The very best lawn care services in Shirley

Best grasses for Shirley Lawns

Fine Fescue

Contrary to popular belief, fine fescue isn't one grass but a family of grasses. This family includes creeping red fescue, hard fescue, sheep fescue, and chewing fescue.

The confusion comes because "fine fescue" is often sold as a blended mix of these grasses to promote turf vigor and improve individual performance. This grass is popular with many homeowners in Shirley, and there are a few reasons for this. First, although it's a cool-season grass, fine fescue will stay green all year if adequately maintained. This is thanks to its drought-resistant ability and the fairly hot summers in Shirley.

Among cool-season grasses, fine fescue is the most shade tolerant and requires the least amount of care (such as fertilization and irrigation). Its growth rate is also quite impressive. So it's an excellent pick if you're looking to establish your lawn quickly and don't want to spend a ton of time on maintenance.

Lastly, this grass type will thrive in poor soil conditions, including acidic soil within the pH range of 5.0 to 6.5. It will also blend well with other cool-season grasses and is suitable for overseeding in winter if you have a warm season-grass.

Advantages of Fine Fescue

• Shade tolerant
• Low maintenance compared to other grass
• Drought-resistant
• Quick to germinate and rapid establishment
• If properly maintained, it could stay green all year

Disadvantages of Fine Fescue

• Not suitable for wet and poorly drained soils
• Recovers slowly
• Can thatch up quickly. You can get an aeration service from Shirley lawn care once a year to deal with this
• Susceptible to red thread disease and a favorite of chinch bugs

Tall Fescue

Tall fescue, like with fine fescue, loves the sun and will blossom beautifully under full sun to partial shade. It has an excellent all-year-round performance if appropriately maintained.

Although a cool-season grass, tall fescue will stop germinating if the soil temperature drops below 4 degrees Celsius. Unlike fine fescue, this grass has coarse blades and grows in clumps. It requires more maintenance, like frequent mowing, watering, and fertilizing. However, on the bright side, it has a quick growth rate (will germinate in 5 to 10 days) and will fully establish itself in two to three weeks.

The grass's bunch-type growth (upright and clumping) and its deep root system make this grass highly erosion-resistant. It will adapt to many soil types and survive heavy foot traffic. As a result, it's an excellent choice for play areas. Still, it won't thrive well in poor soil conditions, such as pH scales other than 5.5 to 7.0.

Tall fescue is susceptible to brown patch disease and white grub attack. To prevent this, hire weed control services through Shirley lawn care if you choose to use this grass.

Advantages of Tall Fescue

• Tolerates hot and dry conditions quite well
• High foot-traffic tolerance
• Fairly shade tolerant
• Requires relatively low maintenance

Disadvantages of Tall Fescue

• Grows in clumps
• Slow to recover from damages
• Susceptible to brown patch disease

Kentucky Bluegrass

Another excellent turf to consider for your Shirley lawn is Kentucky bluegrass. This grass blossoms best under full sunlight and will not tolerate shady areas. Many homeowners who plant this grass in a shaded yard overseed it with shade-tolerant species like fine fescue. If you want to do the same, consult seeding experts through Shirley lawn service. Overseeding grasses is good practice as it combines the advantages of both grass types and dulls their weaknesses.

Unlike the fescue species, bluegrass is slow to germinate and has a passive growth rate. However, it recovers from damage rapidly, is disease-resistant, and will tolerate wear/tear.

Bluegrass has a poor summer performance, and, compared to tall fescue, it has a low tolerance to heat and drought. In fact, with warm summer temperatures, lack of water, and poor soil conditions, bluegrass could go dormant. That is because its root system is quite shallow and can't reach deep into the soil to get nutrients when it needs them.

As you may guess, it requires moderate to high maintenance, depending on the season, but has the most cold-hardiness compared to other cool-season grasses

Sadly, bluegrass is susceptible to leaf spots and necrotic ring spot diseases. However, you can limit the risk by maintaining a serene and clean lawn environment. Contact Shirley lawn service for yard cleanup and gutter cleaning.

Advantages of Kentucky Bluegrass

• Recuperates quickly
• Excellent option for full-sun lawns
• Extreme cold hardiness
• Disease-resistant and tolerant to wear/tear
• Beautiful deep-green color with high density

Disadvantages of Kentucky Bluegrass

• Slow germination and growth rate
• Not suitable for shaded lawns
• Could create thatch quickly - frequent aeration may be required
• Susceptible to leaf spot and necrotic ring spot diseases

Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is a fantastic choice for your Shirley lawn if you prioritize quick establishment. As with Kentucky bluegrass, this one loves the sun and doesn't tolerate much shade.

This grass type grows in clumps and has a deep root system. So, it's perfect for erosion control, weed resistance, and as a nurse grass when establishing grass mixtures. It requires substantial fertilization and watering to maintain its quality and doesn't do well with freezing soils or drought.

Ryegrass is highly tolerant of traffic, wear/tear, and will thrive in neutral to slightly acidic soils as well as alkaline soils with a pH level of 8.4. It is highly resistant to leaf spots and insect attacks.

Advantages of Perennial Ryegrass

• Rapid germination
• Good wear-and-tear and foot-traffic tolerance
• Suitable for alkaline, neutral, and slightly acidic soils
• Resistant to leaf spot and insects
• Erosion-resistant

Disadvantages of Perennial Ryegrass

• Grows in clumps if not regularly overseeded
• Does not tolerate shaded areas