Table 3. Effects of Kentucky bluegrass (KB) cultivar mixed with tall fescue at different mixture ratios (97:3, 95:5, and 90:10 TF:KB w/w) on sod strength and handling at three sod harvest timings [9, 10, and 12 months after planting (MAP)] combined across runs in Experiment 2.


Tall


fescue (%


weight) KB


Cultivara (5%


weight)


100% TF


a


97% TF 3% 97% TF 3% 97% TF 3% 95% TF 5% 95% TF 5% 95% TF 5% 90% TF 10% 90% TF 10% 90% TF 10% --


P-value Low


Armada Fullback Legend Armada Fullback Legend Armada Fullback Legend


Medium High Low


Medium High Low


Medium High --


Growth


Aggressiveness Classificationb


9 MAP 10 MAP 12 MAP


Required work to tear sod (N-m)


14.1 13.6 14.1 13.0 14.9 13.7 14.0 13.8 12.9 14.8 13.1 12.8 15.4 14.0 13.2 14.8 13.3 14.5 15.2 13.6 13.0 15.4 13.8 15.5 14.7 13.9 13.5 13.0 12.6 12.7


0.0700 0.8234 0.1820 9 MAP


270 ab 227 b


267 ab 272 ab 313 a


273 ab 295 a 290 a


275 ab 230 b


0.0487 10 MAP


240 267 240 228 262 246 260 245 246 226


0.8893 12 MAP


Maximum tensile load to tear sod (N)


270 ab 267 ab 224 bc 205 c


232 bc


252 abc


213 c 292 a


238 abc


223 bc 0.0367 9 MAP 10 MAP


Sod handling (1-5) 2.9


2.6 3.1 3.4 3.3 3.0 3.4 3.3 3.1 2.8


0.2497


2.8 3.3 3.3 2.6 3.3 3.0 3.4 3.3 3.0 2.9


0.2755 12 MAP


3.3 3.4 2.8 3.3 3.5 3.8 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.0


0.3279


KB cultivars were included in the sod mixture seeding ratios of 97:3, 95:5, and 90:10 (w/w, TF:KB). Tall fescue was ‘Avenger 3’ + Blackwatch 2’ + ‘Maestro’ at even proportion (TF blend of 33.3% each, by weight) to


account for % weight of the TF in the TF:KB mixtures and 100% TF treatment. b


Growth aggressiveness classifications of “high,” “medium,” and “low” were assigned based on communication with seed companies (G. Munshaw, personal communication, 2022; L. Brilman, personal communication, 2022). Note. All plots were seeded at a seed mixture rate of 2 pure live seed cm-2


. TF = tall fescue, KB = Kentucky


bluegrass. Means within each column with a common letter or no letters are not significantly different according to Fisher’s LSD test ( = .05).


Final Conclusions


In summary, mixtures of tall fescue:Kentucky bluegrass sod produced high-quality sod in Kansas when harvested at 9, 10, and 12 months after planting. Kentucky bluegrass can be included at 3 to 10 percent (weight) in sod mixtures with tall fescue. While we observed slightly higher numerical values for sod strength when Kentucky bluegrass was included at a higher percentage in the mixture, these differences were not consistent enough to be statistically significant. Experiment 1 concluded that a 95:5 TF:KBG sod mixture provided similar establishment speed and sod strength to 100 percent TF sod, regardless of the specific KB cultivar or its growth aggressiveness label.


Experiment 2 revealed that increasing KBG inclusion from 3 percent to 10 percent by weight might slightly reduce establishment speed because of more KBG included. While there were some numerical benefits in maximum tensile load for sod mixtures containing KBG, particularly at 10 percent inclusion, the overall differences in sod strength and handling across various mixture ratios and KBG cultivars were minimal. Te study further supported the notion that current KBG classification and aggressiveness labels are not reliable predictors of sod strength when mixed with TF. Overall, for sod producers in Kansas and similar climates, incorporating Kentucky bluegrass at 3 percent to 10 percent by weight with tall fescue consistently yields high-quality sod with minimal impact on establishment speed or final sod strength, regardless of the specific Kentucky bluegrass cultivar(s) or its aggressive growth classification.


TPI Turf News September/October 2025 35


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