What benefits are derived in the landscape from growing a lawn? What are some of the expenses
involved when growing a lawn?
●Provides a place to gather, relax, and recreate
●Creates a microclimate of cool air
●According to ASU research, air temperatures in lawn - covered residential backyards of
Phoenix, during the late afternoons and evenings of summer were as much as 10 to 20
degrees Fahrenheit cooler than residential backyards with desert landscaping
●Welcome respite for urban wildlife, especially birds during the warm afternoons and
evenings
●Regular upkeep in mowing, supplemental water, and fertilizing
●Not the best choice for every landscape setting
○Grass growth rate
●Mowing once per week during the cooler season
●Mowing 2 to 3 times per week during the warmer monsoon season between July and
August
●When mowing, never remove more than ⅓ of grass plant’s height
●Maintaining healthy and vigorous turf grass will inhibit weeds and eliminate the need for
lawn pesticides
●Irrigation depends on the grass type and weather conditions
●During the summer, Bermuda grass lawns will need to be watered 2 to 3 times per week
(every 2 to 3 days)
●During the winter, ryegrass lawns will need to be watered every 5 days
●Less frequently, if it happens to rain
●Fertilization occurs every 6 weeks during the summer (April to September)
●Grass clippings from a healthy lawn contain 3% nitrogen
●Recommended to not collect grass clippings, but rather to leave the clippings on the lawn
to decompose
○Can reduce the amount of required fertilizer for lawn care
○Recycles essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, as an organic fertilizer
Study Guide 3 - Turfgrass
●Natural, organic fertilizers, such as milorganite, releases nitrogen and other nutrients, like
iron, slowly into the soil
○Promotes the health of turf grass and beneficial organisms that live in the soil
beneath the turf
What examples of cool-season grasses were presented in the video as grasses that can be used for
lawns in the Phoenix area?
●Actively grows in late October to mid - April
●Annual and perennial ryegrass
○Bright green
○Fine textured
○Frost tolerant
●Annual ryegrass
○Relatively elongated blades
○Weak
○Tolerant human foot traffic
●Perennial ryegrass
○Grow short and stiff
○Dense and durable (matted)
○Dark Green
○Full sun and light to moderate shade
○Preferred grass for winter lawns in the desert Southwest
What are examples of warm-season grasses?
●Actively grows until March and into November when nighttime temperatures stay above
55 degrees Fahrenheit
●Hybrid Bermuda Grass
○Wear resistant
○Sterile
○Densely matted habit
○Fine texture
○Medium to dark green in color
●Superior Hybrid Bermuda Grass varieties include
○Midiron
○Tifway 419
○Santa Ana
○Tifsport
○Pollen free
○Resistant to heat and arid soil/climate conditions, especially in June, July, and
August
○Not adapted to survive in shade or cold weather
●Midiron
○Best hybrid Bermuda Grass Variety for a residential summer lawn due to its
tolerance to a variety of mowing and watering practices
●Tifway 419
○Preferred turf grass for active sports and recreation use
○Aggressive root growth after heavy use
Is it better to grow annual or perennial ryegrass?
●Perennial ryegrass is preferred grass for winter lawns in the desert Southwest
○Grow short and stiff
○Dense and durable (matted)
○Dark Green
○Full sun and light to moderate shade
How do some of the examples of hybrid Bermuda grass that were demonstrated in the video
differ (Santa Ana, Tifway and Midiron)?
●Superior Hybrid Bermuda Grass varieties include
○Midiron
○Tifway 419
○Santa Ana
○Tifsport
What types are not tolerant of shade?
●Bermuda Turf Grass
○Remains brown and dormant during the winter season
When does Bermuda grass turn brown and dormant?
●During the colder winter season
When types of lawns in Phoenix are overseeded, and what type of grass is used in the
overseeding process?
●Perennial ryegrass
What is the seeding rate per 1,000 square feet of lawn used for overseeding cool-season grasses?
After overseeding, how often and for how long should one sprinkler irrigate to establish?
●After scalping and raking away the Bermuda grass clippings, sow perennial ryegrass seed
onto the lawn area at a rate of 3 - 5 pounds of seed per 100 feet squared of lawn area
What type of fertilizer is used to fertilize lawns? How much fertilizer is generally needed to keep
a lawn healthy?
●Organic, complete fertilizer
Turf grass lawn plants mentioned in this video are listed below.
Cynodon
(Common and hybrid Bermuda grass; locally used cultivars include Santa Ana, Tifway
419 & Midiron)
Lolium
(Annual and perennial ryegrass)
Background notes
●The term “lawn” or “laune” originated from celtic origin meaning “an enclosed place of
worship”
●Lawns were clipped by grazing animals, such as sheep, or by a scythe in the past
●Frederick Olmsted was a famous landscape designer in the late 1860s
○Lawns should be massive and extend over property lines to give suburban housing
developments a park - like setting
○The early 20th century incorporated lawns due to the National ad campaign by the
U.S. Garden Club
○Taking care of a lawn became a civic pride that kept neighborhoods spiffy
●Decades of research funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and the golf
industry
●Artificial turf is made up of nylon and polypropylene plastic polymers that are woven
together similar to how carpet is manufactured
○Provides few environmental benefits compared to a living lawn
○Surface temperatures were similar to asphalt and concrete
○Can be as hot as 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit during summer afternoons
