Grass types

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This is a comparison to explain the pros and con’s of cold season grass types. I’ve focused on these because this is generally what we see in the United kingdom where I’m based.  Also to give a better under standing of how different grass plants grow and spread 

 This is a medium textured grass that grows in bunches. This type of grass is hard wearing and used on sports fields because of this. It germinates quickly in comparison to other grass types but unlike other grass types Rye grass generally doesn’t spread or repair (although there are some exceptions to this rule). This means as a general rule you do need to overseed a lawn with Rye Grass. This grass type struggles in low light conditions and hot (drought) weather. The expectation is that due to less sunlight over the winter period you will see die back and therefore will always need to overseed in the spring. If you don’t keep up with watering over the summer months then you may also need to overseed in the autumn. This grass type stipes well because the shiny texture of one side of the blade and can give a very dark green colour. 

Identifying Rye Grass

This has a softer leaf. The leaf is shiny one side and matt or the other. The leaf also has a distinctive single vein down it  

  This is also a medium textured grass type that grows in bunches. Its slightly more coarse and the blade doesn’t have the shiny side to it like the Rye grass does. This grass type generally has deeper roots which makes it more tolerant to hot weather and therefore doesn’t need to be watered as much over the summer months compare with Rye Grass. This grass type takes a little longer to germinate compared with Rye Grass (one or two more days). This grass type is also better than Rye grass as surviving in the shade With all the benefits you would need to ask why would we use Rye grass. Tall fescue is lighter in colour, if not maintained well it can become very uneven due to the way it grows in bunches. 

Identifying Tall fescue

The blade is narrower than Rye grass, it it has a pointed end when its not been cut. This grass type can have uneven edges and doesn’t have the distinctive shiny side that Rye grass has   

 This is a fine bladed grass type and grows laterally via Rhizomes. This means it doesn’t need as much maintenance because it repairs itself over time although that repair can be slow. This grass type is very tolerant to shade and has a medium drought tolerance but it takes longer to germinate than tall fescue and Rye grass. Although it spreads on its own and therefore it can repair (fill in gaps) without overseeding, it can spread to where its not wanted. This grass type does create a lot of thatch and therefore it can result in water logging or drainage issues. This also means it requires more dethatching to stay at its best or it may result in disease. If maintained well and cut low and frequently this can be a an attractive grass type. If left to grow long however it can become thick and wavy and really difficult to cut.  

 Not typically found in the UK but this is a fine to medium grass type that has Rhizomes so it too can spread without overseeing to fill in gaps in the lawn when and if it becomes damaged. This grass type holds a good dark green colour and therefore looks great in the correct conditions. It does struggle in heat and requires a lot of watering to maintain its best. Although it’s very much a cool season grass the contrasting weather in the UK would likely mean it would struggle in the highest and lowest temperatures. One benefit of this grass type is its more tolerant of foot traffic like Rye Grass compared to the fescue type grasses. 

Rhizomes 

Some grass types grows horizontally under the ground using stems called Rhizomes that then root and generate further plants. This fills in bare spots and allows the grass to self repair.  (Kentucky blue grass, RPR Rye Grass).

Stolons

Similar to Rhizomes they spread using stems but these run above ground and root in intervals called Nodes to create new plants. This allows gaps to be filled and grass to repair (Bent grass or creeping fescue).

Tillers

This is where a single grass plant splits to make further shoots called tillers the plant turn into a bigger thicker clump although it remains a single plant but just bigger and thicker  (Rye Grass and fine fescues)