What kind of grass is kentucky bluegrass

Warm-season grasses dominate in this climate. Bermudagrass is the leading lawn grass in the Southeast and across the U. Its tolerance for salt, heat and drought meet the challenging conditions of the region well. Bermudagrass texture varies from fine to medium-coarse, depending on variety. Known for its persistent nature and aggressive spreading, Bermudagrass produces a thick, dark-green lawn.

In spring, it greens up quickly as the deep-rooted grass regrows from the crown each spring. Many homeowners throughout the South overseed Bermudagrass lawns with ryegrasses for winter color. The ryegrasses die in summer heat, but not before Bermudagrass turns green.

Pennington university partners at the University of Florida pursue improved Bermudagrass varieties for Southeast conditions. Extremely drought and heat tolerant, these grasses stand up to the region's climate and water restrictions.

Grass research at the University of Georgia, another Pennington university partner, leads research and development of new grass varieties for coastal conditions. Bahiagrass provides homeowners in the Deep South and Coastal regions with low-maintenance, all-purpose lawns. More coarse than any cool-season grass, Bahiagrass has good disease- and pest-resistant qualities, establishes easily and offers outstanding drought and heat tolerance.

Lower growing and low-maintenance Pennington Argentine Bahiagrass wins favor from Florida through the Texas coast, as it teams finer texture, improved density and deeper color with durability and drought resistance.

Centipede grass earns accolades for low and slow growth, medium texture and its medium- to light-green color. Very low-maintenance, this warm-season grass out competes weeds and tolerates nutrient-poor soil, so less mowing and less fertilizer are needed.

Centipede grasses, such as Pennington Centipede Grass products, prefer full sun but tolerate more shade than Bermudagrass. Centipede grasses also lack a true dormant period, so they stay green nearly year-round except in extremely cold conditions. Centipede's low growth helps it tolerate drought well, and its denseness helps it endure foot traffic. Beginning in Texas and stretching into Southern California, this region combines saline water and alkaline soil with intense sunlight, high temperatures and varying elevations.

Resilient Bermudagrass is widely used in the region, but sufficient watering is essential. The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension reports that Bermudagrass can require up to 40 percent less water than comparable tall fescue lawns in the desert climate. Bermudagrass varieties such as Pennington Sahara Bermudagrass, with its fine texture and rich, dark-green color, are popular in the region.

The dense grass stands up to foot traffic, flourishes under the Southwestern sun and resists drought, insects and diseases common to the region.

Cool, arid inland areas from Montana and Wyoming westward welcome cool-season grasses when adequately irrigated. In this area, east of the Cascade Mountain Range extending from Washington to Northern California, bluegrasses and tall fescues are preferred. West of the Cascades, cool temperatures and the humidity of the coastal Pacific Northwest create conditions similar to the Northeast. This wet, cool climate demands grasses resistant to lawn diseases the conditions encourage.

Oregon State University research shows ryegrasses are naturally resistant to cool-season diseases that strike grasses in rainy coastal winters. Fine fescues with greater cold and shade tolerance than tall fescue grasses also excel. One region presents special challenges for all lawn grasses.

The stems are feet tall, supporting a nodding panicle that is inches long. Tall fescue — known by the scientific name Festuca arundinacea — is a popular turfgrass species that was introduced into America from Asia and Europe. It thrives in humid temperate regions, where it can grow up to about inches. There now exist hybrid varieties that possess a finer texture and form denser turfs. Tall fescue grass varieties also spot pointed leaf tips. Meanwhile, the dull appearance of the upper sides of the leaf blades contrasts with the glossy texture on the lower side.

Tall fescue is quite saline-tolerant and can do well in soils with pH levels of between 5. It also features an extensive fibrous root system and can form sods through underground shoots rhizomes.

Tall fescue grass also has smooth, circular flowering stems and is known to lack a definite ligule. You can identify Tall fescue seeds by their oval shape and tan-brown color. The seeds also have slim, circular rachillas. Kentucky Bluegrass leaves are 6 to 12 inches long and boat-shaped at the tips. The bluegrass video discusses the differences between bluegrass and perennial ryegrass since they are often mixed together and look similar.

Kentucky bluegrass — scientifically known as Poa pratensis — typically grows to a height of between inches, with a canoe-shaped leaf tip. During spring, it develops new leaves every ten days, with the duration increased to about 22 days during summer and fall.

From spring to summer, new leaf blades that appear on Kentucky bluegrass grow up to about 4 inches tall with this length gradually reducing as the year progresses into late summer and fall. This is because leaf blade length is determined by day-length, with the blades able to grow taller during the longer summer days than during the shorter fall days. The leaf angle also differs by season, with new leaf blades appearing during spring and early summer being erect and those appearing from late summer and fall being decumbent.

Kentucky bluegrass typically develops rhizomes that sprout up from the leaf axils, just above the ground surface. The rhizomes grow downwards into the soil from where they develop and branch out. During spring and early summer, however, the growing sections at the tip of the rhizomes grow upwards and branch out as above-ground shoots.

Kentucky bluegrass rhizomes typically have a two-year lifespan. Whether to choose tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass largely depends on where you live. The botanical composition of Kentucky bluegrass pastures changes over and within growing seasons depending on environmental conditions and grazing management. Under conditions of high temperatures, limited rain fall, or low soil fertility, the amount of Kentucky bluegrass in a pasture will decline, allowing undesirable weed species to invade.

The ratio of Kentucky bluegrass and white clover in a pasture is strongly influenced by grazing management. As the amount of clover in the pasture declines, the pasture can be grazed more closely so that the grass competes less with the clover. If the amount of white clover in the pasture is too great, then allowing the pasture to reach a height of 8 to 12 inches will encourage the Kentucky bluegrass to compete better with the white clover.

In addition, nitrogen fertilizer favors the Kentucky bluegrass component of the pasture and may be used to manipulate the clover to grass ratio. The lime and fertilizer needs of Kentucky bluegrass should be determined by soil testing. For best results, the soil pH should be between 6 and 7. If the soil test calls for large amounts of nutrients, they should be applied prior to seeding and incorporated into the seedbed.

Surface application of the recommended nutrients is equally beneficial if the Kentucky bluegrass is already established. Applying nitrogen to Kentucky bluegrass is not recommended if more than 30 percent of the pasture is a legume. Applying approximately 25 pounds per acre of nitrogen fertilizer to Kentucky bluegrass in early spring before green-up will stimulate growth and generally allow grazing to begin earlier.

Additional nitrogen applications to pure Kentucky bluegrass stands should be made in late spring and early fall when the grass is growing rapidly. Remember that nitrogen application will increase the grass's competitiveness at the expense of clover and weeds in the stand. Kentucky bluegrass-white clover pastures can be maintained indefinitely and their forage quality improved by applying lime and fertilizers according to soil test recommendations.

In a recent study, when soil pH was adjusted to 6. An additional application of pounds of nitrogen per acre increased beef production by an additional 39 percent. Kentucky bluegrass is susceptible to many of the same diseases as other cool-season forage grasses. These diseases rarely affect plant persistence, but may reduce yield and quality. Grubs cause the most serious damage to Kentucky bluegrass pastures. Adult Japanese beetle, May beetle, green June beetle, northern masked chafer, and European chafer lay eggs in thin, overgrazed bluegrass pastures, and the larvae then feed on bluegrass roots and rhizomes.

Damage is most severe and recovery slowest during dry years. Controlling insects in Kentucky bluegrass pastures is most easily done through good grazing and fertility practices that maintain a healthy and vigorous grass stand. Let's Stay Connected. By entering your email, you consent to receive communications from Penn State Extension.

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