A member of the grass family (Poaceae), Kentucky bluegrass is a perennial cool-season grass and one of the world's most popular turfgrasses. It is native to Europe, North Asia and the mountains of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. The genus name is derived from the Greek word poa , a pasture grass. The species epithet, pratensis , means "inhabiting meadows." It needs full sun in the spring and fall but will require afternoon shade in hot southern summers. In the Piedmont, it is often combined with Tall fescue in turfgrass mixtures. It prefers fertile, well drained soils and is quick to recover from stress. It spreads by creeping rhizomes to form mats. The leaves are green, up to 18 inches long and mostly basal with a few stem leaves. The insignificant flowers appear from May to July. For more information, please refer to the NC State Extension TurfFiles entry for Kentucky Bluegrass . Refer to " Caring for Your Lawn and the Environment " for guidelines on fertilizing and mowing. Warm-season grasses are a better lawn choice for the Southeast USA. Turf grasses are high-maintenance, requiring water, fertilizer and mowing regularly. Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: Very prone to Summer Patch disease. Necrotic Ringspot, rusts, leafspot, Fusarium patch and powder mildew are some diseases to watch for. Pest includ Bluegrass billbug, sod webworm and European cranefly.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 4 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 0 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Sheath; Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Green linear leaf blades have boat-shaped tips and can grow up to 18 inches tall. Leaves are mostly basal with a few sheathed alternate leaves on the stem.
Flower color
Gray/Silver; Green; Purple/Lavender
Flower form
Panicle
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The panicle (cluster) is 2 to 8 inches long with spiklets at the branches containing 3 to 5 florets that are purplish-green or grey. Flowers May to July.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Fruit detail
Spikelets dry to tan and florets drop off leaving the glumes behind. Seeds a brown to golden.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems are upright to decumbent and round or slightly depressed.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Northern Hemisphere
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn
Design feature
Mass Planting
Garden tags
#cool season grass #turfgrass #lawn planting #weedy #full sun #herbaceous perennial #high maintenance #partial shade #summer flowers
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Wireworms in Turf; Green June Beetles in Turfgrass; Kentucky Bluegrass; Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass Home Lawn Calendar
Disease problems
Summer Patch in Turf; Gray Snow Mold in Turf
Other problems
Organic Lawn Care: A Guide to Organic Lawn Maintenance and Pest Management for North Carolina; 2022 Top Performing Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Fine Fescue Cultivars for North Carolina