Turfgrass is the most widely-grown ornamental crop in the southern United States. Of the two million acres of turfgrass grown in North Carolina, single family homes account for about 60%, with acreage concentrated in the population centers of the state.

TurfFiles provides turfgrass information to homeowners, students, extension personnel and professional turfgrass managers. Funding for this site is provided by the Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education, the Turfgrass Council of North Carolina and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University.

Gray leaf spot is most severe in newly established turfgrass stands. The disease is typically most severe in the first year of establishment, but then gradually becomes less damaging as the turf matures. Turfgrass hosts vary widely in their susceptibility to damage from gray leaf spot.

Sod webworms feed on lawns, golf course grasses, some clovers, corn, tobacco, bluegrass, timothy, as well as pasture and field grasses. They usually favor bluegrass and 'Tifdwarf' hybrid bermudagrass but attack most grasses.

Turf weeds may be grasses, grass-like plants (rushes and sedges), or broadleaf plants with annual, biennial, and/or perennial life cycles. Weeds are classified as summer annuals, winter annuals, biennials, and perennials.

Plant rust-resistant turfgrass varieties whenever possible to reduce injury from this disease. Select cultivars based on regional trials and university recommendations. When planting cool-season turfs, use blends and mixtures of multiple species and/or varieties whenever possible.

There are three major species of zoysiagrass suitable for turf: Japanese lawngrass (Z. japonica), mascarenegrass (Z. tenuifolia), and manilagrass (Z. matrella). Zoysiagrass can often be confused with bermudagrass.

Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) is a slow-growing, coarse-textured, warm-season turf that is adapted for use in low maintenance situations. It is often referred to as "lazy man's grass" due to its infrequent mowing and fertilization requirements.

Therefore, turf managers should select clean seed or vegetative sources for establishment, use an adapted turfgrass species and cultivar for their location, and use proper mowing and fertilization techniques to maintain a dense, actively growing, desired turf.

It is important to properly distinguish sedges from grasses because management is totally different. Sedges are plants that thrive in wet or poorly drained soils but can survive in areas that are not wet. Because of frequent irrigation in highly maintained turf, sedges often thrive in the turfgrass environment.