Anyone who visits Ivan Propst’s house will notice the beautiful lawn that also serves as a perfect background for a few varieties of his wife Juanita’s orchids and other ornamental plants.
Whenever there are guests at the Propst “Party Pit,” the family’s Japanese lawn grass is usually a topic of conversation.
It is one of the most beautiful lawns on island.
Maintaining it is not hard, according to Propst, because the grass itself helps maintain the lawn.
The few patches they brought years ago have already spread and continue to grow thicker despite the sandy soil.
Propst said he mows the lawn only once a month.
Helping maintain the lawn’s nice appearance is the grass which nurtures itself.
Because Propst uses a mulching mower, the mowed tips protect the grass from the harsh heat of the sunlight during the dry season.
“You like to look at the green environment as it brings you satisfaction and joy,” Propst said.
Kinds of lawn grass
Kentucky bluegrass is by far the most popular species used in home lawns, due to its high quality appearance, hardiness, and recovery ability. It requires moderate to high levels of maintenance (such as fertilizing and watering) to maintain high quality. It is slow to establish by seed and is also readily available as sod.
Fine fescues require less maintenance and many adapt to shade. The fine fescues include red and chewings fescues, sheep fescue, and hard fescue. Leaf width is narrow and most are bunch-type grasses. Wear tolerance (such as foot traffic) and recovery ability of the fine fescues is fair. Maintenance levels are generally low, especially fertilizer needs, and fine fescues may decline in full sun when mowed frequently. Fine fescues are seeded.
Perennial ryegrass offers quick establishment and good wear tolerance. Perennial ryegrass is a bunch-type grass with quality very similar to Kentucky bluegrass. Maintenance needs are moderate to high. Perennial ryegrass is not suggested to be used alone as a lawn grass but as part of a lawn seed mixture instead.
Tall fescue features good heat and wear tolerance. It has a bunch-type growth habit, so it does not recover well after being damaged. Tall fescue would be a good choice for a warm, dry site, but may require overseeding periodically to maintain a quality stand. Tall fescue prefers full sun but also tolerates shade.
Creeping bentgrass, commonly used on golf courses, is rarely used for home lawns due to very high maintenance requirements (fertilizer, pest control).
Bermuda grass is a perennial grass which originally came from Africa, Australia and South America. This can now be conveniently grown in tropical, sub-tropical and the transition zones. Potentially found on lawns, sports, parks, yards, and coastal area, it is also the most popular type of grass for golf courses. It is a creeping grass and roots penetrate deep into the ground. They can grow in poor soil, but hard to destroy suitable to dry conditions, but it requires heavy rainfall to grow. It spreads easily, more helpful for framing and husbandry. They can also be fed to cattle and sheep, also help stem land erosion from excess rains or over-watering.
Bermuda grass is also substituted with names like devilgrass, wiregrass, or dogtooth grass.
There are different types of Bermuda grass which require less maintenance and have their own benefits:
• Yukon Bermuda can be the best choice for tees, fairways, turfs and tropical as well as sub-tropical zones. They can survive long winters.
• Savannah Bermuda usually grows in open areas in midst of frequent disturbances such as grazing, flooding and fire. Mostly suitable for turf areas. its seed is extremely small which helps in the planting process.
• Blackjack Bermuda is usually found in yards and sports fields. It is known for its excellent texture and has high tolerance to cold and water.
•Mohawk Bermuda is used on golf courses and sports turf. It is highly tolerant to cold climate.
