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 Conservation Landscaping Guide

Limited Turf

Carroll County residents spend millions of dollars, and many hours every summer keeping their lawns green. But how much of that lawn do you use? Are you spending all of that time and money wisely? Perhaps there are portions of your property now covered by grass, which you could plant in decorative, low-maintenance flower beds. A bed planted in native species, properly mulched and maintained, will require significantly less time and money to keep healthy, than the same area covered in grass. Keep some grass, for visual variety, play areas, and areas that may not be suitable for other plants. Where you do have turf grass in your landscape, do it right with the information on this page, and linked from this page.

Variety
Selection

Select a variety or mixture of grass seed that is appropriate for the conditions on your site. Here is a brief recommendation list:
For drought tolerance: tall fecue, red fescue, Kentucky blue
Heat tolerance: bentgrass, perennial rye, red fescue
Cold Tolerance: Kentucky blue, bentgrass, perennial ry, red fescue
Compacted soil: tall fescue, Kentucky blue, perennial rye, red fescue
Wear tolerance: tall fescue, perennial rye, Kentucky blue, red fescue
Shade tolerance: "Rebel" tall fescue, "A-34" Kentucky Blue, "Reliant" hard fescue, "Jamestown" chewings fescue
Additional drought-tolerant species include Zoysiagrass and bermudagrass.
More information on turf species selection can be found at Gardening Guru, or here.

Maintenance
  1. Maintain drainage - eliminate areas where ponding occurs by regrading that area or redirecting the water.
  2. Maintain air flow and sunlight
  3. Maintain organic matter - leave no more than 2" of thatch to decompose into the soil
  4. Relieve compaction - aerate soil every couple of years
  5. Establish and maintain a fertilizing schedule using organic fertilizer
  6. Mow only when needed, never removing more than 1/3 of the grass height
  7. Mow according to the propoer height for your species (never less than 2 1/2")
  8. Water infrequently and thoroughly - most lawns need only 1" water per week (inlcudes rain)
  9. Allow the grass to go dormant when excessive dry weather occurs


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