Characteristics of a Lawn

Design Characteristics

• A healthy lawn is a valuable design element for landscapes. It's inexpensive and simple to install compared with built structures, and appealing to the eye. Lawns can take on any form, curved or angular, and adapt easily to a range of design themes. Seeded with hardy grass mixtures, a lawn is also tough enough for sports fields and play areas. The characteristic appearance of a lawn is uniform length and color, creating a carpet-like effect that conforms to the shape of the ground.

Seed Mixtures

• Seed mixtures for sod combine two or more grass species in appropriate proportions for the climate conditions and maintenance requirements. Most mixes combine sod-forming and bunch grasses. For example, sod-forming Kentucky bluegrass has fine texture, is hardy and recovers well from injury, but it germinates slowly and requires a high level of maintenance. Combining it with coarser and less aesthetic fescues and ryegrass species provides drought-tolerance and fast germination that Kentucky bluegrass lacks.

Seed Blends

• Seed blends mix two or more cultivars or varieties of a single species. Cultivars may develop species with traits that emphasize desirable characteristics to improve its performance and durability in lawns. Cultivars can be developed with increased shade and drought tolerance, improve color and increase disease and pest resistance. Combining cultivars and species can achieve the uniform appearance that distinguishes a lawn, but one that's more hardy and resistant to stressors than a single species or cultivar.

Mowing

• Regular and proper mowing is one of the most important tasks related to maintaining the visual and functional characteristics of a lawn. The blades should be cut to a 2-inch height, but not more than 1/3 of the blade should be cut in one mowing. The longer blades keep the soil temperature cooler and the root system vigorous. The lawn is better able to resist heat, weeds and environmental stress.