# Kbg mix vs mono



## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

I am looking at buying seed for my front yard approximately 1000 sq ft. I am looking at seed superstore and am interested in a blend for my first attempt. I'm looking at Mazama for its shade tolerance, although my lot is not shaded, we have a lot of cloudy days. My second choice is NuGlade, as it seems to be the highest rated bluegrass on the site. Third choice is prosperity for its dark coloring.

Am I on somewhat of the right track with this? Or should I really be considering a mono stand? My thought is with different cultivars, they will help balance each other out and give me more of a buffer if something gets out of line. Would a 50/50 mix be better? 80/20? Any cultivars I should be looking at for western wa where it rains from October until July?

Any help would be greatly appreciated


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@Deke Most elite KBG cultivars share almost identical DNA. There 10-15 cultivars coming from the original Midnight (NuGlade is one of them) and they are even closer in DNA. The further you diversify (KBG in a family, KBG different family, different grass type) the more your lawn will be able to take hits and will repair/survive better, but it will look less homogeneous (to a certain extent). Grow habits/pace, color are some of the things that will make your lawn less 'golf course' looking. Based on what you are trying to achieve and what effort you are ready to commit to, you have make a reasonable choice ans strike for the best balance for you.


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## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

gergelybg said:


> @Deke Most elite KBG cultivars share almost identical DNA. There 10-15 cultivars coming from the original Midnight (NuGlade is one of them) and they are even closer in DNA. The further you diversify (KBG in a family, KBG different family, different grass type) the more your lawn will be able to take hits and will repair/survive better, but it will look less homogeneous (to a certain extent). Grow habits/pace, color are some of the things that will make your lawn less 'golf course' looking. Based on what you are trying to achieve and what effort you are ready to commit to, you have make a reasonable choice ans strike for the best balance for you.


That's a hard question to answer. Right now I spend anywhere from a half hour to an hour per day in my front yard, whether that's just messing around with stuff or mowing. It is only a thousand sq ft so it doesn't demand a lot of time. What I don't want to happen is I put in a big mix of say 4 different grasses and then in the next year or two decide I want to go bigger and end up doing it all over again. That is what bugs me about my yard now, patchy looking grass that is different in growth habits and color and blade width. Will the different kbg have different enough growth to be noticable


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

Deke said:


> gergelybg said:
> 
> 
> > @Deke Most elite KBG cultivars share almost identical DNA. There 10-15 cultivars coming from the original Midnight (NuGlade is one of them) and they are even closer in DNA. The further you diversify (KBG in a family, KBG different family, different grass type) the more your lawn will be able to take hits and will repair/survive better, but it will look less homogeneous (to a certain extent). Grow habits/pace, color are some of the things that will make your lawn less 'golf course' looking. Based on what you are trying to achieve and what effort you are ready to commit to, you have make a reasonable choice ans strike for the best balance for you.
> ...


Then it sounds like you have your answer, go mono. If it dies to fungus or thins out, overseed other varieties next year.


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## seiyafan (Apr 3, 2019)

Most important factors to consider for a mix are color and growth rate. Uniformity is the key to a good-looking lawn.


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@Deke It is a bit confusing. You spend an hour on 1000sqf but you don't want to mess around? I guess you have to decide for your self. Beautiful and homogenous lawn is a journey, an hour a day minimum. And as @FuzzeWuzze said you can go with the perfect look, but you have to be ready to start over...over and over again. I've written in a different post, that the biggest deception and complains are when people don't know what to expect from a specific product or seed. You want to go mono? You will babysit this thing. This is what golf courses do. You want to set it and forget, seed K31 and don't look back...ever (cause it looks like a pastry, which is...). Or anywhere in between. We are all here to find the right answer, but this last call should come from you.


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## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

gergelybg said:


> @Deke It is a bit confusing. You spend an hour on 1000sqf but you don't want to mess around? I guess you have to decide for your self. Beautiful and homogenous lawn is a journey, an hour a day minimum. And as @FuzzeWuzze said you can go with the perfect look, but you have to be ready to start over...over and over again. I've written in a different post, that the biggest deception and complains are when people don't know what to expect from a specific product or seed. You want to go mono? You will babysit this thing. This is what golf courses do. You want to set it and forget, seed K31 and don't look back...ever (cause it looks like a pastry, which is...). Or anywhere in between. We are all here to find the right answer, but this last call should come from you.


I think you misunderstood my use of messing around, or I misunderstood you. I really enjoy my time in the yard, look forward to it everyday. Most weekends I'm out in the yard from 6 until 10 when wife and kids wake up, then back out around nap time until I get called in. My biggest concern with a mono is getting in way over my head, since this is my first time trying to grow turf quality grass. That's why I was questioning going with a mix.


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@Deke I understand. IMO you can go with a mix you mentioned at the beginning, at equal rates. You are not going to be disappointed. 
M


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

gergelybg said:


> You want to go mono? You will babysit this thing. This is what golf courses do.


Not sure I agree with this.

I have a mono on the front/side yard and a mix of kbg+tttf in the backyard and I do not treat the mono any more or less than the backyard. If you have the basic cultural practices down (mowing, watering, fertilizing, etc) you can maintain a monostand just as well as a mix. Both are on cruise control right now. :thumbup:

Sorry not making it easier to the OP. :lol:


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

ericgautier said:


> gergelybg said:
> 
> 
> > You want to go mono? You will babysit this thing. This is what golf courses do.
> ...


Plus 1 to this. A monostand really isn't all that much different than growing a lawn with several cultivar. The thought that your stepping on pins waiting for a fungus to wipe out your stand isn't reality. OP if you want a lawn that looks the most uniform with one single colour and growth habit go for the monostand. You won't be disappointed.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> ericgautier said:
> 
> 
> > gergelybg said:
> ...


^ +2


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

ericgautier said:


> gergelybg said:
> 
> 
> > You want to go mono? You will babysit this thing. This is what golf courses do.
> ...


I would say that a mono might be slightly easier than a mixture if you have your basic practices down. I only say that because each grass strain (within reason) has an ideal mowing range, and growth rate.

My KBG mix has some cultivars that grow faster/slower than others, some that like certain mowing heights than others, so you need to compromise. The grasses that grow faster get more than 1/3 mowed at a time (more like 1/2) so I can cut it shorter to get the darker color of some of the slower growers in my variety.

I think the faster grower in my mix is likely the Jackpot KBG since it is a faster germinating grass, and greens up quicker in the spring.


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@SNOWBOB11 @ericgautier You guys together have over 3500 postings here. This is the only thing I can use to demonstrate your skill level. What for you is simple, turns to be impossible for learners. If mono stand was equally easy to a mix, nobody would sell mixes. The reality is nobody, but specialized places sell mono. And sell tons of this crap. And with a reason, and cost is not the main one.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

gergelybg said:


> @SNOWBOB11 @ericgautier You guys together have over 3500 postings here. This is the only thing I can use to demonstrate your skill level. What for you is simple, turns to be impossible for learners. If mono stand was equally easy to a mix, nobody would sell mixes. The reality is nobody, but specialized places sell mono. And sell tons of this crap. And with a reason, and cost is not the main one.


most people just want something green and don't care about things like uniformity, etc.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

@gergelybg I've read several of your posts since you joined and have commented in a few. I think you have done research on several topics in lawn care but I have a slight issue with some of the posts you have made as I feel you have given out some incorrect advice to some members. I am TRULY hoping this does not start a issue in this thread but I feel I needed to say something. I could be wrong but from what I have read you haven't necessarily tried all or many of the things you have posted advice about. There can be a difference in reading some things and how things are when you actually try them in lawn care. I hope you don't feel in any way upset about what I have posted here. I think you are a asset to this forum but I would suggest being mindful of what you reply to others because you just might make someone make a choice they regret because of your advice.


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@SNOWBOB11 I am glad you bring this up. Honesty is for me, probably the most respected human quality. And being so, If I have never given an opinion about something, that I did not experience. I have certainly used 'IMO' or my 2 cents otherwise. Hopefully people distinguish a professional advice vs opinion on a matter. I am also very very willing to be faced and corrected if wrong. Please do so next time. I may have entered this forum not long ago, but I have been failing with my lawn care for more than 15 years now...and keep learning. All I advised about, was and is a personal experience I had. I am curious, how did you learn? By doing or by reading? Or maybe both. I guess by saying I have read something and share and it is wrong for you, means the person that said it is wrong, not me . I fully believe in a hands-on experience, but it is a bit bullish to rely 100% on that. We would have been in the stone age yet...

Cheers mate,
Milen


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

gergelybg said:


> @SNOWBOB11 I am glad you bring this up. Honesty is for me, probably the most respected human quality. And being so, If I have never given an opinion about something, that I did not experience. I have certainly used 'IMO' or my 2 cents otherwise. Hopefully people distinguish a professional advice vs opinion on a matter. I am also very very willing to be faced and corrected if wrong. Please do so next time. I may have entered this forum not long ago, but I have been failing with my lawn care for more than 15 years now...and keep learning. All I advised about, was and is a personal experience I had. I am curious, how did you learn? By doing or by reading? Or maybe both. I guess by saying I have read something and share and it is wrong for you, means the person that said it is wrong, not me . I fully believe in a hands-on experience, but it is a bit bullish to rely 100% on that. We would have been in the stone age yet...
> 
> Cheers mate,
> Milen


Thank you for not taking offence to what I wrote as I never intended for it to be disrespectful. My best advice to you would be to keep doing what you are doing by reading the forum and other resources to continue your path toward a better lawn. Also continue to try to put into practice what you read and see what works for you, your climate and your lawn. You have got the basics down it seems so with continued effort you will get your lawn to the next level.

I look forward to your progress and your continued participation on the forums.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

To the OP - If you plant a monostand and end up being unhappy with it, at worst you can always over seed to add some diversity to your lawn.


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## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

Well I got it down to NuGlade or Mazama. Or a mix of both. I guess I better be figuring this out soon. Grass is dieing off from the glypho already. And I got topsoil coming next weekend to level out the yard. Sprinklers are all dialed in, 10 minutes 5 times a day. Got the Pete moss in the shed.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Hey @Deke . I like your two options. Very much. 
I have two of the cultivars of interest in my mix of NuGlade, Mazama, and Award. 
I can't pick out the different cultivars. The stand has always looked uniform to me.

Here is a pic. Note that this stand is less than one year old, so color is likely still developing. This picture was taken in the middle of June in Tennessee (transition zone). 
The bluegrass is in the background. TTTF in the foreground, if you care for a comparison. I have added a black line for clearer demarcation.


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## Mattsbay_18 (Aug 3, 2018)

I vote for a mono Mazama lawn :thumbup:


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## Trogdor (Jan 13, 2019)

^+1


Mattsbay_18 said:


> I vote for a mono Mazama lawn :thumbup:


I'd do it too if I could get Mazama easily up North.


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## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

Before and after. This weekend will be dethatch, level, and get ready for seed down. Waiting until temps dip bellow 80. Sandy soil is hard to keep wet at those temps. Ended up going with 10 lbs of Mazama and 10 lbs of bewitched. Gonna start with Mazama and see how the mono does for a season before mixing.


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## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

Well finally got it planted, went with a Manama mono. But I have a bag of bewitched as well as a ryegrass blend incase all goes wrong. Looks like the Mazama is sprouting in 6 days in my cup test. Getting really excited


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## gregfromohio (Aug 14, 2019)

Deke, Congratulations on the decision to go mazama monostand!! Very much looking forward to pictures of the turnout. Where did you get your Mazama? I just planted a blend of bluebank, mazama, and bewitched from seedsuperstore and I too got germination in 7 days vs. 14 to 21 with other big box bluegrasses. Maybe its just timing or luck, but I'm having good results with these elite bluegrasses! It makes me feel like the expense is really worth it! Whatever it is, its worth the time and money!!


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## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

gregfromohio said:


> Deke, Congratulations on the decision to go mazama monostand!! Very much looking forward to pictures of the turnout. Where did you get your Mazama? I just planted a blend of bluebank, mazama, and bewitched from seedsuperstore and I too got germination in 7 days vs. 14 to 21 with other big box bluegrasses. Maybe its just timing or luck, but I'm having good results with these elite bluegrasses! It makes me feel like the expense is really worth it! Whatever it is, its worth the time and money!!


I got all of my seed from seed superstore. I got lucky that they had bewitched. They got more in the day before I ordered. Hopefully it works out good my dirt yard is slowly driving me crazy. I have a 5x5 area of Scott's kbg blend in my back yard and it looks so much better than the rest of the yard, so I am excited to see what an elite mono will look like.


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## gregfromohio (Aug 14, 2019)

The Scott's all kbg blend actually isn't bad. However, it's actually just as expensive or more expensive than seed superstore. If you look on the bag, in a 7 pound bag that is $40, there is only 3.5 pounds of seed. The other 3.5 pounds is the seed coating.


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## Deke (Jun 10, 2019)

Well quick update. I messed up, possibly pretty bad, but I may have caught it in time. When I first dove into the lawncare game I downloaded the Scott's app that tells you when and what to put on your yard based off zip code and a few other small details. One of the things they let you do is gps square your yard. My front came out to just over 1k. This morning I had a wild hair and decided to double check it out of the blue. Turns out it was much closer to 2k. 1950 to be exact. So I put out half the seed needed, but it has only been out for two days. So I doubled up and then rolled it in. Hopefully all works out. Rookie mistake.


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