Growth of Bella Bluegrass Compared to a Standard KBG Blend and Tall Fescue

Abstract

A goal of low-input turfgrass is to reduce mowing, thereby reducing labor, fuel, and equipment expenses. A way to meet this goal is to develop grasses that grow slower. ‘Bella’ Kentucky bluegrass was released by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as slow-growing variety of bluegrass. his experiment documents slightly to signiicantly slower growth of ‘Bella’ compared to a traditional Kentucky bluegrass sod blend and tall fescue grown in the Intermountain West region of North America. Consumers frequently seek grasses that need less mowing and fertilizer (Busey and Parker, 1992). Although turfgrasses recover from traic by growing, many uses don’t need fast growth due to minimal traic. With this in mind, ‘Bella’ Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) was released by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a slower growing variety compared to other bluegrasses (Shearman, 2010). his study was conducted to further test if Bella bluegrass grows slower than a standard blend of bluegrass and a tall fescue variety at two mowing heights and three fertilization rates in northern Utah.