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Kentucky Bluegrass By Peter Hayes |
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Kentucky bluegrass is a native grass to all parts of Europe, northern Asia and the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. The species is now spread over all of the cool and humid parts of the United States. Kentucky bluegrass is not native to North America though. It is thought that the early settlers of the United States brought the seed of Kentucky bluegrass over seas in mixtures with other grasses. As you can see in the map, Kentucky bluegrass is found throughout most of the United States now. Although, that is true it does not grow as well in the south and southwest states and is limited to many states. It also requires irrigation in many states for survival. |
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Kentucky bluegrass is a short to medium cool season perennial grass with a long life cycle. It is recognizable by its green to dark green leaves with boat shaped tips and fine texture. Kentucky bluegrass is a popular cool season grass because of its ability to produce extensive underground stems, called rhizomes. Theses rhizomes allow the grass to form a thick sod with good recuperative potential. Kentucky bluegrass is a tough and attractive type of grass popularly used in home and business lawns, athletic fields, and parks. Along with it's ability to form a think sod it has also has become popular for horticultural uses because of it's tolerance for cold , wear, and moderate heat and drought. Bluegrass is best grown during cool, moist weather in open areas with with plenty of sunshine. It also requires a well drained soil with a pH between six and seven. Although Kentucky bluegrass is found extensively throughout pasture land in the northern United States, most varieties have been developed for lawns and are considered to be the most important lawn grass in the United States. |
Resources
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/turf/publications/bluegrass.html
cropsoil.psu.edu/Extension/facts/