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June/July 2003
Desert Grass
When it comes to choosing the right lawn for the desert, it's best to turn to the experts. In this case we turned to West Coast Turf's John Marman. In Las Vegas there are two popular grass choices for a beautiful home lawn - fescue and bermuda. However, now days the most correct choice for the perfect Las Vegas lawn should be hybrid bermuda. "Fescue used to be the norm in the Las Vegas area, but we all have to realize it is a cool season grass, and actually requires 40 percent more water than today's bermudagrasses," Marman explained. "Hybrid bermuda has a finer leaf blade and a denser texture than fescue. "There are new varieties of hybrid bermudagrasses that are very different than common bermudagrasses of the past," he added "The problem with old common bermuda was that it was weak and caused allergy problems due to the pollen it produced. It also contaminated other lawns and soils because of the seed it created. Today's hybrid bermuda varieties produce virtually no pollen, or viable seeds. The varieties are attractively dense and fine bladed, but most importantly, are water friendly," he said. There are other grass varieties that do well in the desert, such as the new zoysiagrasses, seashore paspalum, and St. Augustine, but the hybrid bermuda is the best "all around" choice for dry desert areas. "The new hybrid bermudas are beautiful, they handle a lot of traffic like kids and dogs, and they use less water. You can save up to 50 percent of water if you have a bermuda lawn as opposed to fescue," Marman said. But, there is another difference between the cool season fescue, and the warm season bermuda - the way they respond in the winter. Fescue stays green all year round, which means it needs to be watered and mowed regularly through the winter. But that is not the case with bermuda. "Bermuda will lose color in the winter, and you can let it go dormant," Marman said. "You have the option of just letting it stay dormant and watering it minimally, or overseeding the lawn with ryegrass and watering and mowing on a regular basis." Some choose to actually paint the turf grass green when it goes dormant. "Painting is easy to do, and inexpensive. It can look so natural, that you can even fool the experts," he said. "Painting can be done simply by using a pump sprayer. You only need to water every other week or so, and you don't have to mow. "This method of giving some winter color to a dormant bermuda lawn can be done for under $100. It is a safe, organic product that is environmentally friendly, and is available at local nurseries." Just recently, it became much easier to transition your existing, water thirsty fescue lawn to a water-saving hybrid bermuda lawn with the first-ever development of hybrid bermuda seed. "You don't need to dig out the existing old fescue when using hybrid bermuda seed," Marman said. "You can just overseed your existing lawn, and in about three months the hybrid bermuda will take over. "In addition to not needing as much water, hybrid bermuda will grow slower so you don't need to mow it as often." West Coast Turf grows more than 30 varieties of grass, but according to Marman, the best way to go in the Las Vegas area is the water preserving new hybrid bermudas. "Turfgrass is important for the enjoyment of our homes - especially here in the desert. We like to run around in the backyard in our barefeet, or play with our pets on a nice cool lawn." And, he adds, the Southern Nevada Water Authority supports using warm season grasses for water conservation. "Turfgrass isn't the villain here," he said. "You just need to be wise in choosing the correct varieties and proper watering strategies." For more information contact John Marman and West Coast Turf at 260-8873 or send an email to john.marman@westcoastturf.com. Or check out their web site at www.westcoastturf.com. West Coast Turf is the West's largest grower and installer of warm season turfgrass. Their work can be seen at the arenas used for Super Bowl XXVII, XXIX, XXX, XXXII, XXXVII; the 1998, 2002 and 2003 World Series; the Rosebowl in Pasadena; Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego; and Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix; as well as several golf courses including Bali Hai in Las Vegas, Southern Highlands, Anthem Country Club, Spanish Trail Country Club, and the golf courses at Lake Las Vegas. |
