The first step in achieving a lush lawn: determining what type of turf grass grows in your yard. Start by inspecting the primary vegetative features of your turf grass, including some of the following characteristics:

• Crown: The white, thick part of the grass plant at soil level where the shoot meets the roots. 
• Sheath: The lower portion of the grass leaf between the crown and the blade that encloses and protects young shoots of grass.
• Collar: The backside of a leaf where the blade and sheath join. Collars may be divided by a line that runs up the center or be continuous. 
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Every lawn is unique, so picking out the right species of turf grass for your yard, climate, and needs is essential to making sure yours thrives. 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 (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 to the turf grass plant.

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. Determine the care that your lawn needs, whether that’s simple maintenance or more complex care. For some lawns, proper watering and mowing techniques are enough. For others, it 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.

Essential Nutrients

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

1. Mineral nutrients: These elements dissolve in water, then enter the soil and are absorbed by turf grass roots.
2. Non-mineral nutrients: These 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 Techniques

Mowing is stressful for turf grass but necessary for its management. Minimize plant stress from mowing by:

1. Mowing shorter lengths more frequently: 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.