Kentucky Bluegrass is a cool season, perennial ground cover; forming a beautiful, high quality,
dense sod when grown in pure stands. Grass color ranges from bright green to
deep bluish green. Bluegrass
is often used in low to medium traffic areas and
often incorporated with other grass species to produce a better
multi-purpose lawn.
BLENDS - Kentucky Bluegrass is often sold
as a blend of similar improved varieties for greater
versatility. This blend can result in improved lawn
appearance, earlier green, with better disease and insect
resistance.
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Kentucky Bluegrass (shown above) is the most famous and popular of the Bluegrass species. --- There
are many improved varieties of KBG available on the market today. |
Bluegrass remains the same in popularity much as it was when first introduced to North American by early Europeans and their animals. Beautiful, lush and finely textured, this is the real lawn grass most people strive for. Truly a "bare foot" grass at it's finest. Not too aggressive nor too retiring this species mixes well with companion cool season grasses for greater diversity and longevity. As most tender bladed grasses go; higher rates of fertilizer and water are needed. It's fast growing characteristic has the ability develop a good root system against drought. Bluegrass has good "lawn mending" capabilities.
Bluegrass has a later green-up period and is often seeded specifically with ryegrasses for this reason. Bluegrass is one of the longest living perennials grasses grown. Although a reseeding grass; many factors over a period of time may thin or kill sections of these
lawns and reseeding or patch seeding may be required. The reasons for this can be due to disease,
insect damage, wear, climate swings, water deficiency, or other environmental factors. Reseeding affords the homeowner a chance to upgrade the present lawn with improved qualities.
Establishment Of Kentucky Bluegrass Lawns
Bluegrass can be fairly easy established from seed or sod. Seeded lawns establishment
depends upon a well prepared seedbed, application of a starter fertilizer,
following seeding guidelines with consistent watering schedules while the
seedlings develop and thereafter as needed. Due to the slower
growth of Bluegrass, full establishment takes time (1-2 months is
not unusual). This is one of the primary reasons to include Perennial
Ryegrass in a Bluegrass lawn.
Blue Grass Seed Used In Seed Blends/Mixtures
Additions of creeping red fescue, perennial rye grass or
annual rye grass seeds are included in bluegrass for several reasons. Red Fescue
tolerates shadier areas where bluegrass may not get enough sunshine. Annual rye grass is
often seeded with the bluegrass to achieve green-up earlier and dies off when warmer weather sets
in.
The addition of perennial ryegrass to bluegrass seed helps to develop a tougher sod that stands up
to tougher wear and the rye will fill in while the KBG germinates (4-8 weeks). Bluegrass and perennial rye are good companion grasses for athletic
fields and playgrounds. These different combinations of grass seeds works exceedingly well
for newly planted seedbeds and overseeding existing stands of bluegrass lawns. The
balanced mix is chosen to utilize the specialties derived per each
kind; blending traits to produce the best composite coverage possible. Including the
faster growing Ryegrass also produces a lawn cover while the
Bluegrass grows in.
Seedland Branded Bluegrass Blends
Seedland's
Bluemix Kentucky Bluegrass seed blend is an economical blend of turf quality Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass and a improved
creeping red fine fescue. Our
ELITE Bluegrass Seed Mixture includes the preferred bluegrass variety
Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass!
Additional Kentucky Bluegrass Blends may be found in our menu to the right under Bluegrass Turf Blends & Mixtures or by visiting our
online store Seedland.com.
How Kentucky Bluegrass Grows & Spreads
Bluegrass develops a shallow root system
and is not a high drought tolerant grass, but it has the ability to go dormant in severe situations and can recover if watered intermittently keeping the lawn minimally growing during
drought. Grass species evolved the best root system to cope with nature's stresses and help assure the longevity of each species.
Bluegrass grows by roots from single plants and at the same time sends
out stems to form their own roots. This interweaves and supports the base making it denser
as it grows. Less moisture can be lost this way to evaporation than with the more
"open" growing plants with ground and air space between the plants
themselves. This is why this grass falls into the creeping grass category.
Bluegrass In Pasture
Pasturage Bluegrass is a
long-living perennial grass which originated from Europe and Asia. In Europe
bluegrass is called smooth meadow grass. This grass has successfully spread across
half of the United States and into Canada and is well known as a pasture grass
for horses, cattle, and sheep throughout the areas of adaptation. Millions of
acres are now occupied whether by purpose or by nature's own seeding and are still
being planted today. Bluegrass seeds are easy to harvest and has developed into one of the
species with the largest number of varieties of any grass seed.
--- Read more on Bluegrass pastures.
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Bluegrasses.com
Growing
a beautiful tomorrow!® |
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