Northern GA K31 Summer Mow Height?

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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ultravista
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Grass Type: Fescue
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Northern GA K31 Summer Mow Height?

Post by ultravista » May 24th, 2023, 9:31 am

Atlanta, GA

I have a backyard of K31 - the area gets a decent amount of sun, enough for the grass to grow well and a lot of rain. The grass does not need watering, the rain keeps the yard well watered. Enough that I have occasional mushrooms growing around the yard, not many, only a few. Big caps, 4-5 inches in diameter.

The grass was planted in late September. It is growing well and producing thick blades. I feed it occasionally with Milorganite.

From what read about Fescue, for my area (Atlanta, GA), I should keep the grass as tall as possible to provide shade the roots and 'preserve water' My lawn maintenance guy says 4-5 inches is preferred.

Considering my lawn stays moist, I am concerned that keeping it tall may be harmful and affect air flow. I presume that a shorter cut lawn improves air flow also reduces the potential development of fungus. A shorter length should help daytime heat evaporate some of the moisture.

Given the above, I am looking for recommendations on mow height and ?? to keep the K31 healthy during the summer.

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turf_toes
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Grass Type: 77% Blueberry/23% Midnight Star KBG in front. Bewitched KBG monostand in back.
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Re: Northern GA K31 Summer Mow Height?

Post by turf_toes » May 24th, 2023, 11:47 am

Your conditions are unique to you.

My experience is you’ll need to do this via trial and error. There are few answers that are universal to every situation.

Generally cool season grasses do better at higher heights. But Tall Fescue is prone to Brown Patch in summer months.

My understanding is KY31 tends to be more resistant to brown patch though (I’ve not grown it so take that with a grain of salt.

My best advice is watch and respond to local conditions.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Northern GA K31 Summer Mow Height?

Post by MorpheusPA » May 25th, 2023, 1:07 pm

Yeah, play it by ear. However, yes, Kentucky-31 is pretty bulletproof, so short, tall, it should do pretty well. If you like 4" tall, great. It'll tolerate periods of drought extremely well; water it when it starts to turn gray. It really only requires 2-3 pounds of nitrogen per year, maximum.

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oze
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Re: Northern GA K31 Summer Mow Height?

Post by oze » September 20th, 2023, 10:26 am

Got any pictures of your lawn? I've fought K31 patches on and off my whole life, and am curious as to what a uniform turf stand of it would look like.

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