Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 15, 1993 TAG: 9307150123
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-7 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOE HUNNINGS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Two steps you should perform now are soil testing and seed selection:
Soil testing
Soil testing will determine whether the soil pH and nutrient (phosphorus, potassium calcium and magnesium) levels are in a range that favor turf growth. The soil test report will indicate how much fertilizer or lime needs to be applied. Lime and fertilizer applications work best when they can be mixed into the upper four to six inches of the soil. Soil sample boxes and soil analyses are available through your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Service office.
Seed selection
The purchase of lawn seed is a long-term investment, because the seed you buy will have a large bearing on whether you succeed in developing a beautiful lawn that is perennial in nature. It is not possible to evaluate the quality of seed by looking at it. However, information printed on seed packages can help you make a wise choice when buying turfgrass seed.
There are large differences in lawn seed, and it pays to compare. The price you pay for the seed represents only a small portion of the total cost of planting, fertilizing, mowing, etc. Don't let low cost be the only factor you use when selecting lawn seed.
Choose varieties that have been tested and proved to be best-suited for this area of Virginia. Kentucky Bluegrass is a fine-textured grass that's well adapted to the New River Valley. Bluegrass may go dormant under severe drought stress without supplemental watering.
Tall fescue is well adapted throughout Virginia. It has larger leaves than Kentucky bluegrass and is very suitable for less than ideal turf conditions. Varieties of tall fescue that have been especially developed for turf have recently been released. These are called turf-type or fine-bladed fescues.
Other cool-season turfgrasses that are used for special purposes are creeping red fescue and perennial ryegrass. Creeping red fescue has the best shade tolerance of all the cool-season grasses. For this reason, it is often included in a mixture with Kentucky bluegrass varieties.
Perennial ryegrasses can sometimes produce an acceptable turf under certain circumstances; however, they are predominantly used as a nurse grass during establishment when small amounts (less than 20 percent) are included in a Kentucky bluegrass mixture. When used in this manner, the perennial ryegrasses - which germinate quickly - will help to stabilize the soil until the slower-developing Kentucky bluegrass can become established.
Variety selection
Some turfgrass varieties perform better than others under Virginia conditions. Therefore, deciding what variety to purchase is an important consideration for the homeowner.
A group of Virginia and Maryland Extension turfgrass specialists rigorously test new varieties each year.
Before being recommended, varieties undergo at least three years of performance testing in several locations in each state.
Here are their 1993 recommendations:
\ Kentucky bluegrass: seed a blend of two to three varieties at the rate of two to three pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. (Abbey, Aspen, Baron, Classic, Eclipse, Georgetown, Glade, Julia, Kelly, Liberty, Lofts 1757, Merit, Midnight, Monopoly and Suffolk)
\ Tall fescue: seed at a rate of four to six pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. Mixing bluegrass with the fescue at up to 10 percent by weight of the mix will aid recuperative potential of the turf. (Amigo, Anthem, Apache, Arriba, Bonanza, Chieftan, Cochise, Crossfire, Finelawn 5GL, Guardian Mesa, Monarch, Olympic II, Safari, Shortstop, Tribute, Winchester, and Wrangler)
\ Perennial ryegrass (Caliente, Fiesta II, Manhattan II, Omega II, Pennant, Repell, Saturn)
\ Creeping red fescue (Salem and Shademaster)
Cost-effectiveness
The only thing you really want to pay for is seed that will grow. When considering seed lots of similar quality, compare the amount of pure live seed - PLS - in the package. To determine the PLS percentage, look at the analysis on the label. Then, multiply the germination percentage by the pure-seed percentage.
\ Example: If germination is 80 percent (.80 as a decimal) and purity is 90 percent (.90 as a decimal), multiplying .80 by .90 equals .72. Multiply this decimal by 100 to get the percentage of pure live seed, which is 72 percent.
To get the cost per pound of pure live seed, divide the price per pound by the pure-live-seed percentage (in decimal form). For instance, if the seed costs $2.25 per pound, divide that cost by .72, and you find the actual cost of pure live seed is just about $3.13 per pound.
Joe Hunnings is the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agent for agriculture in Christiansburg. If you have questions call the Montgomery County extension office at 382-5790.
by CNB