Thursday, May 08, 2008
Hire an expert to identify grass varieties
John Arbogast
Landscape consultant John Arbogast answers your questions every Thursday. Send questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to:
Dear John
5102 Greenfield St. SW
Roanoke, Va. 24018
Or send an e-mail. Answers will be given only in this column. Please don't send pictures or samples.
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Q: When the lawn on the bank behind our house began to green up a few weeks ago, there were a number of brown clumps, apparently another variety of grass that did not respond as early as most of the lawn. However, the brown clumps have since become green too. So, what are the two different varieties of grass? And, would there be any point in removing the brown clumps when they first appear?
To answer your first question, find a grass expert in your area who is paid to look at grass anatomy and who has a powerful magnifying glass or a dissecting microscope. I’ll mention identification traits used in grass ID KEYS so you can be sure your grass expert knows what to look for. You’ve already mentioned 2 important specific grass traits that are used in grass “species” ID. Those are the “clump” nature and the approximate time of “green-up”. Other “species” specific traits include the shape, which could be narrow or rounded or pointed, of the grass blade tip; the seedhead arrangement, appearance, and time-of-year if known; ligules, which can be located at the grass stem connection with the grass blade; auricles, which are little projections that can emerge from the bottom of the grass blade and can grow around the grass stem; the grass blade itself, especially its width, vein appearance, and color; the collar on the back of the grass blade bottom on the side opposite from where it’s connected to the grass stem; the grass stem itself, especially its color and covering; the typical arrangement of new unopened grass blades that can be either rolled in the bud or folded in the bud; and method of grass spreading that could be the presence of tillers or shoots that are low stems that become new grass parts, stolons that are roots or runners that creep out along the soil surface making new grass plants as they go, or rhizomes that are roots or runners than creep below ground to make new grass plants.
The decision to remove the brown grass clumps when they first appear should be based on the environmental purpose served by the grass clumps, which on a bank like yours could be to anchor the hillside and prevent soil erosion, plus the question of how dense is the surrounding soil covering that can hold the bank in spite of openings where brown clumps are removed. Without seeing your bank, I’d recommend against removal. Other decision factors would include the desired uniformity of grass appearances on the bank and the quality of the soil and sunlight there with their affect on the ability of new desired grasses to fill in bare areas.
Q: I live in Virginia and want your opinion on how noticeable is the difference in appearance of arborvitaes versus Leyland Cypresses if either is planted about 40 feet from my house. I currently have arborvitaes in my landscape in the area 40 feet from my house where I was considering planting Leyland Cypresses. Will the difference be noticeable?
A: Yes, I think that color differences and overall shape differences will be noticeable even 40 feet away. Your question is a little difficult to answer, though, because there are many different plant species under Arborvitae, whereas Leyland Cypress is a specific species itself of Cypress.
Leyland Cypresses I’ve seen in scattered landscapes here in Roanoke, Virginia, all have an attractive fairly dark green color. Different arborvitaes I’ve seen have all shown a somewhat lighter green color. So, regardless of the species of arborvitae(s) you have in your landscape, I’m thinking that the Leyland Cypress’s color will be noticeably darker.
All upright arborvitaes that I’ve seen have had a broad rounded top portion. This is a noticeable difference from the narrow pointed, cone shaped upper part of the Leyland Cypress.
