Turf temperature

Here is a question that Penn State University turfgrass professor Mike Fidanza says causes students in his introduction to turf classes to struggle: Cool-season turfgrasses are best adapted to air temperatures between ___ and ___F, and warm-season grasses are best adapted to air temperatures between ___ and ___ F.

The answer: Cool-season turfgrasses are best adapted to air temperatures between 65 degrees F and 75 degrees F; warm-season grasses are best adapted to air temperatures between 80 degrees F and 95 degrees F.

“I use this question to get the students to think about how the environment can influence turfgrass growth and management,” Fidanza says. “Specifically, that the shoot growth patterns for cool-season grasses have shoot growth primarily in the spring and fall, compared to the warm-season grasses, with shoot growth primarily in the summer.”

Fidanza draws his answer from “Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management” by Nick Christians (4th ed.).

“This also gets the discussion going about how turfgrass species utilize carbohydrates (produced from photosynthesis) for shoot growth at certain times of the year, and root growth at other times of the year,” Fidanza says.