Identifying grass in my "lawn"

[tcreeley]

Up north here in Maine- we just mow the old hayfield or pasture and that turns into the lawn, It is green most of the year, even when I plow the snow off - nice bright green. It takes a very hot summer to brown it and as soon as it rains, it comes back green. I never need to worry about the lawn!

 

[EddieWalker]

I would find out where your Ag Extension is and bring them some of it to identify for you. Then ask them what they recommend for improving it. There are just too many choices out there to be able to say with any accuracy what you have and what you should do to get rid of the weeds.

 

[prichard]

I would find out where your Ag Extension is and bring them some of it to identify for you. Then ask them what they recommend for improving it. There are just too many choices out there to be able to say with any accuracy what you have and what you should do to get rid of the weeds.

Yep. Even is you know it's Bermuda, for instance, there are so many strains that a different one would look crappy next to what you have.

 

[Creamer]

I would find out where your Ag Extension is and bring them some of it to identify for you. Then ask them what they recommend for improving it. There are just too many choices out there to be able to say with any accuracy what you have and what you should do to get rid of the weeds.

If I took a sample of grass to my ag extension agent he would give me a bag to put it in and an address to send it to. Has anybody ever gotten a real answer from an ag extension agent? I have found Hank Kimball to be the norm when you ask a real ag question. They do an OK job of coordinating 4H though.

 

[sriddle1]

In 2013 I built in SW NH and after much research I used a custom blend of 70% Henry Hard Fescue & 30% Nexus XR Perennial Ryegrass. Once the Hard Fescue takes hold it spreads pretty quickly year by year, tough and carpet like feel + chokes-out weeds. Never knew anything about "Hard Fescue" until reading about establishing a new lawn, drought and disease resistant, thin blade, nice deep Emerald Green Color.

 

[EddieWalker]

If I took a sample of grass to my ag extension agent he would give me a bag to put it in and an address to send it to. Has anybody ever gotten a real answer from an ag extension agent? I have found Hank Kimball to be the norm when you ask a real ag question. They do an OK job of coordinating 4H though.

I've only been to the one ag extension office, which is here in Tyler TX. My personal experience has been very good. The only thing they will not do is tell you where to buy something. But for identfying plants, what chemicals to use, or how to read a soil analysis, they have been great. My neighbor has 240 acres and he has had them out to his place multiple times to look at his pastures and timber. For free, they come out, look around and give advice on how to improve what he has.

 

[sixdogs]

Hey all, I'm trying to figure out what type of grass I have in my "lawn". Most of my yard is a mess of weeds, clover, and various types of grasses. It was originally a hay field when I bought the property. About 10 years ago I planted new grass seed in a small area, about 15' x 15' when I moved my propane tank. I have no idea what type of seed I used but it turned out to be the best grass in the yard.

The 15' x 15' area has spread to about 30' x 30' now over the 10 years it's been there. The grass is so thick that no weeds grow in it at all. It is the last area of the yard to turn from brown to green in the spring and it's the first to turn from green to brown in the fall. When it's freshly mowed it looks like a thick plush carpet. I'd really like to plant a lot more if I could figure out what it is. How would one go about identifying the grass? Would it help to let a small area go the seed maybe?

Kevin

Probably the newer grass is simply a blend of perennial rye and some low buck fescues with maybe a creeping fescue.. Probably a little bluegrass in there because that's the native grass around there. These other exotics are highly unlikely since they don't wind up as seed blends around the Midwest. I look at lots of lawns a year and patch a bunch. Everyone thinks they are something other than a simple blend but they aren't.

After I patch a lawn, it won't blend well for a couple of years until the new grass gets older and more "stemmy" from maturity. Even though discussed in advance, they forget and think I planted the wrong stuff. Not so.

It's good advice to ask an extension agent but anyone reasonably familiar with grasses could call it--and you probably don't even need to . A simple perennial rye and fescue blend with maybe a little bluegrass will do it. Find one with near zero percent weed seeds and spray the weeds n the lawn with 2,4-D--amine--when it's not going to rain for a couple of days and after you learn how wind drift can stunt and kill friendly plants and even small trees. No spray on new grass or a few weeks before planting. Late summer on prepped ground best for seeding. Right now is next best.

Fertilizer will also make a huge difference in lawn appearance and will cause new growth that will really revitalize a lawn. 21-3-8 or something like that just before it rains at maybe 200-250 lbs per acre will do it. Low middle number, high first number and middle of the road last number works best. N-P-K.

 

[Fossil Farm]

If I took a sample of grass to my ag extension agent he would give me a bag to put it in and an address to send it to. Has anybody ever gotten a real answer from an ag extension agent? I have found Hank Kimball to be the norm when you ask a real ag question. They do an OK job of coordinating 4H though.

It just depends what his/her background is in. Some are agronomy, some cattle, some in dairy or nursery crops, insects, etc. Many times the specialists will just tell the agents to just have it sent to them to help them with research, locating noxious weed areas and the like. Like Eddie's experience, most are very nice and as helpful as they can. Unfortunately, budgets and other demands on them may limit what they can do even if they would like to help more.

 

[Creamer]

It just depends what his/her background is in. Some are agronomy, some cattle, some in dairy or nursery crops, insects, etc. Many times the specialists will just tell the agents to just have it sent to them to help them with research, locating noxious weed areas and the like. Like Eddie's experience, most are very nice and as helpful as they can. Unfortunately, budgets and other demands on them may limit what they can do even if they would like to help more.

Wow! I guess I have really only had experience with two county agents - one that I grew up with in SD and the other here in NE Indiana and neither really has a clue what a farm is. I am glad to hear that there are some good ones out there.