Got Lawn?

Certainly part of a lovely home includes the surrounding landscape, but most 21st century folk haven't a clue, do we?  Often our homelife experience is apartment-, condominium-, or townhouse-based.  So when it comes to planning out a delightful lawn for our new home, we're at the mercy of a landscape service or "just accepting" what's already in place.  But when it's YOUR home, you want things just right and made to suit your new homestyle and lifestyle.

Like anything worthwhile, you first have to care about your new lawn.  You have to become a lawn nerd.  Study what kinds of grasses are best for your area and your homestyle.  Pictured above is an ideal turf grass lawn.  Determining the type of turf grass for your lawn will show you the appropriate management practices such as: proper mowing height and frequency, fertilization needs, irrigation, and if needed pesticides. 

Generally the types of lawn turf grasses are broken into warm season grasses and cool season grasses each with their own characteristics.  

While Kentucky Bluegrass is one of the most common cool season lawn types, it does have its drawbacks, particularly in temporary drought conditions.  Kentucky Bluegrass has a shallow root system and also doesn't flourish well in shaded areas.

A far better all-around choice is the warm season Bermuda grass which is found predominating athletic fields, golf courses, and public parks.  Common bermuda grass is drought resistant, grows on many soils, and makes a good turf when fertilized and mowed properly.

Both Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda tolerate heavy foot traffic well, so you won't have to keep telling people "Keep off the grass!"  And for a 21st century homestyle, that works just fine.