Know your grasses

What is the most important qualification for anyone involved in any and weeds, the grass is dramatically aspect of greenkeeping? And how many really have this simple basic changed, just on that line, to annual knowledge, whether they are preaching or practising? The answer to the meadow grass, which has almost first question is so obvious it hardly needs stating. It is, of course, the completely displaced the wiry, native ability to identify the constituent grasses in a close-mown turf. Yet so Agrostis (bent) turf. many greenkeeping courses concentrate on identification from flowering Annual meadow grass is itself a heads, which are to be found only in the rough! Accurate grass variable species, both in" botanical characteristics and growth habits. identification should be the first aim of all budding greenkeepers—you Sometimes it is short-lived, must always know your 'friends' and, even more, your 'enemies'. ephemeral, vigorous, coarse- Once a relatively few grasses can be different colour to fine fescues—a textured, free-seeding and with a ten- identified accurately and with characteristic blue-green—but also week life cycle. In other forms, it can confidence, you immediately grows under much wetter conditions. be a biennial, relatively fine leaved establish a considerable advantage Annual meadow grass generally looks and shy seeding, in extreme forms over the vast majority of those sickly and yellow, or even very thin, in looking almost like pads of pearlwort, involved at all levels in the winter. almost a different species. management of fine turf! It is really Perennial ryegrass and crested A host of other grasses can be surprising how many of those who dog's tail may be mistaken for each occasionally found in close-mown should know one grass from another other, but for no other turf species, turf—perhaps more so on fairways when it is mown at 3/16in do not. possessing fibrous, dark-green leaves, than greens—in addition to those I well remember an acrimonious with shiny under-surfaces. One has a mentioned. discussion with one head bright maroon base to the leaf sheath Some are obviously only just greenkeeper, who swore that the and the other a golden yellow—but surviving, under the influence of large zones of pure fine fescues what really makes both obvious at a mowing, but I have seen even returning to his greens were annual distance is that only a very tight set, cocksfoot, whose coarse, flattened, meadow grass! What was even more sharp-bladed mower will cut them pale stems distinguish it at once from surprising was to find an eminent cleanly, so the 'skinned' leaf blades the equally pale but hairy Yorkshire professor of botany failing to and ragged cut tends to give it away. fog. recognise annual meadow grass in a The meadow grasses (Poa spp.) are Mat grass (Nardus stricta) is fairly close-mown turf, yet he was hot stuff among the most widespread of all common on acid moorland fairways. on rare weeds and, incidentally, a grasses in temperate zones, being The couch grasses (Agropyron) will fund of highly valuable ecological found throughout all the nothern not stand mowing, but can usefully information. temperate climes in the old and new stabilise shifting sand—along with I would be the first to admit that I Marram and Sea Lyme grasses— have been corrected on more than one those dune-building grasses that occasion, and by young greenkeepers demand to be constantly smothered at that, when I was rashly assuming by building up wind-blown sand if that what I had seen on one green was they are to survive and not 'grow the same grass on another and did not worlds. There are no less than seven themselves out' of the sand. bother to use my spectacles! distinct species, each generally with a I have quite often found wall barley Identification of grasses depends specific habitat—for instance, Poa (Hordeum maritimum) looking very not so much on precise botanical nemoralis in shaded situations; Poa yellow and an unattractive constituent characteristics, but more on what the pratensis on more fertile, moist soils; of fine turf, perhaps more on heavier Irish term 'the jizz of the thing'—in Poa bulbosa on thin, sandy soils. soils, despite its name. The timothys other words, its characteristic look The commonest of all is Poa annua (Phleum spp.) are, quite wrongly, and habit. Fine fescues can be picked and it is found everywhere it can gain assumed to prefer wet conditions. up with fair accuracy at long range, a foothold and where it is able to Several do thrive on sand dunes, but partly because they often do not blend exploit a gap in the competitive they are neither necessary nor or mix with other grasses and so form armour of other grasses. desirable as constituents of seeds zones and partly by their colour—a A good, hard look where annual mixtures and are difficult to establish paler yellow to grey-green—as well as meadow grass dominates gives the and resent competition—hence their by their needle leaves. clue as to what encourages it and preference for environments that are Creeping bent often turns purple what, by deduction, can be done to either too wet or too dry for more under frosty conditions, which bleach discourage it. It is the common grass aggressive species, which would Yorkshire fog. All the Agrostis of paths and compacted, worn areas, otherwise compete with them. species—save, perhaps, the very fine- where soil consolidation inhibits There are lots of other grasses— leaved velvet bent (Agrostis canina) deep-rooting species. It invades foxtails, sweet vernal grass, Sesleria, and its distant relative Penncross wherever fertility rises, so keeping Aira, even the bromes, which can be (both thatch-formers)—are easy to soil 'poor' keeps it at bay. found in mown turf—but the beginner pick out, since the markedly ribbed Look at the old marking-out lines can safely dismiss the lot as weeds of upper surfaces of their leaves do not of an abandoned tennis court or even no significance! reflect light and so they always look the lines marked with lime used to There are a number of annual dull, as well as a darker grey-green. keep trolleys at bay on approaches to grasses that are characteristic of Velvet bent is not only a very greens. Quite apart from the worms drought-susceptible, sandy soils, which flower early and survive the drought in seed form and others on T.S. LEAVES OF GRASSES bulbils. These are Aira praecox, rat's tail fescue, annual timothy and, of course, annual meadow grass, but also Poa bulbosa and the small timothys. To trap the over-confident, - Motor Cells = however, there are some non-grass Double Mid Rib species, of which two are worthy of Sappy Unstrengthened attention. Field woodrush (Luzula Leaves campestris) is an attractive grass-like sedge, so why call it a rush? Presumably by the same logic, Polygonum aviculare is called knot FESTUCA RUBRA Red Fescue grass because it is less like a grass than anything! This sedge occurs on many , Needle Leaves With Heavy Strengthening heathland and other courses, Tissues And Maximum Moisture Conservation contributes to good, fine-textured fairways and even if it does put up attractive brown flowering heads early in the year, never warrants control. Toadrush (Juncus bufonis) is a true rush and can be a nuisance on wet greens as its small 'tussocks', AGROSTIS TENUIS Bent Grass surviving quite happily under the blades of the mower, can ruin putting surfaces—but generally only where they have already been ruined by thatch and waterlogging. It is, ~ Note Even Ribbing And however, a useful indicator of bad Fibrous Leaves surface drainage and a warning to increase deep aeration and to break down thatch. From this, we may deduce that LEAVES OF GRASSES there are only two or three grasses of value in greenkeeping—namely the bents (Agrostis spp.) and fine fescues - Boat Shaped Tip and one Poa—Poa pratensis (smooth Annual Meadow Grass stalked meadow grass). There are a number of common weeds—chief of Parallel Mid Rib these being perennial ryegrass, for years unthinkingly included in fairway and tee mixtures to 'get a quick take', or to produce a hard-wearing turf. Tip Splits It is arguable whether it is any When Flattened quicker in establishing than the fine grasses, but it is certain that it never dies out, though it may be kept suppressed. It is coarse and strong, never really forms a turf with other grasses and produces impossible Bent Grass 'football pitches' of fairways and Narrow Flattened Ribbed Leaf coarse, open tees, usually in conjunction with that worst of all contaminators, annual meadow grass. Dr Hayes' assurance that Bingley will no longer advise its inclusion in any seeds mixture, including tees, on any golf course—so-called dwarf strains notwithstanding—is welcome. I spend too much time actually lifting and replacing ryegrass- Fine Fescue Needle Like Leaf contaminated turf around greens, originating perhaps 50 years ago, when patching traditionally worn Continued on page 37... away at once. Rough-stalked has no tail and soft, hairy patches of Jim Arthur value, but usually forms a rough, Yorkshire fog, bleached by frost. I 'plucked-up' looking turf, as its would rather have Yorkshire fog than Continued... surface runners get roughed up—for ryegrass—at least in summer—as with instance, when mown. regular mowing and verticutting it The Agrostis family has less unique stays fine and does not interfere with characteristics, but the rather fibrous, putting and, in any case, it can be flat leaves (save for needle-leaved checked and often controlled by full walk-off areas or even reseeding bent) have no mid rib, but markedly strength selective weedkilling in flush entire fairways, to even speak civilly ribbed upper surfaces, so that the turf periods of growth, whereas ryegrass to anyone, including the odd golf always looks dull, never shiny. If, in never dies out. course architect, who advises its use. fact, you identify as Agrostis one of Extensive exchanging of ryegrass- Since we want fine-textured turf the similar rarer grasses, no-one will free areas between the huge double and ryegrass is an unmitigated blame you and few will argue! greens on the Old Course at St nuisance, why not start the way we The fine fescues are easy to Andrews to replace ryegrass, want to end and use bent and fescue identify—they are very needle- introduced literally over the previous only? With a straight bent/fescue leaved, especially in dry weather, but 60 years into main pin placement fairway mixture on one course that I remember there are meadow fescues areas, has been necessary, since was involved in they were playing on with luxuriant growth, flat, huge, nothing could get rid of the ryegrass sown fairways 13 months from the shiny, lush green leaves and bright red and fine-textured though it was, it still start of construction, let alone bases to the stems, rather like Italian affected putting by Open seeding. I sometimes see crested dog's ryegrass, but you will not find these on Championship standards. Then some tail included and the result is a mass of golf courses, save by accident. I did people defending the use of ryegrass 'whinnel straws' that no cylinder gang once on an area of course extension 'as a nurse' say it will not survive close mower can cut. sown to a mixture, supposedly bent/ mowing! How, then, can the grasses that fescue and supplied by a local seed In passing, we are perhaps too make the best golfing turf be firm, but they supplied bent and purist about grass and a botanical identified quickly? All the meadow meadow fescue. It still grows a silage survey of these old greens, which I grasses share one common crop every year. carried out some years ago, showed characteristic—their leaves are Remember, not all fine fescues no less than 17 different species of folded, with a pronounced double mid make good golfing turf—tussock-like grass! At least it is far better than rib and very obvious boat-shaped tip. sheep's fescue is really a weed and having just one—solid annual Smooth-stalked meadow grass, with never forms a close-knit turf because meadow grass, all too characteristic of its deep rhizomes, is the Kentucky of its whorled habit of growth. past decades of over-feeding and blue grass of the States (sometimes In the weed group, look for shiny over-watering in search of that Great used on tees) and its colour gives it backs to leaves—ryegrass and dog's God Green!

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