Family Plot

Turf Grass Varieties

UT Extension Agent Book T. Leigh talks about six varieties of Bermuda and Zoysia grasses at the Shelby County Extension Turf Demonstration Plot. Bermuda varieties he shows include Discovery, Celebration and Latitude. Zoysia varieties he shows include Royal, Palisades and GEO. Booker talks about the advantages of each, how high to mow them, how fast they green up in the spring, and disease resistance. See below for details on each variety shown.

Related Resources:
Selecting a Lawn Grass
Bermudagrass Varieties
Zoysiagrass Varieties
Bermuda
Celebration Bermuda Grass: Celebration Bermuda Grass performs well across different climate zones. It has a blue-green color, soft texture and tolerates drought and cold weather well. Celebration Bermuda Grass also features a higher degree of shade tolerance than other Bermuda grasses, while requiring less fertilization and water. Celebration grows in most soil types and has good insect and disease resistance.

Discovery Bermuda Grass: Is a drought tough Bermuda grass. Discovery Bermuda grass has a dark green color that stands out from other Bermuda grass varieties. Discovery Bermuda Grass features extremely slow vertical growth, making it an excellent choice for home and golf courses.

Latitude Bermuda Grass: Is a high quality hybrid grass developed by Oklahoma State University. It is rated highly for resistance to spring dead spot disease.

Zoysia
GEO Zoysia Grass: Is a fine bladed Zoysia with many improved features, including good shade tolerance compared to other Zoysia, fine leaf texture and it exhibits minimal thatch buildup. Geo has a beautiful dark green color.

Palisades Zoysia Grass: Is a vegetative produced, medium broad textured, high density turf grass, for home lawns, golf and sports fields. Palisades Zoysia Grass is a medium to course- textured turf grass noted for its shade tolerance and low water use requirements. Palisades can be established as sprigs, plugs, or sod. Palisades needs about 3 to 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per year.

Royal Zoysia Grass: Is a vegetative produced, fine textured high – density turf grass with long slender leaves. Royal has an excellent shade tolerance, and has moderate to low water use. Royal is suitable for sports fields, golf course fairways and home lawns. Royal will require between 2-4 lbs. nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. per year. Royal will require 1” of water a week during prolonged dry periods.

Tying Up Tomato Plants

This week in the garden UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper shows how to tie up a tomato plant. Tomatoes are very susceptible to blights which live in the soil. Tying up the plant with a soft piece of cloth gets the leaves and fruits off the ground, makes the plant easier to take care of... >>Watch

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This Week In the Garden

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TWIG–Did the Soil Drench Work?
Spring Blackberry Care
Killing Grass
Hairy Bittercress
Is the soil dry enough to till?

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their Replacements

There are many popular plants that should be avoided. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese talks about what some of those plants are and good plants you can replace them with. >>Watch

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Purple martins are a kind of swallow that live around humans. Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center talks about how to attract these insect eating birds to your yard. >>Watch

Planting Potatoes

Master Gardener Tom Mashour shows how to prepare and plant seed potatoes. >>Watch

Iris

The word iris comes from the Greek god of rainbows – Iris. There are a rainbow of colors of irises available.Learn about basic iris care and some of the common kinds of iris. >>Watch

Kinds of Mulch

Jim Crowder, from Memphis Botanic Garden, also talks about kinds of mulch some of the down sides of mulch. Jim talks about and shows the different kinds of mulch... >>Watch

Viewer Questions

What kind of grass stays green all year?

UT Extension Agent Booker T. Leigh recommends a fescue grass if you want to have green grass in the winter. >>Watch

Can I use pine needles around my tomatoes?

Pine needle mulch is a great mulch option around tomatoes. There is a belief that the pine needles will change the pH ... >>Watch

What kind of bermuda grass do I have?

There are several kinds of Bermuda in this lawn including common Bermuda and a few hybrids... >>Watch

What is the best way to get rid of snails?

There are several ways to get rid of snails and most of the best ways are organic. >>Watch

What are these plants in the forest? -Mayapple

These are mayapple. They grow on the forest floor and are one of the first plants to start growing every year. They make a great ground cover in a shady area.t. >>Watch