Turf Grass Care

Strong Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra rubra gunuina) is able to sustain itself between a pH value of 5 to 8.5. It is aggressive on soil clays and can also dominate on dry, coarse, sandy soils. Slower than Perennial Ryegrass to germinate it’s still thick and due to long rhizomes it quickly fills open and weak areas. Fairly resistant to drought along with some shade tolerance, it will persist well in conditions of poor fertility.

More information can be found in the Rigby Taylor Glossary.

Slender Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra rubra litoralis) has very fine and short rhizomes and although it has all of the attributes of Strong Creeping Red Fescue, it forms a significantly denser sward and has in some instances a vastly superior salt tolerance.

More information can be found in the Rigby Taylor Glossary.

Chewings Fescue (Festuca rubra commutata) is an extremely popular species in the UK that provides a fine texture and low servicing qualities. This sub species has no rhizomes and favours well-drained chalky soils as well as sandy and gravel soils. It is very aggressive on clay soils and can suppress Browntop Bent when maintained under reduced fertility conditions. It is well adjusted to seed mixtures and it can be aggressive when used on dry, fertile soil. Chewings Fescue has excellent drought resistance.

More information can be found in the Rigby Taylor Glossary.

Hard Fescue (Festuca longifolia) is a densely, tufted perennial which contains certain cultivars that have the ability to survive despite a long drought period. It has the ability to thrive in shady areas. It is very winter hardy and a very good grass for low maintenance situations. Certain cultivars are also salt resistant.

More information can be found in the Rigby Taylor Glossary.

Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is a vigorous perennial, with both bunch type and rhizomatous growth habits. It is extremely deep-rooted providing excellent ability to tolerate drought and can also tolerate wet soils and short periods of water logging. Tall fescues form a dense resilient sward that is quick to establish and recovers easily from wear.

More information can be found in the Rigby Taylor Glossary.

Grass which is blighted with worm casts is a significant problem. Not only is it unsightly but it’s practically impossible to mow successfully. Since earthworms are most active at the surface in wet conditions the casts they leave smear each time a mower is passed over. The result is an uneven surface and in many cases the grass can be smothered by the soil.

At present Carbendazim is the best proprietary treatment option. Treatment will need to occur twice in the period in between October and March and maybe late August or early September depending on the weather.

It is important to only attempt to control casting worms if the soil is moist. Contrary to selective herbicide which must stay on the leaves of the target weed, Carbendazim used to control worms must enter the soil where the target worms are active.

For more information on Worm Casts view the full article in the Rigby Taylor Glossary.

Rigby Taylor stock a variety of Carbendazim based worm cast control products including Barclay Ringer.

Leatherjackets are the larvae of the European crane fly, frequently also referred to as Daddy Long Legs. These larvae feast upon the roots of grass and therefore have a significant affect on the quality of the grass.

Unfortunately when visible indications of Leatherjackets are evident most of the damage to the root system of the turf has already happened. Crane fly hatch in August and immediately lay their eggs. It’s approximately 2 weeks until the larvae hatch, when they quickly begin consuming the roots of the turf. This means harm to the grass plant begins in September but at this time the Leatherjackets are very small. However, they will continue to feed through the winter and early spring growing in size until they give up eating in May and June. Read More »

Frit flies are often white, yellow and black and are often found in grassy areas. This pest is primarily a problem in new turf, with the larvae (maggots) destroying the central stems of ryegrass, fescues and bents.

The adult frit fly is apparent because it is attracted to white objects, for example a golf ball, and sighting a number of these flies could suggest larvae in your grass. Read More »

Glyphosate is a non-selective, systemic herbicide used to kill unwanted weeds. Glyphosate is effective at killing most plant types including perennials and grasses in many situations including amenity, forestry, aquatic and industrial. It is however only useful on plants which are actively growing. Read More »

Systemic herbicides eliminate the whole weed by dispersing gradually all through its vascular system, from both foliar application down through the entire plant, or soil application, up towards the leaves.

Systemic herbicides function after being absorbed by a plant’s leaves or roots and translocated to the rest of the plant. Read More »