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Recommended Grass For Kentucky Lawns
Kentucky --- You would think would
be a Kentucky Bluegrass state, but it is actually more suited to
planting Tall Fescue for lawns
in the area. Kentucky Bluegrass
is planted in the state, but Fescue handles the poor soil, traffic
and shade problems better than Bluegrass. Fine Fescues are
used in shady areas including in mixes of Turf Type Tall Fescues.
Bermudas
and Zoysias (warm season
grasses) are also planted since it is a transition area state for
both warm and cool season grasses. Warm season grasses go dormant (turn brown) with onset of cooler weather. If you plant Bermudagrass using a seeded variety, be sure and plant one of the
more cold tolerant varieties such as Mohawk.
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Online Resources For Growing Grass In Kentucky
Climate Zone Map And Link To Grass Selection Chart For Kentucky
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KENTUCKY
CLIMATE ZONES
8
Grass
Zone Selection
Chart |
BEST PLANTING TIMES FOR COOL SEASON GRASSES
(1) FALL IS BEST TIME - Middle
of August through the end of September is ideal to plant cool season Grasses.
(2) SPRING IS SECOND BEST- For cool season grasses the next best establishment
time is from the middle of March to the middle of April is an ideal time to plant cool season grasses. -- Keep in mind that depending on the summer conditions some of your plants might not
survive to fall. You may need to reseed (overseed) in the fall to fully establish your cool season lawn.
BEST PLANTING TIMES: WARM SEASON GRASSES
Warm season grasses should be planted starting in the spring to mid/early summer after the soil / air
temperatures are 70 degrees or higher (under 95). Generally this is around May-June. Do NOT try to plant these once you have reached 90 days before first frost to avoid winter kill of small immaturely established seedlings. Warm season grasses need heat and moisture in order to best germinate and grow.
SOD: - Fastest way to get an instant lawn -
Cool season sod can be planted just about year
around (except during stress period of dry weather in the
summers.) -- Warm season grass sods are best established in spring
to mid summer, so that their root systems will have time to
establish before frost / freezes turn the grasses dormant.
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Planting NEW LAWNS On BARE SOIL in Kentucky
Tall Fescue is generally the best lawn suited
for growing in Kentucky. You should plant a turf-type
improved lawn for the best results. The area should be
graded so that drainage is at a slight slope (2-5 degrees).
Make sure it is level so that it will look good, no dips, etc.
--- A fine seedbed on top is usually best... You can broadcast a
general fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 over the area to be
planted prior to planting. visit
www.lawnfertilizers.com
for more on this.
After you have broadcast your seed... drag the
area so that the seeds will be slightly covered by soil ... This
will result in best germination. You should plant fescue
when temps are in the 60-70 degree range for best results and germination.
You may need to reseed this fall, depending on how well your
lawn survives the summer stresses. Fall plantings are much
more successful than springs ones.
Plant both the ryegrass and the fescue at the
same time. You can plant annual ryegrass, which will die
out as the summer comes and the fescue should by then be
established. Fescues for new lawns should be seeded at
8-10 lbs per 1000 sq. ft. ---
There are many choices on seeds, ranging from using a pure single variety such as Virtue or Duster that Seedland sells... to the many blends available such as the EnviroBlend Fescue. --- We also sell a professional contractors mix (Central USA) which includes virtue fescue, annual ryegrass and creeping red fescue (for shady areas).. in a mixture. This could work very well for your situation.
I would not recommend Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue for a quality lawn, as this is an un-improved pasture variety... unless cost is your main consideration - K31 is the cheapest and
will make a general purpose low quality lawn. If you use the contractors mix... I would suggest adding planting another turf type such as Duster (available only in 50# bags)... if you have a big enough lawn for 50# or add perhaps a 3 way fescue blend such as the 15# selection we sell.
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