For the turf grass plant to fulfill its missions of controlling erosion, providing environmental benefits and contributing aesthetically and economically to the landscape, it must be furnished with optimum or at least near-optimum growing conditions. As with all plants, it is very sensitive to its environment. Any dramatic changes may severely test the plant’s ability to adapt and survive.

Nearly all turf grass plants are perennial, living more than one or two growing seasons. They require plant nutrients, water, an optimum temperature and air to complete their life cycle. Two groups of turf grasses are used for lawns throughout the United States (Figure 4.1). One group is the warm-season grasses; these have optimum or ideal growing temperatures which range from 80° to 95°F. The other group is the cool-season grasses; their best growing temperatures range from 60° to 75°F (Tables 4.1 and 4.2).

These two groups of grasses react very differently to yearly temperature variations (Figure 4.2). Because of their lower optimum temperature requirements, cool-season grasses have high growth rate periods in spring and fall regardless of whether or not they are grown in the North or South. Warm-season grasses peak in summer when the growth rates of cool-season grasses are reduced. The high stress period for warm-season grass plants is during winter, and the high stress period for cool-season grasses is during summer.

A plant naturally reacts to stress by entering a state of dormancy. It is normal for a warm-season grass plant to turn brown in early winter and remain brown or dormant until warm days return in early- to mid-spring. The plant is not dead but has "retreated" to its growing points which are basically the crown, stolons and rhizomes (Figure 4.3). Cool-season grass normally enters dormancy by turning brown during the heat of summer. Water is applied for its cooling effect to keep cool-season grasses from going dormant during the hot summer. Water cools as it evaporates; this process is called "syringing."

All turf grass plants spread vegetatively in one or more of three different ways (Figure 4.3 and Table 4.3). One method is by an above-ground lateral stem called a stolon or runners. Alternatively, a rhizome is a below-ground lateral stem. Both these structures are able to produce nodes, which in turn can produce a new plant. These lateral stems are organs that store carbohydrates for the plant’s survival during periods of dormancy. Once favorable weather returns, the nodes produce new plants. The third type of vegetative reproduction is tillering and is the slowest method of spreading. The new plant is produced at the base of the original plant. These grasses form clumps and are sometimes called bunch grasses.

Very few of the 500 species of grass that grow in New Mexico are suitable for turf. Unlike other types of grasses, turf grasses are not permitted to mature normally and produce seed. Instead, the leaves of turf grasses, which manufacture the food materials needed for growth, are frequently removed by mowing. Few grasses tolerate the close, frequent mowing required to maintain a turf.

Your choice of a turf grass depends on your geographic location, the amount of water available for irrigation, the amount of shade present, the time and money you are willing to spend for lawn establishment and the kind of use you expect.

Warm season grass lawns are actively growing from mid-April to mid-October. They are termed "warm season" grasses because they grow during warm weather. Most produce stolons and/or rhizomes. Stolons are above ground runners, while rhizomes are under ground runners. Both are stems that help produce plants and help warm season grasses fill in areas and recuperate after stress events.

Bermuda grass is the turf grass most widely used in Southern New Mexico. It is a narrow-leaved, vigorous perennial with its origin being traced to Africa. Bermuda grasses are warm-season grasses that go dormant with cool fall weather and "green-up" when warm spring weather returns. Bermuda grasses are all fairly salt-tolerant, but none have any significant shade tolerance. In Spring, Bermuda grasses start growing when soil temperatures reach 60°F and as a group, they are aggressive, spreading both by rhizomes and stolons. The need to edge sidewalks and trim around trees, shrubs, buildings and fences is almost constant.

Bermuda grass used as turf:

• does not grow in medium to dense shade.
• turns brown after frost in the fall
• with continued low temperatures, does not become green until after the last spring freeze.
• is more of a nuisance than other turf grasses in flower beds and gardens because of the runners and rhizomes.
• is subject to scalping when mowed infrequently.

Common. This is a fairly wide-bladed Bermuda grass. Its biggest advantage is that it can be established from seed. It has a fairly low maintenance requirement and survives on little water and fertilizer. The best cutting height is 1½ inches but can be maintained at slightly lower heights if frequently cut. It does not produce thatch. However, production of unsightly seed heads can be a problem, especially for those with allergies. There is very little Common sod available because it is so easy to start from seed. Common is used for a great number of home lawns, athletic fields and other moderate- to low-maintenance areas. There are more and more "named" seeded varieties of Bermuda being introduced and they tend to have a finer texture than common, but not as fine as Tifway.

Tifgreen (328). This is one of the smallest-leafed, hybrid Bermuda grasses available. Its ideal cutting height ranges from 1/8 to 1/2 inch and requires heavy fertilization and abundant water to perform well. This grass is best suited for use on golf course putting greens and tees across the South. It is propagated by sprigs or sod. Tifgreen II was released as an improved mutant of Tifgreen.

Tifway (419). Tifway is a true hybrid. It has a slightly wider leaf blade than Tifgreen, but is not nearly as coarse as Common. The best cutting height for this Bermuda grass is 3/8 to 1 inch. Thatch problems may occur if it is over fertilized and over watered. It can be established using either sprigs or sod and is perhaps the best of the hybrid Bermuda grasses for lawn use.

Tifway II. This is an improved variety of Tifway.

Texturf 10. This grass was developed by the Texas Agriculture Experiment Station and is a selection of Common Bermuda grass. It has a more horizontal growth habit than Common, thus resulting in a thicker lawn and an ideal mowing height of about 1 inch. Texturf-10 recovers rapidly in the spring, produces few seed heads and is widely used for athletic fields. In humid climates it is highly susceptible to leaf spot diseases. Texturf 10 is established either by sodding or sprigging.

U3. This is a hybrid Bermuda grass that can be established from seed. The resulting turf looks much like Common with finer stems and leaves. U3 has superior cold tolerance, but it does not produce a high-quality lawn.

Santa Ana Bermuda grass was selected by the California Agricultural Experiment Station in 1956 for its desirable turf characteristics and its salt tolerance. Santa Ana performs well in high-pH soils and where irrigation water is relatively high in salt.

Floratex is a medium-textured variety of Bermuda grass released jointly by the Florida and Texas Agricultural Experiment Stations in 1993. Planting material will be available to the public in 1994. Floratex was developed as a low-maintenance grass that provides acceptable color and density with relatively low inputs of fertilizer, water and pesticides.

This turf grass is native to the Orient. It is not as shade-tolerant as St. Augustine, but it is wear-resistant and more cold-tolerant than Bermuda grass. Although it has a fairly low growth rate, zoysia grass spreads by both rhizomes and stolons. Zoysia is slower to spread than Bermuda grass and St. Augustine and requires longer to establish a complete cover. However, it requires mowing as often as Bermuda grass if a uniform, attractive appearance is desired. If established with sprigs or plugs, it may take two or three seasons to fill in, depending on the sprig rate or plug spacing. Zoysia grass is used for home lawns and golf courses, especially in the transition zone.

There are three different varieties of Zoysia grass, and these include Emerald, Meyer and Japanese lawn grass. Emerald has a much finer leaf blade than Meyer and forms a dense, dark-green turf that is dense-growing. The leaf blade of Meyer is a little wider than that of Common Bermuda grass, and it also forms a dense turf.

This turf grass, native to the West Indies and the Texas Gulf Coast, is widely grown in the warm, humid parts of the United States. Its best attribute is its outstanding shade tolerance. St. Augustine grass is usually established by sod, but plugs of newer varieties are now available. It spreads quickly by stolons but has low wear tolerance which may make it undesirable for heavily used lawns. St. Augustine grass varieties have wider leaf blades than most other turf grasses. It produces a thick thatch over time and is slow to grow back from severe verticutting. It does not take to overseeding. Like Bermuda grass, it does go dormant during the winter months when it is cold. It has limited use in our state. It's use is limited to the Southern part of New Mexico.

This is the only turf grass native to the North American great plains from Texas to Canada. It is a warm-season turf grass that spreads by stolons. Buffalo grass has fine leaf blades that are bluish green in color. It does not form as dense a turf as Bermuda grass, and if left unmowed, it does not reach more than 4 or 5 inches in height. It can survive extreme drought conditions but may turn brown during dry summer periods and green up again when it rains. It can be used for golf course parks, roughs or other low-maintenance areas. Common Bermuda can be a serious "weed" problem in buffalo grass.

Buffalo grass is established from seeds called burrs. The seed is larger than other grass seed and overall production is low, making the price expensive. Buffalo grass is the only turf grass that is dioecious (there are male and female buffalo grass plants). The male flower is produced on the end of a stalk, while the female flower is produced at the base of the plant.

Buffalo grass has no particular insect or disease problems. Its biggest enemy, perhaps, is over watering and over fertilizing. Buffalo grasses will not persist in shade. It performs best on fertile, well-drained, heavy soils in full sunlight.

Buffalo grass used as a turf:

• tolerates infrequent mowing
• is very drought-tolerant.
• is not aggressive 
• is easily removed from flower beds and gardens
• but the burrs may be uncomfortable to bare feet

"Prairie," developed at Texas A&M University, and "609", developed at The University of Nebraska, both buffalo grasses are selections of female plants with a darker green color and more dense growth habit than common buffalo grass. Both "Prairie" and "609" buffalo grass must be established from sod or sod plugs. Seeded varieties of buffalo grass include Common, Texoka, Commanche, Plains and Topgun.