KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS

Kentucky bluegrass is the most widely used cool-season turfgrass across North America. Its attractive color, excellent mowing quality, adaptability to diverse soil conditions, and cold tolerance are among favorable attributes contributing to its widespread and enduring use.

Kentucky bluegrass spreads vegetatively with rhizomes, which contributes to recovery from wear injury or thinning and also provides excellent sod strength for harvesting and installation. Kentucky bluegrass is used in home lawns, commercial landscapes, parks, sports fields, and golf course fairways, tees, and roughs across the northern US and Canada. Magic Valley Turfgrass maintains Kentucky bluegrass at different mowing heights to accommodate the different end uses. Kentucky bluegrass is best adapted to full sun locations and performs best with deep and infrequent irrigation (watering to the depth of the root system) – usually every 3 to 7 days across southern and central Idaho.

Kentucky bluegrass is a fairly drought tolerant turfgrass species with a strong summer dormancy mechanism when irrigation or precipitation is limited. Kentucky bluegrass will lose its green color when summer dormancy occurs; however, it will regain active growth and green color once irrigation or precipitation resumes.

Traffic tolerance will be compromised when dormant, and some irrigation water is recommended during extended dry periods. Fertilization requirements depend upon the intended use and expectations for color and growth. Late summer/ early fall applications of fertility are generally most favorable to strong root growth and good performance throughout the year. Magic Valley Turfgrass utilizes a blend of best performing Kentucky bluegrass cultivars for the Intermountain West.