Bluegrass (Poa) is a herbaceous perennial that belongs to the Cereal family. It tolerates cold temperatures well, can safely withstand frosts, therefore it is widespread in regions with a temperate climate. The plant is distinguished by its endurance and unpretentiousness. Bluegrass is used to feed livestock and looks great on lawns. It is popular both in Russia and in Western Europe, on the American and Australian continents.
Description of the plant
Bluegrass has a short main root with adventitious processes. Due to this, perennial shoots actively grow in a horizontal direction and form a dense green carpet. The grass grows in height from 30 cm to 90 cm. Elastic stems grow in a vertical direction and easily regains its shape after being pressed. Bluegrass is soft to the touch. This lawn is very comfortable for relaxation and is popular with fans of picnics. The grain begins active growth in early spring, when the snow melts, and can easily adapt to soils with a wide variety of compositions.
Leaves with longitudinal veins grow upward, and are collected in a basal rosette and in some places grow along the stem. The width of a linear sheet plate is not more than 0.5 cm.
The culture blooms in the second or third year after planting in open ground. This occurs in early May and forms new flowers until July. Inflorescences in the form of a soft panicle grow up to 20 cm. From 3 to 5 spikelets consist of oblong grains in hard scales 3-6 mm in size. Their color ranges from yellow to purple.
Types and varieties of bluegrass with a photo
More than 500 varieties of this cereal crop are at the disposal of gardeners. There are several of the most popular types of bluegrass, which are most commonly included in landscaping mixes.
Meadow bluegrass (Poa pratensis)
This species has a developed root system with a vertical rounded stem. With the help of root branches, the cereal grows rather quickly and forms an extensive loose turf. Popular with landscape designers as an affordable and long-lasting lawn grass.
Common bluegrass (Poa trivialis)
Perennial is widespread on the territory of flooded meadows, grows on chernozem soils near water bodies. This variety is rather large. There are grasses over 1 m in height. A plant with a short root and a straight stem, covered with pale green and grayish leaves. Their width reaches 6 cm. From June to July, flowers appear - spreading panicles, whose length is about 20 cm. Small thorns are located on the dense scales covering the spikelet.
Steppe bluegrass (Poa stepposa)
The dense grass carpet consists of stems from 20 cm to 0.5 m high. Numerous leaves are folded. They reach about 1 mm in width. From June, the tops of the stems are covered with flowering panicles no more than 10 cm long. Olive spikelets are located on short twigs.
Narrow-leaved bluegrass (Poa angustifolia)
This variety has an external resemblance to the meadow bluegrass. Perennial grows well in arid regions of steppes and meadows. This is a plant with dense, linear leaves. Their width is 1-2 mm. When flowering time comes, fluffy panicles open on the rough shoots.
Bulbous bluegrass (Poa bulbosa)
Soft sod consists of stems 10-30 cm thick. Dense rosettes with short, narrow leaves rise from the surface of the soil, which are almost absent on the rest of the plant. A small panicle about 7 cm long appears on a thin stem. In the process of ripening, green and lilac spikelets turn into bulbs. Seeds spread over a large area and can quickly take root, therefore this variety of bluegrass is called "viviparous".
Annual bluegrass (Poa annua)
The life cycle of the annual bluegrass does not exceed 1-2 years. It is found on sands, pebbled soils and on the side of the road. The shoots are slightly adherent to the soil and reach a height of 5 to 35 cm. The rosette at the base of the stem consists of soft narrow leaves. From May to September, the spikelets continue to bloom and ripen. They are covered with hard scales and long villi. A small number of spikelets form a loose panicle.
Marsh bluegrass (Poa palustris)
This crop grows in length from 15 to 80 cm and prefers forest edges with moist soils. Shoots are composed of thin, pale green leaves that grow densely at the very base of the plant. They are no more than 3 mm wide. During the flowering period, paniculate spikelets with golden scales reach 20 cm.
Planting and growing
For planting and growing meadow bluegrass, the seed method is used. During preparation, you need to determine the germination of the seed. For this purpose, pre-germination of seeds is carried out in a container filled with wet sawdust. The container should be located in a well-lit place where the temperature is maintained at about 20 ° C. After the emergence of seedlings, they are counted and the ratio of germinated seeds to the total number of tested ones is calculated. This makes it easy to calculate a more accurate seed volume for sowing.
Sowing begins in August to create favorable conditions for young shoots to develop. By the beginning of spring, seedlings become stronger. They can easily withstand temperature extremes.
Before sowing, the soil is prepared. The soil is dug up to 15 cm deep and leveled, cleaned of weeds and pebbles. You should get a soil of a uniform consistency. The optimal conditions for growing meadow bluegrass are fertile loams with neutral acidity or alkaline sandy loam soils. If the soil is heavy, it is supplemented with sand and lime. The land should not be saline.
The seed must be soaked for a day. The water should be warm. One hundred square meters of lawn require up to 2.5 kg. After sowing, the first feeding should be done using mineral complexes that are rich in nitrogen and potassium. The entire period, until the first shoots appear, the earth must be regularly moistened.
Bluegrass care
Throughout the first year, bluegrass requires special care. The lawn must not be allowed to dry out. Watering should be done every few days, and in dry weather - every day. It is recommended to cultivate the soil by sprinkling. It is necessary to control that the formed sod layer is uniform.
For lawns with meadow bluegrass, it is advisable to choose open, well-lit lawns. Creeping roots actively fill ungrown areas on the lawn, forming a dense green carpet. In shaded areas, plants begin to slow down, resulting in a looser sod. It is possible to stimulate the development of perennials with the help of nitrogen fertilizers.
The lawn will have an even grass cover and a more attractive appearance if it is cut in a timely manner. This procedure must be performed at least 2-4 times during the month.In this case, the height of the stems must be left at least 5-8 cm. This cereal crop is characterized by a high growth rate, due to which, after mowing the lawn, a very active restoration of the grass cover of the green area occurs.
Meadow bluegrass in landscape design is especially appreciated for the fact that even after picnics and outdoor activities in the sown glades, it quickly returns to its shape and actively grows in areas of bald patches. Such a lawn cannot be damaged by playing football, cycling or riding a car. After a short period of time, the lawn will regain its attractiveness and freshness.
Gardeners actively use this cereal crop, because it is particularly resistant to many diseases and pests, from which other types of herbs often suffer. Growing in areas with flooded soils, bluegrass stems are not susceptible to diseases caused by fungi.
Meadow bluegrass looks great on home gardens, ornamental lawns and lawns in combination with other types of plants. Since it is a relatively aggressive cereal crop, you need to carefully select the herbs and flowers next to which the bluegrass will plant.
