DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME WARM SEASON LAWN GRASSES



 Grm h id Rate of Drought Smit Shade Wear Teture Maintenance
 Variety Spread Tolerance Tolrance Tolerance Resistence

 Hurricane Seed Rapid Very Good Very Good Fair Very Good Fine Heavy
 (Loca.

 Bermuda Seed. Rapid Very Good Very Good Poor Very Good Fine Heavy
(Common Vegetative
 and
Improved)
 Bahbi Moderate Moderate Good Poor Good Good Medium Lght
 Course

 St. Vgetative Moderate Good Very Good Very Good Fair Mediurn Heavy
Augustine Course

 Zoysa. Vegetative Very Slow Fair Very Good Good Very Good Medium Heavy
 Fine

Cenipede Seed Moderate Poor Poor Good Poor Medium Lght
 Course


LAWN SITE PREPARATION

 Proper preparation of the lawn planting site is very important in establishing a quality lawn. It
would be great if topsoil were always stockpiled at the start of construction and then replaced when
the house is finished. Unfortunately, many sites are stripped bare and you end up with poor soil, or
the soil may have been poor to begin with. This may be the case in certain areas in the V.I. where caliche
is prevalent In these extremes cases, it may be advisable to bring in good quality topsoil. Usually,
however, the addition of organic material and fertilizer to existing soil is less expensive.
 Weeds are a good indicator of soil quality. If you have a lush crop of various types of weeds,
your grass should grow just as well. If the neighbors' yards are thriving, this is also a good indicator.
But be sure to find out if they had to make extensive modification to the land and soil to get the grass
to grow well.
 In the case of absence of vegetation in nearby landscapes, it is difficult to tell what your soil is
like by just looking at it. The safest way to determine soil fertility is to have your soil tested. The
Cooperative Extension Service offers a soil testing service free of charge to all V.I. residents and provides
two gardener's factsheets on soil testing. The soil test results give specific recommendations as to what
should be added to your soil before planting, The soil test also determines the pH of your soil (acidity
or alkalinity). A pH value of 6.0 to 7.0 is desirable for most lawn grasses. However, most soils in the
V.I. have a high pH value (above 7.0). This ties up some nutrients, especially the trace elements (see
Gardener's Factsheet # 16).