Mowing

Revised Feb. 2008

In nature, annual bluegrass, Poa annua L. behaves as a true annual. It germinates in fall or spring when moisture is adequate and develops quickly, often flowering six to eight weeks after germination. In the Pacific Northwest we see it most commonly as a winter annual (Fig 1). After flowering and setting seed these annual types die typically from drought and leave dormant viable seed behind to germinate when moisture again becomes available. This efficiency in seed production makes annual bluegrass a major component of the seed bank of cultivated soils.

Introduction:

For as long as golf has been played in the Pacific Northwest creeping bentgrass has been planted on putting greens, first as a component of South German mixed bentgrass, and later as seeded or stolonized varieties. In recent years, intense breeding and selection work has resulted in a flood of new cultivars with widely varying characteristics and generally much improved surface quality. While early creeping bentgrasses quickly gave way to annual bluegrass, newer cultivars are much more competitive and may prove to be much more persistent.

Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.
(Formerly Festuca arundinacea Schreb.

Introduction:

Tall fescue is probably the most widely planted cool season grass in the world. This guide will cover botany, history, cultural requirements, and strengths and weaknesses of this fascinating grass.

Botanical Characteristics and Identification:

Festuca sp.

Introduction:

The fine fescues are composed of several different Festuca species and subspecies. All are fine textured compared to most other commonly planted turfgrasses. Fine fescues have long been used in mixtures with other grasses and are generally considered the standard for shade tolerance in cool season grasses. In recent years, the fine fescues have received attention as low input environmentally sustainable grasses. Most retail lawn mixtures contain at least some fine fescue.

Botanical Characteristics:

Lolium perenne L.

Introduction:

Poa pratensis L.

Introduction:

(Agrostis sp.)

Introduction:

What is a low maintenance lawn? Who sets the standards? An honest answer to both of these questions is probably "I don't know". By my standards most people in western Oregon already have low maintenance lawns. Their lawns are mowed sporadically in spring, occasionally in summer and fall and not at all in winter. A clear majority don't irrigate at all and of those who do, few irrigate consistently. Perhaps seventy percent of these homelawns are never fertilized and very few are ever treated with herbicides for weed control. Sounds pretty low maintenance to me.

Shade Trial – Area 4
Seeded Spring 2003

Introduction: