NC State Extension Publications Numbered Publications, Factsheets, Hard Copy Documents, Authoritative Sources & more …

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Bermudagrass Lawn Maintenance Calendar

By: Grady Miller, Jim Kerns, Terri Billeisen, Fred Yelverton, Charles Peacock, Rick Brandenburg Lawn Maintenance Calendars

The following management practices will help you care for your lawn throughout the year. Location, terrain, soil type and condition, age of the lawn, previous lawn care, and other factors affect turf performance, so adjust these management practices and dates to suit your particular lawn.

Carolina Lawns: A Guide to Maintaining Quality Turf in the Landscape

By: Grady Miller, Charles Peacock, Arthur Bruneau, Fred Yelverton, Jim Kerns, Rick Brandenburg, Richard J. Cooper, Matt Martin

This comprehensive guide offers information on different grasses for North Carolina lawns, as well as how to establish, care for, maintain, and renovate a new lawn.

Tall Fescue Lawn Maintenance Calendar

By: Grady Miller, Fred Yelverton, Charles Peacock, Jim Kerns, Rick Brandenburg, Terri Billeisen Lawn Maintenance Calendars

This factsheet provides instructions on how to properly care for tall fescue grass year round. It includes recommendations for mowing, fertilization, watering, pest control, and renovation.

Zoysiagrass Lawn Maintenance Calendar

By: Grady Miller, Jim Kerns, Terri Billeisen, Charles Peacock, Rick Brandenburg, Fred Yelverton Lawn Maintenance Calendars

This publication for homeowners and landscapers describes how to mow, fertilize, irrigate, and control weeds in a zoysiagrass lawn.

Selecting and Managing Lawn Grasses for Shade

By: Grady Miller, Ray McCauley, Charles Peacock

Turfgrass, trees, and shrubs are desired in most landscapes because they are attractive and useful. Unfortunately, growing turfgrasses in the presence of trees and shrubs can be a formidable task because each plant group competes with the other for the light, water, and nutrients that are essential for survival and growth. Even so, homeowners can take steps to improve the performance of a lawn growing in shade.

St. Augustinegrass Lawn Maintenance Calendar

By: Grady Miller, Matt Martin, Jim Kerns, Rick Brandenburg, Terri Billeisen, Fred Yelverton Lawn Maintenance Calendars

This calendar contains suggestions designed to help in the care and maintenance of St. Augustinegrass throughout the year. It includes recommendations for mowing, fertilization, watering, pest control, and renovation.

Kentucky Bluegrass

By: Grady Miller TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of Kentucky bluegrass.

Perennial Ryegrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of perennial ryegrass.

Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass Home Lawn Calendar

By: Grady Miller, James Kerns, Terri Billeisen Lawn Maintenance Calendars

Recommended maintenance practices for a lawn that consists of a blend of tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are the same as those for a tall fescue lawn. The following management practices will help you care for your lawn throughout the year.

2022 Top Performing Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Fine Fescue Cultivars for North Carolina

By: Grady Miller

This factsheet offers information on the top-performing tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, and fine fescue turf cultivars in North Carolina.

Zoysiagrass

By: Grady Miller TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of zoysiagrass.

St. Augustinegrass

By: Grady Miller TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of St. Augustinegrass.

Bermudagrass Athletic Field Maintenance Calendar

By: Grady Miller, Fred Yelverton

This calendar offers suggestions regarding management practices for all-season care of a bermudagrass athletic field.

Bermudagrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of Bermudagrass and addresses how to control it as a weed.

Bahiagrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of bahiagrass and addresses how to control it as a weed.

Tall Fescue, Hard (Fine) Fescue, and Kentucky Bluegrass Home Lawn Calendar

By: Grady Miller, James Kerns, Terri Billeisen Lawn Maintenance Calendars

Recommended maintenance practices for a lawn that consists of a blend of tall fescue, hard (fine) fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass are the same as those for a tall fescue lawn. The following management practices will help you care for your lawn throughout the year.

Tall Fescue

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of tall fescue.

Rough Bluegrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of rough bluegrass.

Dogs and Turfgrass Interactions

By: Grady Miller, Ray McCauley

This publication answers common questions dog owners may have about lawn care. Topics include what kinds of grasses to use in high traffic areas; how to deal with damage to lawns caused by dogs; dogs' exposure to pesticides; and why dogs occasionally eat turfgrass.

Water Requirements of North Carolina Turfgrasses

By: Grady Miller, Drew Pinnix, Garry Grabow, Charles Peacock

Water is an essential component for plant growth. In turfgrasses it comprises 75 to 90 percent of the fresh weight of the plant, and irrigation is a key cultural practice in turfgrass management. Only 1 percent of the water absorbed is utilized for metabolic activity. By considering the factors that contribute to water loss, turfgrass managers can devise effective irrigation plans for specific sites.

Annual Bluegrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of annual bluegrass.

Smallflower Buttercup

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of smallflower buttercup.

Guide to Using Turf Colorants

By: Grady Miller, Drew Pinnix

This publication offers strategies for maintaining green turf during the winter using turf colorants. It discusses considerations for using colorants, different product types for specific uses, application rates and methods, and cost to help you plan winter turf maintenance.

Carpetgrass Lawn Maintenance Calendar

By: Grady Miller, Jim Kerns, Terri Billeisen, Fred Yelverton, Charles Peacock, Rick Brandenburg, Matt Martin Lawn Maintenance Calendars

This factsheet provides instructions on how to properly care for carpetgrass year round. It also includes information on fertilization and integrated pest management.

2020 Top Performing Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass Cultivars Across the Transition Zone and North Carolina

By: Grady Miller

This factsheet offers information on the top performing tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass turf cultivars in North Carolina.

Managing Lawns and Gardens to Protect Water Quality

By: Luke Gatiboni, Erin Rivers SoilFacts

The purposes of this factsheet are to identify several major pollutants that often originate in lawns and gardens, to describe the problems they may cause, and to outline some things that can be done to minimize their adverse effects on water quality. This information should benefit home gardeners, landscape developers, contract lawn care specialists, athletic field managers and others who manage soil to grow plants for food, pleasure, or profit.

Improving Lawn Care and Gardening

By: Erin Rivers, Luke Gatiboni SoilFacts

This question and answer worksheet will help homeowners focus on potential problems with drinking water or other water resources that may be caused by improper lawn or garden care. Use and storage of fertilizers and pesticides, watering plants, landscape design and soil erosion are discussed.

Fine Fescue

By: Grady Miller TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of fine fescue.

Orchardgrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of orchardgrass.

Goosegrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of goosegrass.

Dichondra

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of dichondra.

Water Quality and Professional Turfgrass Managers

By: Grady Miller, Ray McCauley Water Quality & Turfgrass Area Development

Although groundwater and surface waters are rarely polluted by turfgrass pesticides, turf managers should consider the potential for environmental contamination when choosing a pesticide.

Barnyardgrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of barnyardgrass.

Yellow Foxtail

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of yellow foxtail.

Caring for Your Lawn and the Environment

By: Grady Miller, Erin Rivers

This factsheet provides information on how to keep a lawn healthy and attractive and how to protect the environment by reducing runoff and trapping pollutants. Fertilizer facts and rates, a mowing guide, and watering recommendations are included.

Tips on Writing Turf Contracts and Landscape Specifications

By: Charles Peacock, Matt Martin

Maintenance contracts for turfgrass areas should be written to provide security for all parties involved. The person or company receiving services (the contractor) should be aware of everything it has agreed to and therefore is required to do. This publication provides basic guidelines on how to write a good contract regarding turfgrass maintenance.

Lawn Burrweed

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of lawn burrweed.

Broomsedge

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of broomsedge.

Dallisgrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of dallisgrass.

Green Foxtail

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of green foxtail.

Nimblewill

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of nimblewill.

Large Crabgrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of large crabgrass.

Thin (bull) paspalum

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of thin paspalum.

Water Quality and Professional Lawn Care

By: Grady Miller, Raymond McCauley

Lawns are ecosystems that impact surface and groundwater systems. The grasses found in lawns clean the environment by absorbing gaseous pollutants and intercepting pesticides, fertilizers, dust, and sediment. Irrigation water properly applied to lawns remains on site to recharge water supplies. In addition, grasses release oxygen and reduce glare, noise, and summer temperatures. Proper management practices need to be developed and followed to protect this environment. The purpose of this publication is to provide you with management strategies to preserve and protect water resources.

Velvetgrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of velvetgrass.

Johnsongrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of johnsongrass.

2015 Turfgrass Pest Management Manual

By: Grady Miller, Emily Erickson, Dan Bowman, Rick Brandenburg, Travis Gannon, Jim Kerns, Charles Peacock, Robert Richardson, Thomas Rufty, Leon Warren, Fred Yelverton

This guide is designed to help turf managers identify the major turfgrass pests found in North Carolina and better understand their life cycles, symptoms, and biology.

Selecting a Lawn Maintenance Service

By: Charles Peacock, Matt Martin

This publication will help you choose the correct type of lawn maintenance service for your home or business.

Water Quality and Home Lawn Care

By: Arthur Bruneau, S. C. Hodges, L. T. Lucas Water Quality & Turfgrass Area Development

This publication will help you care for your lawn in ways that prevent and reduce contamination of our water resources by sediment, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Smooth Crabgrass

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of smooth crabgrass.

Blackberry

By: Fred Yelverton TurfFiles

This factsheet summarizes the characteristics of blackberry.

Water Quality and Commercial Lawn Care

By: Grady Miller, Matt Martin, Raymond McCauley Water Quality & Turfgrass Area Development

This publication describes the best management practices (BMP) to reduce sediment and keep nutrients and pesticides applied to turf from contaminating North Carolina's water resources.