 
Boat-shaped tip and parallel-sided leaf blades
| Qualities
Kentucky bluegrass is a cool-season
grass that grows best during the fall, winter, and spring months when
temperatures are cool. Its growth slows during the warm summer months.
Kentucky bluegrass prefers full sun, but will tolerate some shade.
This species is used widely throughout the U.S. where it is well adapted,
but it has a poor summer performance in California in areas with warm
to hot temperatures. When stressed by temperatures, lack of water,
or poor soils, Kentucky bluegrass can be susceptible to disease and
weed invasion. For a more disease resistant turf that offers good
color and year-round performance, Kentucky bluegrass is often mixed
with perennial ryegrass. Usually 2 or more cultivars of each species
are used and it is recommended that at least 15% of the mixture is
perennial ryegrass.
Identifying tips
A dark-green, medium-textured turf. The
new leaves are folded in the bud, there are no auricles, and a short,
membranous ligule is present. The leaf blades have a boat-shaped tip;
the sides of the blades are parallel, giving a stiff appearance. This
species spreads by underground rhizomes that can self-repair injured,
worn, or damaged spots. Kentucky bluegrass produces a dense turf.
Maintenance
Moderate to high maintenance. It can
tolerate cold winters but has a relatively low tolerance for heat and is
only moderately drought tolerant. During the summer months if stressed for
water, Kentucky bluegrass can go dormant. It has moderate wear tolerance,
recovering quickly from some abuse. |
