Turf Grass Selection and Management

If you moved into a new home and want to start enjoying your yard more often, turf grass identification is the first step to building a truly stunning lawn. Start by inspecting the primary vegetative features of your turf grass, including some of the following characteristics—or our TruGreen® experts could identify them for you in a matter of minutes.

Crown. The white, thick part of the grass plant at soil level where the shoot meets the roots. It’s central to lawn health—if the crown dies, the grass plant dies.
Sheath. The lower (basal) portion of the grass leaf between the crown and the blade that encloses and protects young shoots of grass. Sheath margins may be split, split with overlapping margins or closed.
Collar. The backside of a leaf where the blade and sheath join. Collars may be divided by a line that runs up the center (mid-rib) or be continuous. Collar shapes vary from narrow to broad and can have slanted or straight borders.
Blade. The section of the leaf above the collar. Characteristics to look for include the type of tip, roughness or smoothness, and mid-rib.
Vernation. The leaf arrangement of the youngest leaf (called the budleaf) and its surrounding sheath. Look to see if the budleaf is rolled or folded.
Ligule. A tip or cylinder-shaped structure poking out from the top half of a leaf where the blade and the sheath join. Ligules can be membranous, hairy, both or absent altogether, making them very useful for turf grass identification.
Auricle. A pair of appendages sticking out from the side of the grass leaf where the sheath and blade meet. Auricles can be short and stubby, large and claw-like, have short hairs attached or be absent, which also makes them useful grass identifiers.
Rhizomes. An underground stem that produces a new plant.
Stolons. A horizontal, above-ground stem that roots at the nodes (found in the crown) and gives rise to new grass plants.
Seed head. The flowering or seeding parts found at the top of the grass plant. Check if seed heads are spike or panicle to help with turf grass identification.

Picking the right species of turf grass for your yard, climate and needs is critical to growing and sustaining the type of healthy lawn your family deserves. Plus, the right choice now could help minimize the amount of turf grass management you need to perform later. Start the process by answering a few questions.

Yard Conditions

How much sunlight will your turf grass get? Is there shade in the morning or afternoon? Will the front and backyard get equal sun? Most turf grasses should get at least six hours of sunlight each day but can tolerate about 20% shade filter from trees.

What’s the soil like? Is it clay or sand? Is it fertile? What’s the pH? Soil pH is a way to measure alkalinity versus acidity. Turf grass can handle different types of soils but only reaches its full potential in the “ideal” pH range for that specific turf grass.

How will you water your lawn? Will you have an irrigation system? Does your region experience a lot of droughts? Are watering restrictions common? Watering is essential for transporting nutrients, foods and other organic compounds to the turf grass plant, which is made up of 75% to 80% water.

Intended Use

How do you want to enjoy your lawn? Do you have children or pets? Planning on playing sports or just sitting? Each type of turf grass has its own set of growth characteristics, so usage is important.

Caring for turf grass is a full-time commitment—but each yard is different. For some lawns, proper watering and mowing techniques are enough. For others, care means adding turf grass growth regulators and essential macro- and micronutrients. Here’s how to balance your yard for a healthy lawn your family can enjoy.

The 17 Essential Nutrients of Turf Grass Management

Considered “essential” because they’re necessary for growth and reproduction, the 17 essential plant nutrients—or elements—are divided into two groups:

Mineral nutrients. Mineral elements dissolve in water, then enter the soil and are absorbed by turf grass roots.
Non-mineral nutrients. Non-mineral elements enter plants from the soil and the air. They include three staples of photosynthesis: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Essential plant elements are further divided into macro- and micronutrients—i.e., turf grass nutrients needed in larger amounts versus those needed in smaller amounts.

Mowing Turf Grass

Mowing is stressful for turf grass but necessary for turf grass management. It removes leaves that generate energy needed for growth and development. To survive, the plant uses reserve carbohydrates to regrow leaves. Minimize plant stress from mowing by:

Mowing less grass more often. Set your blades at the high end of the recommended mowing height range for your specific type of turf grass for a lush lawn. A single mowing shouldn’t remove more than one-third of the leaf blade.
Avoiding scalping. Scalping occurs when mower blades are set too low, damaging plant crowns and making new leaf growth harder or unlikely. The resulting weak, thin and uncompetitive turf allows problematic weeds to grow.