PACE Turf - Turfgrass Information Center

Growth potential for C3 and C4 grasses

The animated GIFs for cool season grasses (C3_GP) and warm season grasses (C4_GP) were created by plotting Growth Potential (GP)  based upon 30 year normal average monthly temperature (data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1950-1980 - tempertures are likely a little higher now, but the trends will be similar) for each zipcode by latitude and longitude. There are about 40,000 data points plotted per month. The GP model has been modified a couple of times over the years, most recently to maximize C4 growth potential when average temperature exceeds the estimated optimum temperature for C4 grasses (88 F or 31.1 C). Refer to this graph for an illustration of the GP model functions.

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