Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis ) was once the prevail magnate of neighborhood lawn , and rightly so . The easygoing , dense sward and nerveless gullible color created a living carpeting under bare feet in summer . However , researchers developed tough , drought - resistant tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) roughly 50 years ago . Although the first contemporaries of marvelous fescue were coarse and unsuitable for lawn , recent improved varieties are peril to dethrone Kentucky blue grass as the Martin Luther King Jr. of the backyard .
Appearance
Both lawn create a dense turf and have a standardised emerald green color . Tall meadow fescue ’s spacious , relatively large blades give lawns a more textured appearance than the manicured appearance of bluegrass . Bluegrass lawns have ok , narrow-minded blade and are slenderly softer underfoot than the stiffer tall fescue grass . In suspicious areas , Kentucky bluegrass lawns become thin and patchy , unlike magniloquent fescue lawns . improbable fescue lawn also continue green longer during dry seasons .
Traffic
Because their vane are more firm than the finely textured bluegrass blades , fescue lawns hold up well against children , pets and regular foot dealings . Bluegrass lawns do not usually brook big , unvarying use . However , Kentucky Bluegrass Country spreads through rhizomes and filling in temporarily damaged areas faster than magniloquent fescue grass . Both grass types are worthy for average backyard use .
Water Needs
Tall fescue grass ’s roots get close to 15 inches deep , more than twice the 5- to 6 - inch profundity of Kentucky bluegrass tooth root . Pam Sherratt , from Ohio State University Extension , pen , " This allows the grass to access water at depth Kentucky bluegrass ca n’t reach , stay on green during red-hot summers long after Kentucky blue grass run dormant . " Carl Wilson , of Colorado State University Extension , stated that magniloquent meadow fescue lawns command about half the body of water that Kentucky bluegrass lawns need .
Maintenance
Although most lawns make thatch , the horizontal rootstock of bluegrass build thatch more quickly than tall Festuca elatior and expect de - thatching more often . Thatch duncish than 1/2 in provides cover for insect , encourage root - destroy white grubs and may even become aquaphobic .
Although tall fescue does not create thatched roof as rapidly as Kentucky bluegrass , it does have problems recover from scathe . Tall fescue lawns become clumpy and scratchy after summertime drouth or other environmental stresses . Kentucky bluegrass circularise into damaged areas . In contrast , marvelous meadow fescue lawns remain uneven and often postulate reseeding .
Kentucky bluegrass , due to its higher fertilizer and water supply needs , take somewhat more frequent mowing than marvelous fescue . The University of Missouri suggests keep Kentucky bluegrass 2 to 3 inches tall , or so 1 column inch short than tall fescue ’s recommended height .
Diseases and Pests
Both tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are vulnerable to insect damage , but tall fescue grass contains plant - dwelling beneficial fungi , or endophytes , that increase the greensward ’s opposition to dirt ball . However , marvellous fescue grass is vulnerable to brown patch , a fungous disease .
References
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