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Turf Grasses

Course CodeBHT342
Fee CodeS3
Duration (approx)100 hours
QualificationTo obtain formal documentation the optional exam(s) must be completed which will incur an additional fee of £30. Alternatively, a letter of completion may be requested.

A Unique Training Course for Greenkeepers, Technicians and Turf Managers

Learn about different turf grass species

  • taxonomy and biology
  • selecting varieties for different applications - from sports to home gardens
  • understand varied management requirements for different turf grasses
  • be more knowledgeable and capable of managing turf for sports grounds, gardens, parks and amenity landscapes.
 

 

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

  1. Introduction
    • What is grass
    • Grass structure (Morphology)
    • Description of grasses
    • Grass flowers and florets
    • Grass terminology - botanical terms
    • Cultivar selection criteria
    • Classification of turf grass genera
    • Botanical tribes of turf grasses
    • How turf grasses are developed
  2. Turf Grass Physiology and Fescues
    • Seed viability factors
    • Morphology of a typical grass
    • Flowers
    • Tillering, stolons, rhizomes
    • Roots
    • Shoots - inter vaginal and extra vafinal growth
    • Root shoot ratio
    • Recuperative potential
    • Ways to identify grasses
    • Botanical Key for selected common grasses
    • Identifying tips for rye grasses, fescues, bents, bluegrasses and others
    • Tall fescue
    • Hard fescue
    • Meadow fescue
    • Red fescue
    • Chewings fescue
    • Major warm season grasses - couch, carpet grass, etc
  3. Bentgrasses
    • Introduction to the genus
    • Species
    • Creeping bent
    • Colonial bent grass
    • Velvet bent grass
    • Red top bent grass
    • Highland bent
    • Idaho bent
    • Bent grass cultivars - seaside, pencross, penn series etc.
  4. Ryegrasses
    • Introduction
    • Perennial rye grsss - description, cultivars
    • Italian ryegrass - cultivars, hybrids
    • Annual rye grass
    • Darnel
    • Rye grass cultivars
  5. Bluegrasses
    • Kentucky Bluegrass - Poa pratensis
    • Annual Bluegrass or Winter Grass - Poa annua
    • Supina Bluegrass - Poa supina
    • Texas Bluegrass - Poa arachnifera
    • Rough Bluegrass - Poa trivialis
    • Canada Bluegrass - Poa compressa
    • Upland Bentgrass - Poa glaucantha
    • Wood Bluegrass - Poa nemoralis
    • Bulbous Bluegrass - Poa bulbosa
  6. Couchgrasses
    • Couchgrass or Bermudagrass - Cynodon dactylon
    • South African Couch - Cynodon transvaalensis
    • Hybrid Couch - cultivars selected from cross breeding Cynodon dactylon with Cynodon transvaalensis
    • Queensland Blue Couch - Digitaria didactyla
    • Salt Water Couch - Paspalum vaginatum
  7. Buffalo and Zoysia Grasses
    • Buffalo grasses
    • Zoysia grasses - species, cultivars, culture
    • Stenotaphrum
    • Bouteloua
    • Buchloe
  8. Other Warm Condition Grasses
    • Centipede grass - introduction, culture, cultivars
    • Paspalum
    • Seashore paspalum
    • Bahia grass
    • Pennisetum - fountain grass, kikuyu
    • Carpet grass
    • Sweet smoother
    • Comparing drought tolerance
  9. Other Cool Condition Grasses
    • Hair grasses
    • Turf grass Mixes
    • Timothy grass
    • Beach grass
    • Wheat grass
    • Crested dog tail
    • Salt marsh grass
    • Brome grass
    • Phalaris
  10. Turf Grass Mixes
    • Introduction
    • Seasonal variations
    • Good and bad mixes
    • Research
    • Advantages of blended mixes
    • Problems of blended mixes
    • What mixes with what
    • Working with seasonal growth patterns

Aims

  • Recognise characteristics that differentiate turf grass cultivars, in order to make choose what cultivars are appropriate for different applications.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Fescue grasses as a turf.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Bent grasses as a turf.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Rye grasses as a turf.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Blue grasses as a turf.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of Couch grasses as a turf.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and use of Buffalo and Zoysia grasses.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of various warm condition grasses as a turf.
  • Describe the characteristics, culture and uses of various cool condition grasses as a turf.
  • Explain the dynamics at play when different varieties of turf grass grow together.

EVERY GRASS CULTIVAR IS DIFFERENT

You may be surprised how much different grass cultivars vary; even within a species.

Every situation you utilise grass to grow a turf, will be a different situation. The microclimate in the soil and above will vary. The susceptibility to pest and disease is different in different locations. The way in which the turf will be used and maintained is equally variable. When you make choices about what turf grass to use, you need to understand all of these variables, and all of the relevant characteristics of the options before you.

Explore how variable the following factors can be:

  • Persistence
  • Quality of Turf
  • Rate of Establishment
  • Leaf Texture
  • Shoot density
  • Cold and heat tolerance
  • Drought tolerance
  • Shade tolerance
  • Flooding and waterlogging tolerance
  • Mowing quality
  • Mowing height adaptability
  • Thatching tendency
  • Ball Performance and more

Completing this course will greatly improve your awareness and appreciation of the differences between turf grass varieties, and in doing so, build a vastly improved capacity to select and cultivate a better turf.

THIS COURSE IS FOR:

  • Green keepers
  • Groundsmen
  • Turf Managers
  • Equipment, seed and fertiliser suppliers
  • Gardeners and others.

Anyone who works with Turf Grasses needs to know the things that this course covers.

 

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