Status of my lawn

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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bpgreen
Posts: 3871
Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

Status of my lawn

Post by bpgreen » June 26th, 2022, 1:21 pm

I'm starting a new thread so we don't hijack the other one any further.
Green wrote:
June 26th, 2022, 1:23 am
^So, are those natives grass species keeping any green color in the dry heat? They're all warm season, right? Or are some cool season? And sorry if you mentioned it recently, but how much rain has occurred this Spring there?
Surprisingly, even most of the remaining kbg and tall fescue are still green. There are areas where it's looking pretty stressed and some completely brown spots, especially in the hellstrip. There are some spots where even the native grasses are suffering, especially the sheep's fescue (or the streambank wheatgrass; I can't always tell them apart, especially when they're stressed).

In the hellstrip, there are patches where even the blue grama (a warm season grass) is suffering.

My native grasses are a mixture of warm and cool season grasses, but I'll probably be planting mostly warm season grasses from here on.

We've had a couple of months with slightly above normal, but most have been below average. We've had a little more than a half inch of rain in June. Normal is about 1.3, I think.

We don't need a few months that are slightly above average, with most below average. We need most months to be above average with a fair number of those will above average.

Green
Posts: 6837
Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
Location: CT (Zone 6B)
Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: Status of my lawn

Post by Green » July 1st, 2022, 10:22 pm

Thanks. I find it interesting, because if trends keep up, there are going to be more and more places where your selection of native grass species become more and more necessary. I could see them being useful in my area in some cases. I've always been a little wary of traditional warm season grasses, like Zoysia, being used more in strongly cool season areas, due to issues like contamination of lawns, and the long dormant season.

Sheep Fescue is the only one that I see used somewhat regularly in seed mixes. I've never tried it out. Hard Fescue is as far as I've gone in that direction. If course, Hard is more of a conventional lawn grass, and often mixed with other fine Fescues for shade, or even with Tall Fescue, etc. In lawn situations.

What are all of the native species you're using, and which ones are warm versus cool season?
I'd like to learn as much as I can from you about your lawn so I have a starting point if I ever try something similar.

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