There’s been some interest in the new low-mow varieties of Kentucky bluegrass for fairways in IN. In response to this, we initiated a research study in August of 2002 where we established a blend of top-performing low-mow Kentucky bluegrasses on Purdue’s Ackerman Course and at our Daniel Research Center. Our objective was two-fold: to see if Kentucky bluegrass would perform for IN fairways and if so; what level of maintenance would be required to produce a given level of expected performance. We have a wide variety of maintenance regimes including mowing heights from 0.5 to 1.0”, from 2 to 6 lbs N/1000ft2/yr, and Poa annua control ranging from very little to extreme. We are currently 18 months after establishment and we are already seeing dramatic results. Only the very high maintenance regimes have less than 10% Poa annua infestation (photo), while some of the low maintenance regimes have 50% or more Poa infestation (photo). This study is only in its infancy and will last for another four years, so stay tuned for more results.
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