By Andrew Hollman and Kristine Moncada
We often get questions about which grass to buy for a home lawn. There are several different options for cool-season turfgrasses grown in Minnesota; which you choose will depend on your site, how you use your lawn, how much maintenance you want to do, and maybe even aesthetics.
If you’re a person who likes to do side-by-side comparisons, we have just the thing! We recently planted four demonstration plots on the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair to show some different grass options for Minnesota lawns. Fairgoers can visit these plots located outside of the southeast hall of the Agriculture Horticulture building during the fair, as well as our booth in the southwest hall where our team will be during the fair to answer your questions in person (Figure 1).
Demonstration plots
Our fair demonstration plots (Figure 2) have four recommended options for Minnesota lawns that include fine fescues, bee lawn, tall fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass. Here is an overview of these cool-season grasses.
Fine fescue mixture
Fine fescues, shown in Figure 2 (Plot 1), are considered low-input species. Traits of the fine fescues include:
- Drought, shade, and salt tolerance
- Lower maintenance with less mowing, watering, and fertilizing
The mixture planted in our demo contains ‘Boreal’ creeping red fescue, ‘Intrigue’ Chewings fescue, ’Gladiator’ hard fescue, and ‘Blue Mesa’ sheep fescue.
To learn more about fine fescues, please visit Planting and maintaining a fine fescue lawn from University of Minnesota Extension.
Bee lawn mixture
A bee lawn (Figure 2, Plot 2) is a mix of turfgrasses with non-grassy flowering plants. Traits of a bee lawn include:
- Flowers that provide food for pollinators
- Lower maintenance due to the fine fescues in the mix
The mixture planted in our demo contains a mix of fine fescues, white clover, self-heal, and creeping thyme.
To learn more about bee lawns, please visit Planting and maintaining a bee lawn from University of Minnesota Extension.
Tall fescue blend
Turf-type tall fescues (Figure 2, Plot 3) are another type of low-input turfgrass. Traits of tall fescue include:
- Drought and heat tolerance due to its deep roots
- Lower maintenance
- Traffic tolerance
The blend planted in our demo contains tall fescue cultivars ‘Avenger 2’, ‘Firenza II’, and ‘Spyder 2LS’.
In case you were wondering, a seed blend is a mix of different cultivars of the same species, while a seed mixture is a mix of different species. A blend will generally be more homogenous in color and texture than a mixture.
Read more about tall fescue in the Planting a tall fescue lawn publication.
Kentucky bluegrass blend
Kentucky bluegrass (Figure 2, Plot 4) is the most commonly found turfgrass in lawns in Minnesota. Traits of Kentucky bluegrass include:
- Higher maintenance with more mowing, watering, and fertilizing
- Traffic tolerance
The blend planted in our demo contains Kentucky bluegrass cultivars ‘Blue Note’, ‘Legend’, and ‘Bolt’.
How the plots were established
These plots were established using a method called dormant seeding, which means seeding after the growing season is over in late fall or early winter when soil temperatures drop below 40 degrees F so that the seed germinates the next spring. At this site the existing vegetation was removed before the seed was spread and covered with a germination blanket (Figure 3). To learn more about seeding lawns, please visit Dormant seeding or Seeding and sodding home lawns from University of Minnesota Extension.
Reducing Water Use on Twin Cities Lawns through Research, Education, and Outreach project
The University of Minnesota Turfgrass Team has worked for several years with the Metropolitan Council to promote lawn water efficiency. Our participation at the State Fair is sponsored by the Metropolitan Council through this project. To learn about our efforts on best lawn watering practices and smart irrigation controllers, please visit the UMN Turfgrass Science's Irrigation Resources and the Metropolitan Council's Reducing water use on Twin Cities lawns project page.
