If you're like so many Utah residents, you may be having difficulty figuring out how to cultivate a lush green lawn and maintain it. The answer starts with choosing the best type of turf for the terrain in your area and your particular property’s specific needs. 

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Types of Turf Species

Every lawn needs special attention. A beautiful, thriving lawn requires suitable turf, based on its unique combination of features, type, use, and other considerations. Turf species are categorized into cool- and warm-season types of grass. Let us first understand these two types of grasses.

Warm Season Grasses

Warm-season turfgrasses grow best when temperatures are between 80° to 95°F. Cold temperatures cause these turfgrass types to become dormant for an extended period. Warm-season grass types need abundant sunlight and do not do well in very shaded lawn areas. Some common types of warm-season grasses include:

  • Bermuda
  • Hybrid Bermuda
  • Zoysia
  • Augustine
  • Centipede

Cool Season Grass

Cool-season turfgrasses start growing when temperatures are between 60° to 70°F. In the Utah climate, these grass species can struggle to survive the damaging sun and heat. In warmer months, cool-season grass types need larger amounts of water than warm-season grass alternatives. Cool-season grasses can grow well in shaded lawns. Trees provide shade that shields the lawn and protects the grass from long days and months of direct sun exposure. Some of the most common cool-season grass types include:

  • Kentucky Blue Grass
  • Fine Fescue
  • Tall Fescue
  • Rye Grass

How To Care For Lawn Turf?

The best lawn care practices are specific to the turfgrass type you select for your area and the conditions. Use the basic guidelines below to help you create a turf care program that will work best for your particular lawn. We’ll just focus on Fescue and Kentucky Blue Grass because those are the two turf types that people use most here in Utah. A Tall Fescue turf or Kentucky Blue Grass can give you a beautiful lawn in the western U.S. climate region.

How to Care for Fescue Grass (Tall and Fine)?

Among the broad-leaved Fescue grasses is Tall Fescue. Its familiar wide, flat blades are common among popular lawn turfs. Tall Fescue is a versatile species of grass used across a wide range of climate types. It withstands both hot and cold temperatures. It’s also shade-tolerant and resistant to drought. In good climatic conditions for this grass type, Tall Fescue provides an excellent option for the durability and resilience of a lawn that undergoes changing conditions.

Proper care of Tall Fescue grass should include:

  • Watering: Fescue turf needs a minimum of around two inches per week throughout the summer. It requires a minimum of about an inch of water per week, even throughout the winter months. If grass blades stay flat from foot traffic, that indicates that the grass needs water.
  • Mowing: Maintain Tall Fescue lawn turf at 1.5 to 3 inches grass height.
  • Fertilizing: Fescue should not be fertilized during the summer. The right time to apply fertilizer to Fescue grass is during the spring and fall seasons.
  • Aerating: The fall is the appropriate time to aerate Tall Fescue lawns.
  • Overseeding: Tall Fescue is known for its durability in withstanding hot temperatures. So, overseeding during the fall to fill bare patches of the lawn is recommended.

Fine Fescue is the category of all Fescue species with thinner leaves. Fine fescue has narrower blades than Tall Fescue. Some species of Fine Fescue grasses can be so thin that the blades have a needle-like appearance.

A strategy used for many lawns, where appropriate, is mixing Tall Fescue grass with Fine Fescue. This combination works well to produce a plush lawn with fine texturing while also thriving in the shade.

How to Care for Kentucky Blue Grass?

Lawn owners consider Kentucky Blue Grass as the ideal turf for a beautiful yard throughout much of the country. In suitable climatic conditions and appropriate lawn care, Kentucky Blue Grass provides a thick, lush, robust lawn. But, this grass species does not flourish without proper care. It requires comparatively frequent maintenance to make the most of its potential. But, the pay-off can be an exceptionally gorgeous, thick green lawn.

Proper care of Kentucky Blue Grass should include:

  • Watering: Kentucky Blue Grass needs a minimum of around a half-inch of water per week.
  • Mowing: This turf species performs beautifully when maintained at 3 to 4 inches height.
  • Fertilizing: Fertilize Kentucky Blue Grass with applications of 4 to 5 pounds of nitrogen for every 1,000 square feet of lawn area every year.
  • Aerating: The ideal period for aerating Kentucky Blue Grass and other cool-season grasses is early in the spring or fall, during the growing season.
  • Overseeding: Use aeration as an opportunity to help fill in sparse areas after removing soil plugs.

Optimum Turf Care For Your Lawn

A frequent error people make in trying to cultivate a great lawn is assuming all grass is the same and that all turf types have the exact requirements. However, as you can see above, different types of grass can have different needs that must be met to produce a dense, beautiful green lawn. So, for best results, seek expert professional lawn care guidance on your particular lawn’s specific needs.

For Lush Green Lawn, Contact Big League Lawns, Ogden, Utah

If you need help rehabilitating depleted or dead grass, contact Big League Lawns. Get full-scope lawn care programs, including fertilization, aeration, winterization, and lawn pest control. We serve our customers throughout Weber and Davis counties in Utah, with over 40 years of combined experience cultivating thriving Utah lawns. We use our own special locally blended fertilizer designed for Utah lawns. Big League lawn care services are 100% guaranteed.

Call Big League Lawns at (801) 773-9999, or contact us online to schedule a FREE lawn analysis and estimate by one of our Utah lawn rehabilitation experts.

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