Below that are our picks for your state which will do best in your area. Buffalograss and blue grama should only be used in area of low rainfall in Montana or they will get out competed by cool season grasses.īelow is the USDA Zone Map for Montana so you can determine which zone you reside in. These fine-bladed grasses are very drought tolerant, but they green up several weeks later than the cool-season varieties listed above, and they go dormant after the first hard frost. Two warm-season grasses: Buffalo and Blue Grama, do well in many areas of Wyoming featuring lower altitudes and hot, dry summers. Unmowed it will attain a height of 12 - 14 inches and thin out or die after a few years. A blend of several of the fine fescues is sometimes marketed under such names as "No-Mow" or "Carefree." Contrary to the name this turf should be mowed every several weeks to maintain a dense stand of grass. The other fine fescues sheeps, hard, and chewings are strictly bunch grasses. Red fescue is the most widely used of the fine fescues since it is the only one that spreads by rhizomes although not very aggressively. However, it is less wear tolerant than most other cool-season turfs. Fine fescues also require less fertilizer and irrigation than most other cool-season turfs. Consequently fine fescues are popular in shade seed mixtures with other turfgrass, especially Kentucky bluegrass. It should not be used alone in Montana and should not exceed about 20% of a grass seed mixture.įine fescues - This is the most shade tolerant of the cool-season turfgrasses. Perennial ryegrass is useful in mixtures with Kentucky bluegrass to control erosion until the Kentucky bluegrass can get established. Its attributes are a very rapid establishment rate, nice medium leaf texture, good color, and high wear resistance. It is also a shorter lived perennial in our climate thus it should be overseeded every few years if planted in a monostand. Perennial ryegrass - This turf is a bunch-type turf that does not have the ability to spread like Kentucky bluegrass. It is best to blend three or four different Kentucky bluegrass cultivars together to maximize the desirable traits of each and to mask any undesirable traits. There are hundreds of different cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass to choose from, some being selected for more shade tolerance, ability to take a lower mowing height, more disease or drought tolerance, and preferred texture or color of the leaf. Its attributes are a nice medium leaf texture, dark green color, aggressive spreading growth habit, and pretty good tolerance to most environmental conditions except shade. Kentucky bluegrass - This is the most popular turfgrass of all cool-season grasses in the upper Midwest region. Grasses used in Montana generally consist of bluegrass or bluegrass mixtures.
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