1. Kansas State University
Cool Season Lawns
Kansas State University
By Bob Neier, Sedgwick County Extension Agent, Horticulture
Adapted from materials by Ward Upham

2. Turfgrasses Commonly Grown in KS
Cool-Season
Turf Type Tall Fescue - Home lawns
Kentucky Bluegrass
Perennial Ryegrass - golf fairways
Creeping Bentgrass - golf greens
Warm-Season - xeriscape
Zoysiagrass
Bermudagrass
Buffalograss

3. Kansas in Transition Zone
Difficult to grow either warm- or cool-season grasses well

4. Cool-Season Grasses
Grow best during spring and fall, summer difficult

5. Tall Fescue
Has mini-rhizomes but basically bunch grass

6. Tall Fescue

7. Tall Fescue Best adapted cool-season grass in Kansas
Used on home lawns, parks and athletic fields
Propagated by seed and sometimes by sod
Sod doesn’t hold together well and so either mix in bluegrass or use plastic mesh at planting
Seed germinates quickly; everything perfect, 4 days
Coarse bladed grass but newer cultivars better than old ones
Avoid K-31; coarser, less dense, lighter color and seed tends to be contaminated with orchard grass

8. Best Choice for the Shade
Tall Fescue
Best Choice for the Shade

9. Major Problem: Brown Patch
Tall Fescue
Major Problem: Brown Patch

10. What About Fine-Leaf Fescues?
There are tall fescues with finer leaves than K-31
There are true fine-leaved fescues
Chewings fescue
Hard Fescue
Creeping Red Fescue
Sheeps Fescue

11. True Fine-Leaf Fescues
Have excellent shade tolerance; better than any of our commonly grown turfgrasses.
Have poor heat tolerance. Do not come through our summers well.

12. Kentucky Bluegrass

13. Kentucky Bluegrass
Spreads by rhizomes

14. Kentucky Bluegrass Fine-bladed grass that makes attractive lawn
Used on athletic fields, parks, and home lawns
Propagated by seed or sod
Poor heat tolerance
Has trouble coming through our summers without damage
Better adapted further north

15. Numerous Problems: Summer Patch Can Be Severe
Kentucky Bluegrass
Numerous Problems: Summer Patch Can Be Severe

16. Cultural Practices
Mowing
Fertilization
Watering
Aerating

17. Mowing: Basic Information
Don’t remove more than 1/3 of blade at one time

18. Mowing: Basic Information
Don’t remove more than 1/3 of blade at one time
Clippings don’t contribute much to thatch (zoysia may be exception)
If remove clippings, must add 1/4 more nitrogen to get same response
Higher mowing height = deeper roots and less weeds for upright growing types

19. When to Fertilize Cool-Season Grasses
September
Most important fertilization of year
Use 1 pound nitrogen per 1000 square feet
Quick-release OK
November
Second most important fertilization
April or May
Optional; use 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet
Use fertilizer with at least 1/4 nitrogen as slow-release

20. Fertilization: Fertilizer Analysis
Sequence of three numbers that reflect the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium respectively.

21. Fertilizer: Macro Nutrients
Nitrogen - Used for above-ground growth and good green color
Phosphorus - Used for root growth and formation of seeds and fruit
Potassium - Used for basic plant growth and helps plants withstand stress

22. Lawn Fertilizers Fertilizer
Most are high Nitrogen, low and phosphorus and potassium
21-0-0
Nitrogen usually needed
Phosphorus (middle number) usually already high in our soils and may run off and cause algae bloom in lakes
Potassium usually adequate in our soils

23. Drop Spreader Relatively easy to calibrate
Takes more time to apply fertilizer
Skips extremely obvious and so need to go over area 2 times at right angles

24. Whirlybird Spreader Difficult to calibrate
Can apply fertilizer relatively quickly
Easier to avoid skips
With correct method, only need to go over area once

25. Watering Look for darker “hot spots”. Often have purplish tinge.
Best to allow turf to undergo some stress early in season. Makes turf more drought resistant.
Attempt to apply 3/4 to 1 inch of water each time you irrigate.

26. Proper Watering

27. How to Tell if You Have Enough Water
Use catch cans
Use screw driver; moisture down 6 to 8 inches

28. Aeration Controls Thatch
Up to ½ inch thatch beneficial
Cushions plant
Acts as mulch
Over ½ inch and roots tend to stay in thatch

29. Benefits of Aerating Thatch control Better root aeration
Quicker water infiltration
Relieves compaction
Deeper fertilizer placement

30. Aerators
Drum type normally used on home lawns
Go over lawn two times

31. Seeding Normally done in early fall for cool-season grasses
Soil is warm so faster germination and establishment
Less weed problems
5-8 lb/1000 sq.ft. For tall fescue

32. Establishment Seeding Sodding
Commonly used for tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass
Sept is best month (may seed as late as Oct 15)
March is second best month
Sodding
Commonly used for Kentucky bluegrass
Tall fescue is sodded more now
Best success is Sept - late October, March through late May

33. Overseed if > 50% Good Grass
July/August
Spray perennials with glyphosate
September
Fertilize then plant early in September (6-8 lb/1000sqft)
Core aerate if compacted, then seed and vertislice
Vertiseed if not compacted
Keep soil moist
October
Fertilize one month after planting
November
Fertilize again one month later

34. Overseeding Normally done in early fall for cool-season grasses
Must have good seed-soil contact
Methods
Slit seeder

35. Overseeding/Vertislicing
Either put on seed prior to slicing or
with vertiseeder

36. Seeding/Core Aeration
Lightly seed each time you aerate
Method to thicken up slightly thin lawns

37. Rototil & seed if < 50% Good Grass
July/August
Spray perennials with glyphosate
Grade soil, apply nutrients, rototill
September
Fertilize then plant early in September (6-8 lb/1000sqft)
Rake in grass seed
Keep soil moist
October
Fertilize one month after planting
November
Fertilize again one month later

38. Sodding of Cool-Season Grasses
Best done in fall (just like for seeding) but can be done any time ground not frozen
Problems with laying sod in summer
Dessication (drying out)
Disease
Heat stress
Water bill
Prepare soil just like you would for seeding on bare ground
Roots will peg down in 7 to 10 days under good conditions

39. Weed Prevention Maintain a thick turf
Weed seeds are often small and many need sunlight and consistent moisture to germinate
Even if weed seeds germinate in a thick turf, competition may slow weed growth

40. Weed Prevention
Maintain a thick turf
Mow as high as practical

41. Preemergence Herbicides
Applied before weeds germinate
Must be watered in

42. Preemergence Herbicides
Must be watered in
Only kills weed seeds as they germinate
Need some time after application for activation
Primarily used for annual grasses such as crabgrass

43. Common Preemergence Herbicides
Barricade
Dimension
Pendimethalin
Team

44. Control of Annual Grassy Weeds
Recommendations
Annual grassy weeds normally controlled with preemergent herbicides
Timing
Traditionally, crabgrass preventers have been applied by April 15th in central Kansas
Apply when redbud trees are approaching full bloom

45. Control of Annual Grassy Weeds
Crabgrass

46. Control of Annual Grassy Weeds
Crabgrass
Goosegrass
Foxtail

47. Control of Annual Grassy Weeds
Miscellaneous Notes
Crabgrass seeds begin germinating when soil temperatures rise above 60̍ F, and when air temperatures rise above 65̍ for five consecutive days.
Barricade lasts a long time but takes longer to activate
Apply two weeks earlier than other herbicides
Can be applied in fall for season long control next year
If late with preventer, use Dimension

48. Postemergence Herbicides
Applied after weeds are up
Rain can reduce or eliminate effectiveness

49. Common Postemergence Herbicides
Weed-B-Gon
Trimec products
Turflon products
Confront

50. Control of Broadleaf Weeds
Winter Annuals
Henbit

51. Control of Broadleaf Weeds
Winter Annuals
Henbit
Chickweed

52. Control of Broadleaf Weeds
Winter Annuals and Perennials
Henbit
Chickweed
Dandelion

53. Control of Broadleaf Weeds
What to Use
2,4-D: dandelion and winter annuals in the fall
Combination products: dandelion and winter annuals in the early spring
Trimec (2,4-D + MCPP + Dicamba)
Weed-B-Gon (2,4-D + MCPP)
Confront (commercial product): excellent on clover, safe on buffalograss
Turflon products: good on clover

54. Control of Nutsedge Not a grass Has triangular base Likes moist sites
Background Info
Not a grass
Has triangular base
Likes moist sites
Can reproduce by seed or nutlets

55. Control of Nutsedge MSMA, Basagran and Manage are used
Herbicides
MSMA, Basagran and Manage are used
Manage works well

56. Control of Bermuda in Cool-Season Turf
Bermuda greens up late and goes dormant early

57. Control of Bermuda in Cool-Season Turf
Steps to Control
Mid-July: Fertilize and water bermuda
First of August: Spray with Glyphosate
Third weed of August: Spray again with Glyphosate if any green
Early September: Seed

58. Most Common Problem is “Grubs”
Insect Problems
Most Common Problem is “Grubs”
May Beetle (June Bug)
Southern Masked Chafer
Billbugs
Black Turfgrass Ataenius

59. Grub Insects, Adults May Beetle Southern Masked Chafer
Black Turfgrass Ataenius
Billbug

60. Mottled appearance to turf
White Grubs
Mottled appearance to turf

61. White Grubs

62. White Grubs
Identification
Southern Masked Chafer
May Beetle

63. May Beetle
3-year Life Cycle
2nd Year Most Damaging

64. Southern Masked Chafer
Annual grub
Most common grub that causes damage
Adults don’t feed that we know of

65. Number needed to cause visible damage
White Grub Control
Number needed to cause visible damage
Southern Masked Chafer: 8-9 per square foot
May Beetle: 3-4 per square foot

66. White Grub Control Labeled for white grubs and billbugs
Merit Insecticide
Labeled for white grubs and billbugs
Considered a 3 month product
If after annual grubs, apply early to mid- July
If also seeking to control May Beetle grubs or billbugs, apply no earlier than mid-May
Causes a disruption of a grub's nervous system resulting in its death
Not for rescue treatments

67. White Grub Control
Mach 2 Insecticide
Labeled for cutworms, sod webworms, billbugs and white grubs
Considered a 6 week product
Apply early to mid- July for white grub control
Accelerates a grub's development by causing it to molt prematurely
Feeding stops within a couple of hours of ingestion
Not for rescue treatments

68. White Grub Control Apply when see damage Use convential insecticide
Rescue Treatments
Apply when see damage
Use convential insecticide

69. How to Tell if Grub Affected by Insecticide
Healthy Grub
Grub on Way Out

70. Diseases Kentucky Bluegrass - Summer Patch, Dollar Spot
Tall Fescue - Brown Patch
Bermudagrass - Spring Dead Spot
Zoysiagrass - Large Patch

71. Kentucky Bluegrass - Summer Patch
Symptoms
Frog-eye Pattern

72. Kentucky Bluegrass - Summer Patch
Control
By the time you see symptoms, it is too late
Heritage and Bayleton provided good control when applied on May 1, May 27 and June 23.

73. Kentucky Bluegrass - Dollar Spot
Symptoms
Small brown spots
Individual leaf blades have hourglass pattern

74. Kentucky Bluegrass - Dollar Spot
Conditions Favoring
Warm, humid conditions
Made worse by low nitrogen fertility

75. Kentucky Bluegrass - Dollar Spot
Control
On home lawns, usually not severe enough to warrant control.
May wish to apply light fertilization, if appropriate.
Many fungicides can be used if desired including Banner or Daconil.

76. Tall Fescue - Brown Patch
Symptoms
Smoke ring sometimes present in early morning

77. Tall Fescue - Brown Patch
Symptoms
Circular patches up to several feet in diameter

78. Tall Fescue - Brown Patch
Conditions Favoring
Hot days and warm nights
High nitrogen fertilization
Wet leaf surfaces

79. Tall Fescue - Brown Patch
Control
Often turf will recover without spraying
Preventive sprays are more effective than curative
First preventive spray should go down about July 1
Heritage, Bayleton, Banner, ProStar, and Daconil work well. Daconil best for homeowner.
Heritage and ProStar have been the most effective over the long term (5 weeks control with one app)

80. Brown Area in Otherwise Green Lawn
Female dog
Gas spill
Car exhaust
Dumped salt water from ice cream maker
Shallow soil due to underlying rock
If No Signs of Diseases or Insects, Probably Burn

81. The End