HORT 2303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Lawn, Cynodon Dactylon, Zoysia
Document Summary
Historically grasses came from grazed area - defoliated grass (pic of sheep grazing). 3 primary cultural practices: fertility, irrigation and mowing (all connected, all can change) When there is a problem, use cultural practice of chemical pest control and cultivation (top dress) More dense are greens - lower area requires use of lower energy for roots so shorter root system. For roadside, utility turf and lawns, mowing cut it higher with deeper roots but less dense. Mowing height and mowing frequency go hand in hand. Lower height, more frequency, high height, less frequency. When turf is under stress, raise mowing height first! As height is raised, there will be more time between mows. The rule states to never remove more than of the turfgrass leaves with a single mowing. Scalping will occur if more than is cut off. Scalping is not only unsightly, but puts a tremendous strain on the turn. Desired mowing height * 1. 5 = mow at height.
