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Factors Involved in Choosing Lawn Grasses
With the many lawn grasses described in gardening magazines
and books, how do you choose which is best for lawns in
Montreal? The choice depends largely on characteristics of
the grass and the intended site for it to grow. Grasses vary
in growth habit, appearance quality, ease and rate of
establishment, maintenance needs, adaptability to shade,
wear tolerance, ability to recover from damage, cold
hardiness, susceptibility to pests and diseases, and other
factors.
Consider a variety of factors when choosing a grass for your
lawn, including:
How much light is available on the site? Full sun areas
dictate use of different grasses than areas receiving shade
from trees or buildings.
Are there problem areas within the site, such as slopes
facing south or west (more heat stress), poor drainage, or
heavily used areas (lots of traffic)?
What is the anticipated level of maintenance (fertilizing,
watering, pest control) the lawn will receive? Grasses can
be classified as high, medium, and low maintenance.
What standards of quality are desired? In general, high
anticipated quality usually means higher maintenance
requirements while fair to moderate anticipated quality
usually calls for less maintenance.
What are the expected costs? In addition to the initial
establishment costs, there are ongoing maintenance costs.
Higher maintenance levels mean higher costs.
Ideally, all of these factors would be considered prior to
putting in the lawn. However, reviewing these factors can
also be useful when evaluating existing lawns that have
chronic problems. Consider that the source of the problems
may be the wrong grass for the site.
Each species has a specific growth habit. Bunch-type grasses grow in
clumps and spread very little via tillers from the base of
the plant, so do not readily recover from damage or fill-in
bare areas on their own. Other grasses either have rhizomes,
stems that grow horizontally underground; or stolons,
horizontal stems that grow above the soil surface. Grasses
with either of these types of growth can readily fill-in
adjoining bare areas and recover more readily when damaged.
There are many types of grasses out there and in order to
have a nice lawn you must know the type of grass you have or
which is best suited for your area. There are some that thrive in sunny or shady areas, wet or
dry areas, these are just a few conditions that affect the
growth of a lush thriving lawn.
In our Montreal climate the types of grass that do the best are:
Kentucky bluegrass
Ryegrass
Bentgrass
Kentucky bluegrass is by far the most popular species
used in home lawns in northern Illinois, due to high quality
appearance, hardiness, and recovery ability. Kentucky
bluegrass spreads by rhizomes. Most cultivars of Kentucky
bluegrass require moderate to high levels of maintenance
(such as fertilizing and watering) to maintain high quality.
Kentucky bluegrass prefers full sun, although a few
cultivars have tolerance to light shade. Kentucky bluegrass
is slow to establish by seed, and is also readily available
as sod.
 Fine fescues require less maintenance and many adapt
to shade. The fine fescues include red and chewings fescues,
sheep fescue, and hard fescue. Leaf width is narrow, and
most are bunch-type grasses (red fescues have weak
rhizomes). Wear tolerance (such as foot traffic) and
recovery ability of the fine fescues is fair. Maintenance
levels are generally low, especially fertilizer needs, and
fine fescues may decline in full sun when mowed frequently.
Fine fescues are seeded.
 Perennial ryegrass offers quick establishment and
good wear tolerance. Perennial ryegrass is a bunch-type
grass with quality very similar to Kentucky bluegrass.
Maintenance needs are moderate to high. Perennial ryegrass
is not suggested to be used alone as a lawn grass; but as
part of a lawn seed mixture instead.
These lawn species are cool-season grasses, growing most
actively in spring and fall.
Other turf grass species may be used, or are often promoted
for use, for certain situations in Montreal. Each has
limitations when considered for lawns, however.
Tall fescue features good heat and wear tolerance.
Newer turf-type tall fescue cultivars are much improved in
appearance as a lawn grass compared to the old types (such
as Kentucky 31). There is some concern over winter
hardiness. Tall fescue has a bunch-type growth habit, so it
does not recover well after being damaged. Tall fescue would
be a good choice for a warm, dry site, but may require
over seeding periodically to maintain a quality stand. Tall
fescue prefers full sun but also tolerates shade. |
