Know Your Grasses

The most important thing you can do to improve the quality of your turfgrass is to every year make entries to your calendar. At Clemson’s HGIC, you can find yearly maintenance calendars for both warm-season and cool-season turfgrasses we grow in South Carolina. Most important is a soil test –I know you get tired of hearing that, but different grasses want very different amounts of fertilizer. Centipede grass is often called “poor man’s grass” - I guess these days I should say “poor person’s grass” although I do think men are more likely to be turf addicts than women - as it is harmed by over-fertilization and can survive extended periods of drought and recover. Its main drawback is that it doesn’t take well to heavy foot traffic-- so not a good choice if kids play football or soccer in the front yard.