KBG going to seed

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: KBG going to seed

Post by MorpheusPA » June 4th, 2020, 12:05 pm

Mine's nuts this year, too. Seed heads everywhere, with near-normal rainfall (a bit on the trim side, but nothing unusual). The three factors that changed were an unbelievably mild winter with barely any cold weather, slightly less air pollution from the Coronavirus impact of less travel, and lower May temperatures on average from some oddball weather we had, including record low temperatures in mid-May.
Production is slowing now that June weather is taking over and temperatures are rising into the eighties, but for a while there it looked like a wheat field for Munchkins.

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PSU4ME
Posts: 1147
Joined: November 29th, 2016, 9:29 am
Location: Metrowest MA
Grass Type: Front: Bewitched/Midnight/Everglade Back: Midnight/Diva/Everest
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: KBG going to seed

Post by PSU4ME » June 4th, 2020, 1:55 pm

MorpheusPA wrote:
June 4th, 2020, 12:05 pm
Mine's nuts this year, too. Seed heads everywhere, with near-normal rainfall (a bit on the trim side, but nothing unusual). The three factors that changed were an unbelievably mild winter with barely any cold weather, slightly less air pollution from the Coronavirus impact of less travel, and lower May temperatures on average from some oddball weather we had, including record low temperatures in mid-May.
Production is slowing now that June weather is taking over and temperatures are rising into the eighties, but for a while there it looked like a wheat field for Munchkins.
Good to see you old friend!

May to June is a big change for my grass now, seeing lots of heat stress despite me using irrigation.

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MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
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Level: Advanced

Re: KBG going to seed

Post by MorpheusPA » June 4th, 2020, 3:33 pm

(Waves!)

Mine's holding, but the weather, while warming, is still pretty wet. Seed head production has slowed radically.

bpgreen
Posts: 3871
Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

Re: KBG going to seed

Post by bpgreen » June 5th, 2020, 1:42 am

I've actually let grass go to seed and mature fully. But that was with blue grama, so it was thriving woke everything else wad dying or going dormant (I live in Utah and rarely water). I haven't seein that result in an explosion of new blue grama.

KBGkicksazz
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Location: S. New Hampshire
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Re: KBG going to seed

Post by KBGkicksazz » June 5th, 2020, 10:14 pm

My lawn looked great but then the seed head bonanza began and we’ve had very dry weather. On a well and got behind on watering due to project and hard to catch up.

These seed heads drive me crazy.


KBGkicksazz
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Location: S. New Hampshire
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Re: KBG going to seed

Post by KBGkicksazz » June 5th, 2020, 10:14 pm

My lawn looked great but then the seed head bonanza began and we’ve had very dry weather. On a well and got behind on watering due to project and hard to catch up.

These seed heads drive me crazy.

northeastlawn
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Joined: June 1st, 2015, 3:10 pm
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Re: KBG going to seed

Post by northeastlawn » June 5th, 2020, 10:27 pm

I caved and mowed one notch lower about 2 1/4"; I probably got 70% of the seed heads, lawn looks so much better. The end of June will be coming fast, I have two make sure I raise the HOC one notch a week at this point. I just gotta force myself to ignore any seed heads hiding lower than the HOC.

The lawn does look awfully good now; I forgot what the lawn was supposed to look like. It will be instructing what happens to all the stems that held seed heads after the seeding is finished. Do they just dry up and die or do they turn new blades of grass?

KBGkicksazz
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Re: KBG going to seed

Post by KBGkicksazz » June 7th, 2020, 5:19 am

northeastlawn wrote:
June 5th, 2020, 10:27 pm
I caved and mowed one notch lower about 2 1/4"; I probably got 70% of the seed heads, lawn looks so much better. The end of June will be coming fast, I have two make sure I raise the HOC one notch a week at this point. I just gotta force myself to ignore any seed heads hiding lower than the HOC.

The lawn does look awfully good now; I forgot what the lawn was supposed to look like. It will be instructing what happens to all the stems that held seed heads after the seeding is finished. Do they just dry up and die or do they turn new blades of grass?
I would have dropped the deck to clip off the heads but we have had very little rain for 3.5 weeks with no rain in near term forecast and mid 80s next week. Too risky to lower the HOC right now.

It looks terrible.

northeastlawn
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Re: KBG going to seed

Post by northeastlawn » June 7th, 2020, 8:36 am

[quote=KBGkicksazz post_id=340777 time=1591521559 user_id=8871]
I would have dropped the deck to clip off the heads but we have had very little rain for 3.5 weeks with no rain in near term forecast and mid 80s next week. Too risky to lower the HOC right now. It looks terrible.
[/quote]

I have the option to water it so I think it will catch up, but I have been watering 1/2" twice a week for 3 straight weeks now.

It has struck me how my KBG lawn just isn't growing like crazy. I have a mix of Bewitched, Blueberry, Midnight, and Proseprty. It seems to be spreading very good, and it looks healthy, but just not growing height wise and thats with BSF at 1/2 bag rate every over week.

This year has been a good year to just sit back and watch what it does seedhead wise and seeing how long it takes before it really starts to take off and grow. Im in June and not seeing that flush of growth, like i do in the PR in front

KBGkicksazz
Posts: 546
Joined: April 19th, 2018, 5:12 pm
Location: S. New Hampshire
Grass Type: KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Some Experience

Re: KBG going to seed

Post by KBGkicksazz » June 8th, 2020, 10:03 am

northeastlawn wrote:
June 7th, 2020, 8:36 am
KBGkicksazz wrote:
June 7th, 2020, 5:19 am
I would have dropped the deck to clip off the heads but we have had very little rain for 3.5 weeks with no rain in near term forecast and mid 80s next week. Too risky to lower the HOC right now. It looks terrible.
I have the option to water it so I think it will catch up, but I have been watering 1/2" twice a week for 3 straight weeks now.

It has struck me how my KBG lawn just isn't growing like crazy. I have a mix of Bewitched, Blueberry, Midnight, and Proseprty. It seems to be spreading very good, and it looks healthy, but just not growing height wise and thats with BSF at 1/2 bag rate every over week.

This year has been a good year to just sit back and watch what it does seedhead wise and seeing how long it takes before it really starts to take off and grow. Im in June and not seeing that flush of growth, like i do in the PR in front
I’ve got irrigation but watering this much on a lawn and not even in the 4-6 week hot period of summer I’m watering enough to keep it green but not lush.

If we get a down pour I’ll lower the deck to lop off the seed heads. Hopefully some showers later this week.

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