History of Turfgrasses

1. History of Turfgrasses • Biblical references: grasses used in Persian and Arabian gardens • 13th century literature referred to the use of turn on lawn “bowling” areas • The word “turf” is derived from the Sanskrit “darbhus”, meaning a turf of grass • 16-17th century, golf and turf areas developed

2. History continued • First lawn mower invented by Edwin Budding , England, 1830 • Private lawns developed in Victorian England, brought to US by English settlers. Had to wait until the hardwood forests were cleared to permit grass establishment. Williamsburg classic example of small turf areas at each house. This was the change.

3. Origin of Turfgrasses • Most species used for turf are not native to North America, with the exception of buffalograss. All the primary species have been introduced • Most turf species are “forest-fringe” species, which distinguishes them from taller prairie species

4. Origin of Turfgrasses • Turfgrasses developed in close association with domesticated animals. Man thus unwittingly imposed natural selection on many of the grasses we now use for turf • Only grasses able to withstand repeated grazing (close cutting) were able to survive • Many grasses introduced to US as feed for livestock from the ships, or seed that “hitched a ride”

5. Recent HistoryTremendous changes in last 40 yearsLinked to rising interest in golf, TV • Many new, improved cultivars (cultivated varieties - a named variety) • Pesticide development - 2,4-D one of first • Refined fertilizer programs, inorganic fertilizers • New equipment such as aerifier, vertical mower, modern irrigation systems

6. Size of the Turf Grass Industry • UNITED STATES (1983) • 25 To 30 million acres (size of new england) • $25 Billion in annual maintenance COSTS • STATE SURVEYS = $1 BILLION EACH • New York (1982), California (1983), Virginia, North Carolina (1986) Pennsylvania (1992)

7. North Carolina Survey (1994) • Over 2 Million Acres • $1 Billion in Annual Maintenance Costs • Over 2 Million Homelawns • 76,000 Miles of Roadsides • 500 Golf Courses (12 Million Rounds of Golf)

8. What Species are Grown in NC? • Tall fescue 52% of total • Bluegrass/fescue 8% • Bermudagrass 7% • Centipedegrass 4% • others: zoysiagrass, ryegrass, bahiagrass, carpetgrass, St. Augustinegrass

9. Where’s the Money?How Golf Courses Allocate $ • Labor, Mowing 28.3% of total • Mowing Equipment etc. 15.1% • Labor, Pesticides 8.4% • Fertilizer 7.9% • Labor, Irrigation 3.6%

10. Homelawns Roadsides Golf Course Lawn Care Parks Athletic Fields Sod Production Schools Commercial Grounds Cemeteries Churches Institutions Turf Sales Airports Segments of the Turf Grass Industry

11. Cemeteries Management Consultants Education/ Extension Equipment Manufacturers / Sales Fertilizer Manufacturers / Sales Garden Stores/Nurseries Golf Course Operations More ... Selected Turf and Turf-related Occupations

12. Irrigation Installation and Design Journalism, Newsletters, Etc. Landscaping / Construction Lawn Care Lawn Service Firms Lime Production/Sales Parks Management Pesticide Manufactures/Sales Research Seed Firms/Sales Sod Production Turf Management, Parks, Etc. Selected Turf and Turf-related Occupations

13. Definitions • Turf • A covering of mowed vegetation plus the medium (soil) in which the grasses are growing • Turfgrass • the plant community consisting of certain species in the Poaceae forming a continuous ground cover with persists under regular mowing and traffic

14. Definitions • Grass • Any Plant of the Poacea Family (Cereals, Forages, Bamboo) • Parallel Venation • Monocot­Having One Cotyledon (Seedling Leaf) in the Seed

15. Definitions • Turfgrass culture • Science and practice of establishing and maintaining turfgrass • Turfgrass management • Encompasses labor supervision, recordkeeping, budgeting, and cost accounting as well as culture • Sod • Harvested turf

16. Definitions • Green • A closely mowed, highly manicured turfgrass maintained for a specific purpose • Types: golf, bowling, tennis • Native Grass • Originate and persist in a region • Naturalized Grass • Adapt and persist but not originate from the region

17. CLASSIFICATION OF MERION KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS • Kingdom Plantae • Division Embryophyta • Subdivision Phanaerogama • Branch Angiospermae • Class Monocotyledoneae • Subclass Glumiforae • Order Poales • Family Poaceae • Subfamily Pooideae • Tribe Poeae • Genus Poa • Species pratensis • Cultivar Merion

18. The Importance of Turf In 1971 life magazine conducted a survey and found that 95% of respondents said "green grass and trees around me" is the most important environmental factor In 1980 Better Homes and Gardens chose lawns as most important landscaping element (61%)

19. Reasons for Turf • Aesthetics • Ornamental Grasses • Mental Relaxation • Recreation • Exercise • Sporting Events

20. Reasons for Turf • Safety • Reduce Glare • Roadside Stopping • Reduce Fire • Reduce Rodents, Snakes • Reduce Injuries

21. Reasons for Turf • Environmental Quality • Moderate Temperatures • 15 Degrees Cooler Than Bare Ground • 30 Degrees Cooler Than Concrete

22. Reasons for Turf • Environmental Quality (continued) • Reduce Erosion • Reduce dust, lengthen life of equipment • Reduce noise 30-40% • Convert unusable land - land fills for example

23. Reasons for Turf • Environmental Quality (continued) • Recycle effluent • Release oxygen • Absorb toxic emissions • Reduce allergies (but can also cause allergies)

24. Reasons for Turf • Economics • Realtors say landscaping adds 6% to value • Homeowners say landscaping adds 15% to selling price • Sell faster • Recovery value 100-200% but only 40-70% for patio and deck

25. Archery Badminton Baseball Cricket Croquet Football Frisbee Golf Horseracing Horseshoes Lawn Bowling Lawn Darts Playgrounds Rugby Skiing, lawn Skiing, snow Soccer Softball Steeple Chase Tetherball Track & Field Volleyball Sporting Events that Utilize Turf as a Playing Surface

26. Turf Quality • Turf quality is a function of use, appearance and playability • There are two categories: • Visual • Functional

27. Visual Quality • Density - number of shoots per area • Texture - leaf width • Uniformity - even appearance • Color • Growth habit - type of shoot growth • Smoothness - surface feature that affects quality and playability

28. Density Texture

29. Uniformity Smoothness

30. Functional Quality • Rigidity • Resistence of leaves to compression • Elasticity • Tendency of leaves to spring back • Resiliency • Capacity to absorb shock without changing surface • Yield • Clippings removed with mowing

31. Rigidity Elasticity

32. Ball Roll Clippings Verdure

33. Functional Quality (continued) • Verdure • Aerial shoots remaining after mowing • Rooting • Amount, depth of root growth • Recuperative capacity • Recovery potential

34. TEN GOOD REASONS TO GROW A LAWN Home Lawns Help the Environment • The next time you're mowing on a hot day, thinking that green concrete may really be the answer, consider all of the ways your lawn returns your favor of good care:

35. 10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn • 1. The front lawns of a block of eight average houses have the cooling effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning. The average home central air conditioning unit has about 3-4 ton capacity. Consider how much energy is saved by those lawns!

36. 10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn • 2. On a hot summer day, grass can be 10 to 14 degrees cooler than exposed soil and as much as 30 degrees cooler than concrete or asphalt. • 3. A 50 by 100 foot well-maintained grass area will create enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of four every day.

37. 10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn • 4. Acting like a gigantic sponge, lawns absorb all types of airborne pollutants such as soot, dust and carbon monoxide, as well as noise. • 5. Recent studies show healthy lawns absorb rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay field, being exceeded only by virgin forest. Lawns filter the moisture to the water table where it can again be used by everyone.

38. 10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn • 6. A Penn State University study showed "thick lawns slow the velocity of runoff and allow the water to infiltrate." A healthy, high quality lawn was at least 10 times more effective than a patchy lawn with a lot of weeds.

39. 10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn • 7. While a quality turfgrass reduces runoff water, it also prevents erosion by water or wind and the loss of valuable topsoil. • 8. Homes, sports fields and parks with healthy lawns provide safer recreational areas when grass acts as a cushion to reduce shock and potential injury.

40. 10 Good Reasons to grow a lawn • 9. Aesthetically, there can be no argument that a beautiful lawn is immediately pleasing to the eye and relaxing in its appearance. • l0. While some may scorn the work, others find lawn maintenance requirements an excellent opportunity to enjoy reasonable exercise and as a diversion from the hustle and bustle of life.

41. Quiz • What is the difference between the following terms: • A. Turfgrass culture vs turf management? • B. Native vs naturalized grass? • C. Turf vs turfgrass? • D. Density vs texture? • E. Resiliency vs rigidity?