Dr. Tom Samples, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee

Just For Fun Lawn Care Quiz

Tom Samples
UT Agricultural Extension Service
The best defense against weeds each spring is a dense, actively growing lawn. Help maintain a healthy lawn by mowing at an appropriate cutting height, fertilizing to support lawngrass growth during favorable weather and watering to preserve lawngrass roots during hot, dry climatic conditions. Excessive thatch may be removed using a vertical mower or power rake and compacted soils may be cultivated with a core aerifier.
If you enjoy managing your lawn, you may already know the answers to this lawn care quiz. Explanatory answers follow the questions.

Questions:

1. The recommended cutting height of a tall fescue lawn is _____ inches.
a. 2 to 3 b. 1 to 2 c. 3/4 inch to 1 ½

2. The recommended cutting height of a hybrid bermudagrass or Zoysia lawn is _____ inches.
a. 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 b. 3/4 inch to 1 ½ c. 2 to 3

3. Of the 13 mineral nutrients essential for the growth and survival of lawngrasses, _____ is required in greatest amounts.
a. phosphorus b. potassium c. nitrogen

4. The fertilizer grade or guaranteed analysis is shown on the fertilizer bag. A fertilizer grade of 15-5-10 contains _____ .
a. 15 percent nitrogen, 5 percent phosphate (P₂O₅) and 10 percent potash (K₂O)
b. 15 percent nitrogen, 5 percent phosphorus and 10 percent potassium
c. 15 percent nitrogen, 5 percent potash (K₂O)and 10 percent phosphate (P₂O₅)

5. Water your lawn _____ to promote deep rooting.
a. lightly and often
b. thoroughly and often
c. thoroughly and infrequently

6. The preferred time of day to water the lawn is _____ .
a. morning b. evening c. late at night

7. Thatch is a tightly intermingled layer of living stems and roots, and undecomposed or partially decomposed organic residues of _____ .
a. clippings b. roots and stems c. clippings, roots and stems

8. Dethatching is recommended when _____ inch of thatch accumulates in bermudagrass, tall fescue and Zoysia lawns.
a. 1/4 b. ½ c. 3/4

9. The best time to aerify tall fescue lawns is _____.
a. summer b. winter c. fall or spring

10. _____ is the best time to aerify bermudagrasses and Zoysia.
a. Late spring or summer b. Late summer c. Fall

Answers:

1. a. Tall fescues have a bunch-type growth habit and are prone to scalping. For best results, mow tall fescue lawns often at a 2 to 3 inch cutting height.

2. b. Hybrid bermudagrasses and Zoysia are sod-forming lawngrasses and can be maintained at a cutting height much lower than that of tall fescue. The recommended cutting height of these two lawngrasses is from 3/4 inch to 1 1/2 inches.

3. c. Lawngrasses are composed mostly of water and a relatively small amount (about 20 percent) of organic materials or dry matter. The organic materials are the result of photosynthesis, the fixation of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen from atmospheric carbon dioxide and water in the presence of light. Complex organic materials contain nutrients from the soil as well as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The mineral nutrients required by lawngrasses are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. The mineral nutrient required in greatest amounts by lawngrasses is nitrogen. Tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, bermudagrass and Zoysia often require from 3/4 to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per growing month.

4. a. A fertilizer with a grade of 15-5-10 contains 15 percent nitrogen, 5 percent phosphate (P₂O₅) and 10 percent potash (K₂O). This represents a 3-1-2 fertilizer ratio. Fertilizers with a 2-1-1, 3-1-2 and 4-1-2 ratio provide nutrients in quantities closer to actual lawngrass needs than fertilizers with a 1-2-2 ratio which are often best for establishing new lawns.

5. c. Actively growing lawngrasses often use more than 1 inch of water (about 630 gallons per 1,000 square feet) each week. However, frequent watering is usually detrimental. Promote deep rooting by watering thoroughly (i.e. to a 6-inch soil depth) and judiciously. Do not water the lawn until the first symptoms of drought stress (for example, foot printing, bluish-gray color, rolled leaves) appear.

6. a. Watering your lawn during morning hours (for example, 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.) reduces evaporation losses and allows time for leaves to dry before nightfall.

7. c. The undecomposed or partially decomposed organic residues located on the soil surface most likely originated from lawngrass roots, stems and leaves. The accumulation of thatch can be minimized by proper mowing. No more than one-third of the lawngrass shoots should be removed by mowing. Small clippings often decay very quickly during the growing season. Clippings will cause problems if the lawn is not mowed regularly, or is scalped, and too many large clippings are distributed over the lawn surface.

8. b. Mechanical dethatching is recommended when ½ inch of thatch accumulates in bermudagrass, tall fescue and Zoysia. Generally, machines engineered for thatch removal have blades, knives or tines which scratch vertically into the lawn and lift thatch.

9. c. Tall fescue grows best between 60^o F to 75^o F. Core aerify in the spring or fall when climatic conditions favor growth of this cool season lawngrass. Several manufacturers of crabgrass "preventers" (preemergence herbicides which control crabgrass and goosegrass plants before they emerge from soil) suggest that core aerification should be completed before applying the herbicide. Core aerifying the lawn prior to broadcasting seeds may improve seed-to-soil contact.

10. a. Bermudagrasses and Zoysia grow best between 80^o F to 95^o F. These warm season lawngrasses usually recover quickly when core aerified after growth resumes in late spring, or in the summer.

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Copyright ©2006 The University of Tennessee · Department of Plant Sciences