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lawn_hobby

For tiemco: thick bluegrass

Lawn_Hobby
11 years ago

tiemco,

I have owed you this photo for a while. This is the thick bluegrass I've spoken of in the past.

Before anyone labels this tall fescue, or orchardgrass, or anything other than bluegrass: I want to say it is definitely bluegrass, though it might be hard to tell from the photo. Note the midrib. Note the new blades on the right, which are folded in the bud. I assume it's a type of KBG, and not Texas or another type of bluegrass, though I can't be sure, as I'm not an expert.

I have never seen KBG with blades this thick. This grass is in my own lawn, and has been for years.

The color in the photo is accurate.

Comments (14)

  • suesheldon
    11 years ago

    This has nothing to do with whether or not the specimen in your picture is KBG, but as someone who works in the Salon industry...your manicure is excellent! Kudos to whoever does your nails :)

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    lawnlady,

    I figured someone might comment on something off-topic like that. I just cut my fingernails this morning. Like cutting the grass, cutting nails is key to feeling good, I'm convinced. I'm kind of a perfectionist about cutting things so they come out even. I'm a pretty young guy, compared probably to most on this board, so hopefully the women I hang out with appreciate such things.

    Thanks for the comment; it made me smile because I spend a fair amount of time on this stuff when I do it once a week. I don't really enjoy it, but I have to do it anyway, so why not make it good while I'm at it?

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    btw, the blade width is around 1/4 inch, give or take. Some are wider, some narrower. it's bluegrass...it has the boat-shaped tip, it doesn't grow in bunches, and it definitely spreads. And you easily can see it's suffering from bluegrass-prone diseases from all the rain lately.

    Curiously, it's always been a dark blue-green color. it greens up very late in the spring/early summer.

    Hopefully these clues help as to what type of bluegrass it is. And no, I'm not quizzing anyone. I honestly have no idea what sub-species or cultivar it might be...or if I have something unique here that researchers might be interested in.

  • tiemco
    11 years ago

    It's not KBG, sorry to burst your bubble. KBG does not have veins other than the midrib, and that grass clearly has veins on either side of the midrib. There are several grassy weed identifiers on the web that will help you narrow the possibilities down.

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    "It's not KBG, sorry to burst your bubble. KBG does not have veins other than the midrib, and that grass clearly has veins on either side of the midrib."

    tiemco,

    Thought you might bring that up. But here's the thing: we both know that photos can be misleading sometimes. I wish I could show you the real thing.

    I checked: http://extension.usu.edu/range/grasses/kentuckybluegrass.htm

    And so far, it agrees. It appears the camera (high resolution) picked them up for some reason more than I could see with my eye.

    Also, there is no roughness to the blades at all. They are smooth.

    Here's the thing: You and I both know that KBG actually does have 2 veins on either side of the midvein, as well as many smaller vein-like structures lateral to those...of course, you're right...ordinarily, you can't see them.

    "Mostly basal, nearly glabrous; blades V-shaped, narrow, 1 to 7 inches long, with boat-shaped tips and two prominent veins along the center of the upper suface of the leaf which appear as miniature railroad tracks; leaves folded in bud; ligules short, membranous, collars-shaped; auricles absent." source:

    I still think this could be a type of bluegrass. Maybe not Kentucky though; I don't know. I will try to get more illustrative pictures tomorrow after the rain stops.

    And as you can see, there are no auricles.

    Again, I really think this isn't a great photo...the way the camera rendered the light reflecting off the leaf surface, making it look different. I've had turf pro tell me it was bluegrass, too, though he also admitted he didn't have his glasses to carefully inspect the blades.

    Everything else I'm seeing first-hand points to a potential bluegrass species of some sort.

    I still can't consider this case closed yet...I'm going to get more pictures as soon as it's dry out. I'll post them here. I swear this isn't likely a grassy weed, but a turfgrass, or some sort of grass. Hopefully the next round of pictures will be good enough that you can determine it for sure. I apologize for the confusing photo.

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    btw, is there any special photo you'd like me to take? I can pull up a plant and photograph it. I can try to get leaf detail. Anything else?

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    And one other thing...could it maybe be Poa compressa?

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    ...this says it's common in CT...
    http://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/poa/compressa/
    ...And the photos look similar to what I saw.

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Oh boy...if it is Poa compressa, that stuff is on the invasive plant list for CT.

  • tiemco
    11 years ago

    OK, I thought you meant it was KBG, my mistake. I guess it could be Poa compressa, although I don't really see the need to ID it. In my experience there are two types of plants in my lawn, those I want, and those I don't. This one appears to be one I don't, not sure how you feel about it. If it is poa compressa most herbicides aren't going to touch it except for round up. Probably the best way to ID it is to let it go to seed, then use the ID keys to compare seedheads.

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Well, I posted originally because you were interested in seeing it last spring, but I couldn't get a decent shot then because it wasn't growing too much until May or June, and then it took a while for the blades to thicken again. (I don't know how long the blades last on this species.)

    And then I've been trying to ID every grass and weed I see lately, so I figured I'd try this one, too. The grass has been here for many years, but there is far less of it now than there once was. It has almost a thin, but stiff cellophane type of glossy feel to it. Not dissimilar from KBG in most ways, other than the color of it, which is more blue than green. I seem to remember it going to seed very readily back in the spring when all the grasses were going to seed like crazy this year.

    Strange..if it is Poa compressa, I wonder how it got in. It definitely spreads, but not too fast. It doesn't bother me though...similar to the thick tall fescues that some people can't stand but that don't bother me as long as they aren't the predominate species in the lawn.

    I notice some companies actually sell seed of this species...Pawnee Buttes has seed from Jacklin of this type...though I'm pretty sure it's now banned here in CT.

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    tiemco,

    Guess what? I checked the stem today...and it's indeed flat!

    Poa compressa it is.

  • tiemco
    11 years ago

    Neat. Just keep it away from my lawn.

  • Lawn_Hobby
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    No worries, tiemco.

    If anyone is interested in learning more about Canada bluegrass, here are some links with basic info and photos:

    Photo:
    http://www.florafinder.com/LargePhotos/D4/Poa_compressa-B2EE530CE4.jpg

    Links:
    http://redbuttecanyon.net/riparian/p_compressa.html
    http://gsr.lib.msu.edu/1920s/1923/230114.pdf