I’m a very seasonal kind of guy — I like different things from each season of the year.

In the spring, I look forward to lacrosse and watching the grass green up. To me, nothing says summer like an iron skillet full of squash and onions! This time of year, I look forward to things beginning to slow down. The leaves are an array of colors, and I love these cooler days so I can make a big pot of chili using my tomatoes from the summer garden. I also love checking out the local high school football teams. The greatest refuge of my teen years was sports, and this time of year is playoff time for high school football! It brings back great memories of great guys and great times. It sounds cliché now, but one thing I remember was the grass was always green. It was normal in Maryland where I grew up, but when I came to North Carolina to play lacrosse in college, the grass was never green in the winter. Lacrosse being a spring sport, it was dry, itchy and, well, just dead when we were in season.

Have you ever slowed down to ponder how they keep the grass on athletic fields so green this time of year? As a self-professed plant nerd, I had to find out why!

In North Carolina, especially in eastern NC, we don’t grow any grass well. We are in the transition zone between warm and cool season grasses. This means that it gets too warm in the summer to grow cool season grasses, and our warm season grasses are often damaged by cold temperatures in winter. That doesn’t stop us from having green grass on athletic fields, golf courses and even home lawns. We overseed our turf with perennial ryegrass in early fall to achieve a beautiful, deep-green playing surface or lawn throughout the winter and into spring. This is only recommended for Bermuda grass, however, not any other warm-season grass. The reason is that Bermuda grass is an overachiever! None of the other warm-season grasses can overcome the competition from ryegrass during spring green-up on a consistent basis. Another important thing to note is that we use perennial ryegrass, not annual ryegrass. Annual ryegrass, although cheaper, is not as desirable as perennial ryegrass. It will not achieve as good of a stand, color or disease resistance as compared to perennial ryegrass.

If we have a cool spring, perennial ryegrass can severally hinder green-up of our Bermuda. This is something that athletic field and golf course managers work with every year. Have you ever watched the Masters Tournament? Being held in early April, there are usually dogwoods and other early spring bloomers out in full show. Now this tournament is held at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, where warm-season grass is still dormant-to-mid green-up that time of year. How do they do it? They spend millions of dollars a year to maintain a Bermuda grass base and then they overseed perennial ryegrass specifically for this tournament. If you get a chance, check it out this year. The two take-aways are that you should only overseed perennial ryegrass in Bermuda turf, and it takes extra management in the spring if you do overseed. Do not fear however, your local Cooperative Extension Center has great information on this and other practices on athletic fields, golf courses and even your home lawn.

Our team won the 1A Maryland State Football Championship, and it was unforgettable to a young kid. We came into town after winning the game to see a parade of local folks lining the streets and cheering for us! There were signs and clapping and cheering all the way down Main Street to the school. It was unreal to see the support of all the local folks! We have two teams in the playoffs this year right here in Beaufort County. No. 5 Northside is playing No. 4 Northampton tonight in Northampton, and No. 2 Washington has the home field against No. 7 Salisbury. The festivities begin at Washington High School with a Pre-Game Tailgate in the Endzone. Unfortunately, it was pre-purchase only for a King Chicken fried chicken plate, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come out and support these kids! The kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. — come out and support our local kids!

If you’re having trouble with growing in your home landscape, call the Extension office at 252-946-0111 or email Gene Fox at gene_fox@ncsu.edu. Interested in being a Master Gardener? There is going to be an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer training series this spring. Sign-up for our information list at go.ncsu.edu/bocoemginterest to receive updates. We will have two informational meetings on Dec. 10, one at noon and one at 5 p.m. Call the Extension center today to learn more or visit Facebook at the Blacklands Area Horticulture page!