Grass Growth and Regrowth for Improved Management

In addition to differences in life cycle, grasses differ in their growth habit and response to climatic variables such as day length and temperature. Grasses may be referred to as:

• forage or turf grasses (based on their intended use),
• sod-forming or bunchgrasses (based on their form of tillering),
• short or tall grasses (referring to both potential height and water requirements),
• jointing or non-jointing (with respect to their regrowth characteristics), and
• cool-season or warm-season (with respect to their optimal season of growth).

This section describes each of these categories and the management required for optimal utilization.