear resistant, with reasonable recovery rates.

If you're lucky enough to be planting a lawn in New York, choose the right grass type, and you'll feel that much luckier.

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Choosing the Best Grass Seed
All grass seeds aren't created equal, and choosing the best seed doesn't just mean choosing the most expensive. Here's a guide for reading grass seed labels, with all the keys to picking a winning bag.

Start with Grass Type
Before you can get down to the nitty-gritty of comparing bags of seed, you have to narrow the field by choosing the type of grass you want to plant in general.

Play the Name Game
The main Grass Types aren't the end of the story. Each type has a multitude of sub-types, known as cultivars, each with slightly different characteristics. Once you know whether you're in the market for Kentucky Bluegrass, Bermuda grass, etc., look to see if the grass seed label names the particular cultivars. The names of the cultivars will give you more information if you want to know exactly what you're getting, but more than anything, listed cultivar names are an indication of higher quality bags of grass seed.

Annual Ryegrass? Not Unless You Want a Temporary Lawn
If you see annual Ryegrass listed among the grass seed types in a bag, move on. Unless you're looking for a short-term lawn, (like something that will stop erosion), annual ryegrass is a big mistake. The lawn will come in thick and healthy, but the annual ryegrass will die off after the first winter, leaving your lawn spotty and ripe for weed invasion.

The Fewer Weeds, the Better
Grass seed labels list the amount of "weed seed." Shocking to think you're planting weeds along with your new lawn, but that's the way it goes. Your goal is to get the lowest amount of weed seed possible. Never buy a bag of seed with more than .3% weeds.

Find the Date
Fresher bags of grass seed will have greater rates of germination.

Read the grass seed labels carefully, choose the winning bag, and then get on to the fun part—seeing that healthy new lawn come in!

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Perennial Ryegrass
Description: Perennial Ryegrass is a fine-textured, tough grass that is deep green in color. It can grow well in various different soils and is often mixed with other grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass to help provide increased durability and faster growth. Perennial Ryegrasses tend to do best in areas with mildly-cool climates and damp summer conditions in the coastal west and northwest regions of the U.S. and Canada.



Pros:
• Germinates and grows quickly
• Excellent durability
• Good grass for seeding over Warm-Season grasses and mixing with Cool-Season grasses

Cons:
• Generally has a low tolerance to drought and cold
• Moderate shade tolerance
• Can "crowd-out" and delay growth of other grasses if seeded over them

Common Growing Region
Watering: Requires regular watering.

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Rough-Stalk Bluegrass
Description: Rough-Stalk Bluegrass is similar in appearance to Kentucky Bluegrass but is usually more fine in texture and light-green in color. It is commonly found in mountain regions and northern areas of the U.S. and Canada.



Pros:
• Is well suited for shade and wet areas

Cons:
• Has poor durability
• Can brown in the hot summer
• Needs ample water

Common Growing Region
Watering: Needs frequent watering and/or damp soil.

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Getting to Know Your Lawn
To help you better understand your lawn, there are three questions you should ask yourself: One, what kind of climate is your lawn growing in? Two, what kind of soil (Ground) do you have/want? And third, what kind of grass do you have/want? The answers to all three of these questions can have a dramatic influence on your lawn, therefore it is necessary to understand each before you proceed to the other areas.

What Kind of Climate do you live in? Most of us have a good idea of what kind of climate we live in simply because, well, we live in it. So does your lawn. But unlike you, your lawn can't turn on the air conditioning when it's to hot or put on a coat when it's cold. Therefore, it's important to understand how your climate effects your lawn, and what lawn is best suited for your climate and needs. Grasses are also categorized as either Warm-Season or Cool-Season grasses to better describe the weather they flourish in.

The Northeastern U.S. is known for its cold winters and short (but hot) summers. Due to the lengthy cool and winter months, this area is almost exclusively for Cool-Season grasses. The common exception may be along the coastlines, which can be more mild, and Warm-Season "coastal" grasses may grow. Mowing typically lasts form mid-spring through early fall, and watering is emphasized during hot and dry summer months. Planting of Cool-Season grasses typically takes place during the early fall and late-spring months. Conversely, Warm-Season grasses are typically planted in the early summer months. Grasses commonly found here: Kentucky Bluegrass, Bent grasses, Fescues, and Ryegrasses.

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Lawn Diseases
Whether your lawn serves as an impromptu soccer field or as the main element of your landscape, its appearance and vigor are important. Keeping it healthy is more a matter of sticking to basic management practices than of looking to chemical solutions. The importance of paying attention to mowing height, aeration, drainage, irrigation, and fertilization really can't be stressed enough. Coupling these practices with use of suitable grass cultivars and healthy soil will give your lawn an advantage over the harmful microorganisms normally found in most yards.

Plant Disease Triangle
Fortunately, it takes more than the presence of pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) to bring on infection in lawns. You also need a host—that is, a grass susceptible to a particular pathogen—and environmental conditions that foster disease. Conditions favoring pathogens vary by pathogen but generally include warm weather and extended periods of moisture, from rain, humidity, irrigation, or poor drainage. Other conditions, such as drought and high heat, encourage problems because they reduce the grass's ability to fight off infection. These three elements—pathogen, host, and environment—make up the "Plant Disease Triangle." Any one factor on its own cannot initiate disease. Problems begin when all three come together.

Fungi: Friends and Foes
Dwelling in your soil and upon your lawn are myriad thread-like forms of plant life called fungi. Some of them, such as Trichoderma harzianum, are important components of healthy soil. They may facilitate nutrient uptake by grasses and keep disease-causing fungi in check through competition for resources. Problems arise when the disease-causing group becomes dominant. The initiators of most lawn diseases, these fungi are spread by wind, rain, grass clippings, and even your lawn mower. They can overwinter and remain dormant in soil or thatch for long periods of time, awaiting just the right conditions before growing. Like a person, your lawn becomes a target for infection if stressed. Although you cannot keep pathogens off your grass, you can sidestep disease by manipulating the other two factors—host and environment.

To keep your lawn from becoming a host, choose the right grass for a given location and keep it healthy. Given the range of disease-resistant grasses available today, you have a good chance of avoiding certain diseases right from the start.

You might not be able to change the weather, but you can lessen its negative impact on your grass. Well-aerated lawns with good drainage and air circulation will experience fewer moisture problems. In areas prone to brown patch, some homeowners remove the morning dew (which contains nutrient sugars that contribute to brown patch formation) by lightly hosing down the lawn or pulling a hose across it. Good cultural practices do make a difference in the health of a lawn.

Ironically, often the very actions we take to improve our lawns aid in the establishment of diseases. For example, frequent, light waterings encourage shallow root growth, making the grass vulnerable to drought stress. Watering late in the day leaves a wet grass canopy that is conducive to fungal growth. Also, excessive use of high-nitrogen fertilizer promotes unnecessarily lush top growth that is more prone to disease. And using a dull mower blade shreds grass tips, providing a potential entry point for infection.

Keep Your Eyes Open
The best time to assess your turf's state of health is before mowing the lawn. While you are out picking up fallen twigs or removing other items from the ground, stop to take a careful look at any areas that appear wilted or off-color or that otherwise stand out from their surroundings. If you do note changes, don't rush to blame them on disease; there are numerous other possibilities. For instance, a general browning-out of a cool-season grass during high summer is likely just summer dormancy, the grass's protective response to drought and heat. Dull, wilted, bluish gray turf is the grass's signal that it needs water. General yellowing and stunted growth may be attributable to a lack of iron or nitrogen. Ragged leaf tips and a whitish cast usually indicate that your mower blades need sharpening.

Consider the kinds of activity that have recently occurred in your yard, as well. Perhaps the bright green rings surrounding dead grass are courtesy of the neighbor's dog, and the brown patches near the garage could be the result of a gasoline spill. While problematic, these eyesores are limited in scope and can usually be rectified with fertilization, irrigation, or spot reseeding. If your turf's decline cannot be explained by such causes, look more closely.

Treatment
Fungicides
Fungicides have been the traditional means of treating lawn diseases. While fungicides do clear up certain problems, they unfortunately may make turf vulnerable to new ones. This happens primarily because fungicides kill off the beneficial, disease-suppressing microorganisms and fungi as well as targeted organisms. If your disease symptoms continue unabated and you feel the need to use a fungicide, use it sparingly and follow the package directions. Of the mineral-based fungicides, elemental sulfur is considered the least toxic to humans and is available in a wide range of products.

Look at the Future
Nonprofit organizations, such as the Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC) www.birc.org in Berkeley, Calif., are studying nontraditional ways of preventing and resolving lawn diseases. These include using neem oil (which contains sulfur compounds), biological fungicides, and fungicidal soaps. Scientists are also investigating the potential for disease-prevention roles of fungi and other microorganisms. Another avenue of research involves the positive correlation between soil nutrients, such as calcium, and a grass's resistance to disease. There is much to learn, but we do know that keeping the complex ecosystem of our lawn in balance is key.

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Management Practices
1. Choose recommended grass seed mixtures. Then if lawn disease does develop, not all grass types will be affected.

2. Look for improved or disease-resistant cultivars when renovating or starting new lawns.

3. Water your lawn only early in the day, from sunrise until 11 A.M.

4. Water only when needed, and then to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

5. Maintain adequate lawn aeration and drainage.

6. Never cut off more than one-third of the grass length at one time.

7. Keep mower blades sharp.

8. Keep thatch to 1/2 inch in height.

9. Apply appropriate fertilizer, and correct nutrient deficiencies, especially calcium.

10. Prune and thin trees and tall shrubs to increase air circulation and sunlight exposure.

Using Compost
Research has shown that microorganisms present in at least one-year-old organic compost can suppress turfgrass diseases. Scientists at Cornell University note that effective control of dollar spot, brown patch, and gray snow mold can be achieved with monthly applications of such "suppressive" compost. Additionally, regular topdressing also lessens the severity of pythium blight and necrotic spot infections.

Although the theory is still under investigation, plant pathologists believe that the presence of "antagonistic" microorganisms in these aged organic materials are what help them to suppress disease. Usually fungi, they are called antagonistic because they have an adverse impact on disease-causing microorganisms. They kill them, damage them, or out-compete them for food and habitat resources.

Recommended suppressive topdressings include composted manures, pulverized tree bark, leaf compost, composted garden debris, sludge (such as Milorganite), or agricultural wastes. Amending mature organic composts with commercial "innoculants" that contain beneficial microorganisms yields even greater disease suppression. Current researchers are working to identify which microorganisms fight which pathogens in hopes of creating products formulated to ward off specific diseases. In the meantime, topdressing with a 1/4-inch layer of well-aged compost one in early spring and again in fall may not only help to decrease your thatch layer, it might also give your lawn the added nutrients and microorganisms it needs to keep disease at bay.

Fall Through Spring (Cold, Moist Conditions)
Typhula Blight(Gray Snow Mold): Strictly a cold-weather disease, Typhula blight appears where snow cover has melted, especially in areas where snow has drifted or been piled.

Look for: Irregular 2- to 24-inch patches of bleached-out, matted turf covered with moldy, grayish white mycelium. Tiny black or orange-brown spherical sclerotia (hard fungus bodies) may be observed imbedded in the leaves and crowns of infected plants.

Management: Avoid heavy nitrogen fertilization in late fall to allow new growth time to harden off before winter. Keep thatch to a minimum and grass height lower as winter begins. Avoid piling snow onto your lawn, and prevent compaction on important turf areas by limiting activity on them when they're covered with snow. Rake in early spring to promote drying and reduce matting. Provide a light spring fertilization if damage is present.

Fusarium Patch (Pink Snow Mold): This disease develops from late fall to early spring during cool, moist, cloudy weather, with or without snow cover.

Look for: Small, light tan to rusty brown circular patches that may grow to 2 feet and become ringlike as interior grass regrows. When the grass is moist, salmon-colored mycelium is visible in sunlight. There are no sclerotia present.

Management: Fertilize in late fall, once grass growth ceases, with a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Mow the lawn, keep thatch low, and don't allow leaves or debris to remain on the lawn over winter. Rake lawn well in early spring and follow with a light spring fertilization if damage is present.

Summer
Brown Patch: Prevalent during moist, hot weather on overfertilized lawns.

Look for: Dark, water-soaked-looking grass turning into browned-out, circular areas, several inches to several feet in diameter. Frequently some green leaves persist within the patch, and roots remain intact. Blades may have irregular ash gray lesions with a dark brown margin running along one side. On short turf, a 2-inch unsightly "smoke right" of gray mycelium may encircle the patch in early morning. running along one side bordered by a dark-brown margin.

Management: Use improved cultivars, such as ryegrasses 'Repell III' and 'Prelude III,' 'Scaldis' fine fescue, or 'America' bluegrass, and use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Water deeply but infrequently, mow high, remove excess thatch, and improve aeration and drainage.

Dollar Spot: Affects low-nitrogen lawns, especially when stressed by drought and when heavy dews are prevalent.

Look for: Mottled, straw-colored 4- to 6-inch patches on lawns with taller grass. Grass blades have light tan bands with reddish brown margins spanning across them. Patches may merge to form large, irregular areas. Grayish white cobwebby mycelium may be present in early morning.

Management: Overseed with a blend of improved cultivars such as the bluegrass 'Adelphi,' perennial ryegrass 'Manhattan III,' and fine fescue, 'Reliant.' Maintain adequate nitrogen and potassium fertility, water deeply when necessary, and remove excess thatch. If your grass is prone to Dollar Spot, remove morning dew by dragging a hose across the lawn.

Pythium Blight: A serious, rapidly spreading disease involving entire grass plant, Pythium blight occurs on poorly drained soils that have a wet grass canopy. Look for it when nighttime temperatures plus relative humidity equals 150.

Look for: Sudden appearance of 1- to 6-inch reddish brown, wilted patches, which turn to streaks as they enlarge along drainage patterns. In early morning, the grass is slimy, dark, and matted. White cottony mycelium may be present when the grass is wet. As it dries, the grass turns light tan and shrivels.

Management: Improve drainage and air circulation, avoid overwatering, aerate, reduce excess thatch, and avoid nitrogen fertilizer during warm weather. Check calcium levels and add lime if deficient. Observe closely for spread and consult your Cooperative Extension Service if the disease progresses.

Rust: Appears on low fertility, compacted, or shady lawns when growth slows during hot, dry weather.

Look for: Initial small yellow flecks develop into pustules releasing yellow, orange, red, or dark brown spores. From a distance, the turf appears orange or yellow, and colored spore residue rubs off if touched.

Management: Use rust-resistant cultivars of ryegrasses such as 'Palmer III' and 'Repell III' and new cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass such as 'Challenger' and 'Eclipse.' Provide appropriate fertilization and irrigation, prune low-hanging tree branches to reduce shade, maintain aeration, and mow frequently, bagging clippings.

Spring Through Fall
Fairy Rings: Caused by more than 50 varieties of fungus, the rings vary in size and appearance, but all form in soil high in woody organic matter, usually from buried debris or tree stumps.

Look for: Rings of fast-growing, dark green grass with centers of weeds, thin turf, or dead grass. Midsummer and fall rings are more apt to be composed of dead grass.

Management: The rings are difficult to remove unless completely dug out to a minimum depth of one foot. Aerating ring area to improve water penetration and fertilizing to minimize color variation are helpful.

Stripe Smut: Causes yellowed, stunted growth in 6- to 12-inch patches.

Look for: Development of characteristic black stripes of erupted spores along grass blades that later become dry, shredded, and curled.

Management: Use resistant cultivars like the bluegrasses "Adelphi" or "Midnight." Maintain adequate fertilization. Water well, mow frequently, and bag clippings.

Necrotic Ring Spot: Although the fungus is active during cool, moist periods, the damage frequently doesn't show until later, when turf is stressed.

Look for: Circular "frog-eye" patterns of 6 to 12 inches with matted, straw-colored grass surrounding a tuft of green grass. As infection advances, roots and crowns may turn brown to black. Thatch may decompose in affected areas, giving them a sunken, or "donut," appearance.

Management: Overseed with disease-resistant cultivars of tall fescue and perennial ryegrasses, or use bluegrasses such as 'Classic', Eclipse', or 'Columbia.' In Canada, choose the bluegrasses 'Barblue', 'Nassau', 'Princeton', and 'Adelphi.' Water to lessen drought and heat stress. Avoid excessive fertilizer use. Remove excess thatch and maintain aeration and drainage.

Drechslera Melting Out and Leaf Spot formerly Helminthosproium: Exhibiting two phases, this disease is especially destructive on overfertilized, lush bluegrasses. Cloudy, moist weather in the 70 to 85 deg. F range brings on the telltale leaf-spot phase.

Look for: Distinctive dark purple spots that develop into buff-colored oval lesions with a dark brown or purple margin. Blades progress to yellow and then turn tan. During the melting-out phase, rot develops in roots and crowns.

Management: Use resistant bluegrass cultivars such as 'Eclipse,' 'Nuglade,' 'Midnight,' 'Alpine,' 'S-R 2000,' or 'Princeton 104.' Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer, water infrequently but deeply, mow high, aerate, and remove excess thatch.

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