A couple of weeks ago this column was about the importance of proper turf selection for each particular lawn site. Judging by the response I got by e-mail, the Miss-Lou is full of turfgrass lovers! I only had room to discuss bermudagrass. This week I will try to briefly cover the other five most commonly used warm-season grasses for turf here in the Miss-Lou. For those of you apathetic towards turf, just bear with us.

The zoysiagrasses without a doubt produce the most luxurious lawns. Named after Austrian botanist Karl von Zois and native to Korea and Japan, this grass is definitely associated with emperors and aristocracy. A walk through a mature zoysiagrass lawn is like walking on a thick, fine, Persian rug.

As with most of the finer things in life, zoysiagrass has its price. Not that the grass itself is expensive, but it is a very slow growing grass, and therefore very slow to establish. It may take several years of intense maintenance to produce a fine lawn. An old turf saying is that you don’t buy zoysiagrass, you earn it. In our e-mail, cellular phone, and instant grits paced world, this can be a problem for some. For those of you who like the finer things in life and have plenty of time, a zoysiagrass lawn like a fine wine will only get better with age.

One of the best characteristics of zoysiagrass is its excellent shade tolerance. It is just about equal in shade tolerance as St. Augustinegrass. Cold-hardiness and wear tolerance are excellent, and is generally insect, disease, and weed free once established. The slow growth characteristic that makes it difficult to establish is a great characteristic once established. The slow growth makes this grass less aggressive to nearby flower beds and is good used in walkways and paths.

One word of caution. Zoysiagrass may be the most difficult to cut. The grass is very tough and will require a very sharp mower. It would be best if you can cut it with a &uot;reel&uot; type of mower. The most common varieties of Zoysiagrass are &uot;Emerald&uot; and &uot;Meyer&uot; and are usually established by sod or plugs. If anyone in the Miss-Lou has a zoysiagrass lawn please e-mail me. I would love to come and walk through it!

St. Augustinegrass is as Southern as catfish and cornbread. This grass is very popular in the coastal south mainly due to its excellent shade tolerance. Underneath the canopy of large oak trees and Spanish moss you will likely find St. Augustinegrass. St. Augustinegrass, like all turfgrasses, prefers full sun. Luckily it will tolerate a good bit of shade. The more dense the shade, the thinner and more spindly the grass becomes. If St.Augustinegrass will not grow in an area due to shade, give up trying to grow turf and plant one of the many great ground covers available.

St. Augustinegrass is the least cold-tolerant of the warm-season grasses. When planted north of I-20, stands are frequently damaged during the winter and therefore not widely used. The grass is very susceptible to brown patch and gray leaf spot diseases and chinch bugs. St. Augustinegrass grows fairly quickly by above ground runners only, making it fairly easy to keep out of flower beds. Some of the most popular varieties include &uot;Palmetto&uot;, &uot;Raleigh&uot;, and &uot;Floratam&uot;. &uot;Floratam&uot; was the result of a of a cross between a Gator and an Aggie. It was developed jointly by the University of Florida and Texas A&M, hence the name. St. Augstinegrass is also usually planted by sprigs, or sod. Seeded varieties to date do not work well.

Centipedegrass is probably the most popular and well adapted species for lawns in the Miss-Lou. This turf has a natural lime green look and resembles St. Augustinegrass somewhat. It requires very little fertilizer and very little maintenance in order to provide a nice lawn. Once established, the turf will just about choke out any other weeds. Centipedegrass is moderately shade tolerant and is well adapted to our usually acidic soils here in the Miss-Lou. If you just want a nice, simple, and easy to maintain lawn, this is your grass.

One problem with centipedegrass could be its sensitivity to brown patch disease in the fall. This can be easily managed by not over fertilizing the lawn. A health centipedgrass lawn has the color of a granny smith apple. Many people want it to be darker green so they apply fertilizer. The grass will turn darker green, but will tend to become thatchy and develop brown patch.

Centipedegrass can be established from seed. Seed is very slow to germinate and spread. The result may be a weedy yard for a few years, but the centipedegrass will gradually take over and become dominant. It can also be planted by sodding or sprigging.

Carpetgrass sounds to good to be true doesn’t it? The name evokes images of lush green carpets rolled out in the yard. Well, the name is probably better than the grass. This grass looks a lot like centipedegrass or St. Augustinegrass. Carpetgrass has a shallow root system and is not drought tolerant. It prefers damp boggy areas and is therefore very popular in South Louisiana. Although carpetgrass can be found volunteering in lawns throughout the Miss-Lou, it is probably not the one that I would plant in a new lawn situation.

Bahiagrass is the last and possibly least favorite of the lawngrasses. It is generally thought of more for pastures and is planted extensively along highways. So, if you have a pasture or a roadside for a yard you might consider it.

Bahiagrass is easily identifiable by its obnoxious seedhead. In fact, the seedhead made bahiagrass the second most popular &uot;grass&uot; in the ’60s. The seedhead is about 14 inches tall and is crowned at the top with a &uot;Peace&uot; sign like you make with your index and middle fingers. The breeze from passing cars made the seedheads wave back and forth much to the delight of hippies on a trip.

Happy grass growing!

Gardening Miss-Lou Style is a weekly column written by Traci Maier of Natchez. She can be reached at Fred’s Greenhouse at 445-5181 or by email at ratmaier@iamerica.net