Caring For A Kentucky Bluegrass Lawn

Posted on: 25 October 2021

Kentucky bluegrass is an often-loved, common choice for lawns in the United States. It fares well in the cold, can tolerate some shade, and grows back quickly after being damaged. While Kentucky bluegrass is a pretty low-maintenance grass, there are a few tips you'll want to follow to give it the best care possible.

Mow it more often in the spring and fall

People often assume that summer is the season when their lawn will need to be mowed more often. This seems to make sense since more sunshine makes most plants grow faster. However, Kentucky bluegrass is a cool-season grass, which means it grows faster when temperatures begin to cool down. You may be able to get away with mowing your lawn once a week or even every two weeks in the summer, but in the spring and fall, you want to make sure you're mowing more often. Every five days or so is pretty common. Waiting too long between mowing sessions can be traumatic for the grass when it's in its rapid growth stage.

Water your grass during times of drought

One small downfall of Kentucky bluegrass is the fact that it's not very drought-tolerant. So while your neighbor's mixed-grass lawn may survive a few weeks without rain, your Kentucky bluegrass lawn will suffer under the same conditions. Be sure to water your lawn at times when rain is scarce. Try to start watering before the grass starts to look yellow, brown, or fragile.

Plant additional seed in the fall, if needed

If your lawn is looking a bit sparse, or if you need to plant more grass in an area that was previously bare dirt, plant the new Kentucky bluegrass seed in the early fall. This is the best time of year for the seed to germinate. Once it has germinated, it will have a few weeks to grow healthy and strong before winter arrives.

Bag your lawn clippings

Bagging lawn clippings is best practice with most types of grass, but especially so with Kentucky bluegrass. The species is quite prone to fungal infections, such as snow mold, and leaving clippings behind on the lawn can perpetuate these infections. 

If you follow the lawn care tips above, your Kentucky bluegrass lawn should stay in tip-top shape. Contact a lawn care company, such as Little Rock Lawns, if you have any additional questions or concerns about lawn care, or if you need a pro to care for your lawn.

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