Common Name(s):
NewsKentucky Bluegrass
Scientific Name:
Poa pratensis L.
Scientific Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
POPR
Description:
Life Span: Perennial
Origin: Introduced
Season: Cool
Growth Characteristics: A rhizome-based sodgrass that grows 6 inches to 3 feet tall. Although the young shoots are somewhat flattened, the seedstalks are spherical. Rhizome growth begins in the summer or autumn, whereas aerial culms begin in the early spring and summer. If moisture is scarce throughout the summer, it becomes dormant. Kentucky bluegrass reproduces by the use of seeds, tillers, and rhizomes.
Seedhead: Open, spreading, pyramidal panicle, 2 to 8 inches long, with panicle branches whorled in groups of 3 to 5; spikelets with 3 to 5 florets; lemmas are awnless but cobwebby-hairy at the base.
Leaves: Mostly basal, almost glabrous; blades V-shaped, thin, 1 to 7 inches long, with boat-shaped ends and two conspicuous veins that look as tiny train tracks down the middle of the top suface of the leaf; leaves folded in bud; ligules small, membranous, collar-shaped; auricles missing.
Ecological Adaptions:
Kentucky bluegrass was reportedly brought to North America from Europe during the early colonial period. Native North American Indians termed it “White man’s tracks” since it was seen almost wherever a white man walked with his animals and plows. Its quick dispersal was most likely due to the cobwebby hairs near the base of the floret, which adhere to almost everything they contact.
There is some debate over whether this plant is native to Utah. It was formerly thought to have been brought from Europe, but fresh evidence reveals that a local population existed prior to importation. Whether native or imported, it now performs like a native plant, accounting for 5 to 10% of total vegetation on sites, with levels varied depending on the location. It is extensively scattered from irrigated lowlands, residential lots, golf grounds, and all the way up to the high mountains, where annual rainfall ranges from 14 to 28 inches.
Not tolerant of drought.
Soils: It thrives in a broad range of soil types, but prefers deep to fairly deep, well-drained loams and clay loams. It prefers damp soils but does not flourish in acidic or saline-alkaline soils. It thrives on well-developed alpine soils and meadows beside watercourses in Utah. It may be found in the high ranges beneath aspen and in open mountain environments.
Uses and Management:
Kentucky Bluegrass produces a rich, green sod that is ideal for lawns, landscaping, and recreational use. In early spring, when few other plants are sprouting, its fodder value is beneficial to cattle and wildlife. Although it is not very productive, using 70% of the top growth yearly enables it to retain its present output. It forms a thick sod as a result of heavy usage. It is more productive in terms of herbage for grazing animals if not overgrazed. It can sustain continual intensive grazing and greens up after summer rains. Kentucky bluegrass is often associated with misuse of rangelands.
With its deep, robust root system and the sod it produces, Kentucky bluegrass aids in erosion control on uplands. Excessive overland flow of water is prevalent in clayey soils with extensively grazed Kentucky bluegrass, causing the creation of gullies and causing considerable watershed damage. Kentucky bluegrass often dominates grazed riparian regions throughout the growing season. With its shallow root structure, it offers minimal protection to streambanks, and bank collapse is prevalent on Kentucky bluegrass sites, causing channel degradation and sedimentation in streams. It is a sign of inadequate leisure or grazing management in these places.