The major turfgrasses used in Hawaii are described in terms of their tolerances to shade, salt, weeds, and drought, and they are compared in their density, establishment rate, mowing factors, and other requirements

Deputy, James

Hensley, David

Murdoch, Charles

Tavares, James

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Published by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Charles W. Laughlin, Director and Dean, Cooperative Extension Service, CTAHR, Universityof Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Institution providing programs and services to the people of Hawaii withoutregard to race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or veteran status.Cooperative Extension Service Turf ManagementOct. 1998TM-4Turfgrass is a basic component of most landscapes.In addition to adding to the aesthetic value of thelandscape, turf performs many other functions. It stabi-lizes the soil and prevents erosion by wind and water,reduces tracking of mud and dust into the home, coolsthe surroundings, reduces glare and noise, and serves asa recreational area.Although many people consider lawn care a chore,others enjoy the outdoor activity and obtain satisfactionfrom maintaining an attractive lawn. If the turfgrass cho-sen is well adapted and properly established, lawn careis much more likely to be a pleasure. If the grass plantedis not adapted to the particular situation, it is likely thatno amount of care will produce a satisfactory turf. Themajor turfgrasses grown in Hawaii have wide differencein their ranges of adaptation. Knowing about the adap-tation characteristics of lawn grasses helps homeownersand professional landscapers make the right choice fora particular site.Certain adaptations are basic to survival of a grassspecies under specific environmental conditions andcannot be violated. Other characteristics such as color,texture, and density are a matter of personal preference.Only “warm-season grasses” (sometimes called“tropical grasses”) are suitable for lawns in Hawaii.Beware of the cool-season grass seed found in stores,Adaptation of Turfgrasses in Hawaiioften sold as “shady lawn mixture” and sometimesclaimed to be particularly adapted to Hawaii. Thesemixtures of bluegrasses, fescues, ryegrasses, and bent-grasses will provide temporary cover, but they die afterabout two months of summer weather. Cool-seasongrasses are occasionally used at lower elevations inHawaii for quickly providing an erosion-control coverwhile more permanent but slower growing plants getestablished. In some plantings of warm-season grassesfor lawns, it can be helpful to mix a small amount ofseed (10% by weight) of annual or perennial ryegrasswith the warm-season grass seed. Because of its rapidgermination and seedling vigor, ryegrass establishesquickly to protect the soil. It soon dies out as the warm-season grass takes over (be careful not to use too muchryegrass, or the warm-season grass may be crowded out).In the following sections, the adaptation of com-mon turfgrasses to various site and management situa-tions in Hawaii is indicated. Indentations indicate thedifferences among the grasses; there are no apparent dif-ferences between grasses at the same indent level.Charles Murdoch1, James Deputy1, David Hensley1,and James Tavares21Department of Horticulture2Cooperative Extension Service, KahuluiTurfgrasses for Hawaiicommon name botanical namebermudagrass* Cynodon dactylonbermudagrass (hybrids) Cynodon spp.buffalograss Buchloe dactyloidescarpetgrass Axonopus affiniscentipedegrass Eremochloa ophiuroidesseashore paspalum Paspalum vaginatumSt. Augustinegrass Stenotaphrum secundatumzoysiagrass Zoysia tenifolia, Z. matrella,   Z. japonica*common and improved-common selectionsTM-4 Adaptation of Turfgrasses in Hawaii CTAHR — Nov. 19982HIGHEST hybrid bermudagrasseszoysiagrassesseashore paspalumcommon bermudagrassesbuffalograsscentipedegrasscarpetgrassLOWEST St. AugustinegrassTurf densityA dense turf discourages weed invasion and is more at-tractive. Turf density depends on the growth habit andinternode length of the turfgrass. Grasses that have shortinternodes and spread by rhizomes and stolons providethe densest turf.HIGHEST buffalograssbermudagrasseszoysiagrassesSt. Augustinegrassseashore paspalumcentipedegrassLOWEST carpetgrassDrought toleranceDrought tolerance is the ability of plants to survive ex-tended periods of moisture stress. Many people believethat grasses that are drought tolerant require less water.This is not true if the grasses are to be maintained in anattractive condition. The water-use rates of the variouswarm-season grasses do not differ greatly. Drought tol-erance does become important, however, during peri-ods of water-use restrictions. On Oahu, Maui, and else-where in Hawaii, water-use restrictions are becomingmore of a reality.HIGHEST St. Augustinegrasszoysiagrassescarpetgrasssscentipedegrassseashore paspalumbermudagrassesLOWEST buffalograssShade adaptationLandscape plantings include shrubs and trees of varioussize. Small trees often become large trees in a short time.For this reason, shade adaptation is a primary consider-ation in choosing a turfgrass, especially on windwardsides of the islands.All turfgrasses grow better in full sunlight. Somegrasses are able to grow in fairly dense shade, whileothers are intolerant of even light shade. None will growin extremely dense shade such as that under large ban-yan trees. Much can be done to reduce the degree ofshading of trees by selective thinning the canopy to al-low penetration of light from above and by removinglow limbs to allow penetration of light from the sides.HIGHEST seashore paspalumSt. AugustinegrassZoysia japonicabermudagrassesbuffalograsscarpetgrassZoysia matrellaLOWEST centipedegrassSalt toleranceMany areas in Hawaii are exposed to salt spray, locatedover shallow water tables with high salt content, or irri-gated with brackish water. Salt tolerance is therefore ofgreat importance in these areas. Fortunately, there areseveral grasses that have a good degree of tolerance ofsalinity. If a shallow salt water table or poor-quality irri-gation water is the problem, however, salinity may buildup to levels that are higher than even the most tolerantturfgrasses can survive. Periodic leaching with freshwater is necessary to flush the salt from the surface soilin these areas.3TM-4 Adaptation of Turfgrasses in Hawaii CTAHR — Nov. 1998Wear toleranceA turfgrass’ tolerance of wear from traffic is very impor-tant for areas subjected to hard use, such as athletic fields.Home lawns are usually not likely to receive intensiveuse, although families with many children (or pets) whouse the lawn for active games may require a wear-toler-ant grass. The recovery from injury induced by wear isof more importance than the actual wear resistance ofthe grass. Zoysiagrasses, for example, are very tough andfibrous and resists wear better than any of the warm-season grasses. However, they are not recommended foruse on intensive-use turf areas because of their slow re-covery from wear damage.HIGHEST St. Augustinegrasscarpetgrasscentipedegrasscommon bermudagrassesbuffalograsszoysiagrassesseashore paspalumimproved common bermudagrassesLOWEST hybrid bermudagrassesMowing heightGrasses grown for special purposes, such as golf greensor bowling greens, must be mowed very low. Othersmay be mowed at higher cuts.Recovery from wearFASTEST bermudagrassesseashore paspalumbuffalograsscarpetgrasscentipedegrassSt. AugustinegrassSLOWEST zoysiagrassesResistance to wearHIGH zoysiagrassesbermudagrassesseashore paspalumSt. AugustinegrassbuffalograsscarpetgrassLOW centipedegrassFASTEST annual ryegrass (from seed as temporary cover)bermudagrasses (from seed)carpetgrass (from seed)seashore paspalumhybrid bermudagrass (from stolons)buffalograss (from seed or stolons)some hybrid zoysiagrasses (from stolons)St. Augustinegrasscarpetgrass (from stolons)centipedegrass (from seed)centipedegrass (from plugs)SLOWEST zoysiagrassesEstablishment rateThe rate of establishment of turfgrasses is important,especially in areas subject to erosion. Ryegrass may beused to provide rapid cover until slower growing grassesare established. Most turfgrasses suitable for Hawaiimust be established vegetatively from plugs, sod, or sto-lons. Some grasses may be seeded: common and “im-proved common” bermudagrass, carpetgrass, commonbuffalograss, and centipedegrass.FINE hybrid bermudagrassesZoysia tenifoliabuffalograsscommon bermudagrassesseashore paspalumZoysia matrella and hybridscentipedegrassZoysia japoniciacarpetgrassCOARSE St. AugustinegrassLeaf textureTexture of lawn grasses depends on the width of the leafblade. Finer textured grasses have narrow leaves andare generally more attractive if well maintained. Thetexture of most lawn grasses becomes finer with closerand more frequent mowing.TM-4 Adaptation of Turfgrasses in Hawaii CTAHR — Nov. 19984Nitrogen requirementsNitrogen fertilizer is required at regular intervals tomaintain a quality lawn. The amount of nitrogen appliedduring the year depends on the quality expectations ofthe owner, the availability of water or irrigation, thequality of the soil, and the species of grass.MOST hybrid bermudagrassescommon bermudagrassesseashore paspalumzoysiagrassesSt. AugustinegrassbuffalograsscarpetgrassLEAST centipedegrassMowing frequencyThe time between mowings depends on the desiredheight of the grass. Golf greens kept at 1⁄4 inch or lessare mowed daily. Roadside grass maintained at 4–6inches is mowed three or four times per year. Mowingfrequency for the average, well maintained home lawnis usually between these two extremes.MOST FREQUENT hybrid bermudagrassesseashore paspalumzoysiagrassesSt. Augustinegrasscommon bermudagrassescarpetgrassbuffalograssLEAST FREQUENT centipedegrassHIGHEST hybrid bermudagrassesseashore paspalumzoysiagrassesbuffalograsscommon bermudagrassesSt. AugustinegrasscarpetgrassLOWEST centipedegrassMaintenance requirementsGrasses differ greatly in their maintenance requirements(including fertilizer needs, susceptibility to pests, mow-ing frequency, irrigation requirement, and thatch con-trol). As a general rule, fine textured grasses require ahigher level of maintenance. Under low maintenance,coarse, taller growing grasses will be more attractive.The level of maintenance of the grass should be one ofthe first considerations in selection of a turfgrass for agiven area. Homeowners sometimes tire of lawn main-tenance after a few years, and lawns are allowed to de-teriorate. Choice of grasses requiring lower maintenancewould provide an attractive lawn with less effort.Other CTAHR publications on turfgrasses and lawn care can be ordered by calling 808-956-7046 or sending email to ctahrpub@hawaii.edu.They can also be obtained from the CTAHR website at <www.ctahr.hawaii.edu>. Related titles include:St. Augustinegrass  (TM-3)‘Sunturf’ bermudagrass (TM-2)Seashore paspalum (TM-1)Common lawn grasses for Hawaii (II-22)Testing your soil: why and how to take a soil-test sample (AS-4)Chemical weed control recommendations for turfgrasses in Hawaii (II-20)Nutgrass control in the lawn, landscape, and garden (L-9)

Adaptation of Turfgrasses in Hawaii

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Adaptation of Turfgrasses in Hawaii

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