Amenity Turf Categories

Amenity turf can be categorised according to the two main criteria of minimum height settings of mower and maximum heights of growth. A range of other measurable criteria are also used to describe each category in more detail, a selection of which are identified in this guide. The categories of turf can also be matched to a range of different of functional applications. BS7370-3 recognises 9 main different categories of amenity turf: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and J.To achieve the range of criteria with the standard for any particular category, on a consistent year-round basis, may be unrealistic in many cases, however, at certain times of the year, especially during peak growing season this may be more achievable. The soil type and situation of a lawn (such as shade, coastal exposure etc.) should be considered when aiming to determine how closely any lawn needs to comply with criteria stated within the British Standard. A flexible and sensible approach should be considered, as minor adjustments in some of the parameters for different criteria might be appropriate to avoid a situation arising whereby inefficient use of resources (time, costs, material inputs, environmental load of pesticides etc.) would be expected in order to achieve a parameter which is unsuited for a specific situation. For some situations it may also be appropriate to have a localised higher standard with parameters that are tighter than those in the standard.