# K31 lawns



## 01redcrew (Jun 16, 2017)

Not sure if I hit my head today or not but does anyone have a good looking k31 out there? About this time of year when I starting getting diseases and stuff I always think about trying k31. If I didn't hit my head someone hit me with a frying pan lol


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## Killsocket (Mar 16, 2018)

https://youtu.be/ZcEVw8FRl1s

Thought of this video when I read your post. I am very envious of Pete's actual lawn.


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

My neighbor has a nice K31 lawn. I love it!


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## 01redcrew (Jun 16, 2017)

Is your lawn on the left lol


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## Dave2500 (Jul 9, 2018)

My whole back yard is K31 (From tractor supply)
From experience that stuff is hard to kill, i drive trailers and mid sized tractors on it at least once a week, sometimes it gets damaged, but every year it comes back.
I can never get it as deep green as a normal turf grass but it does green up pretty good with fert
I would consider it more of a utility lawn IMHO


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

In my somewhat limited experience with KY31, it does not have the water needs of TTTF in the summer. It will also grow during the summer, even without supplemental irrigation. However, it is prone to brown patch. 
Right now, some of my TTTF has brown patch, but the KY 31 has followed suit. It also doesn't mix well with other cool season grasses. FWIW.

I've heard of one person maintaining a very nice KY31 lawn, but I can't remember the name. @Green has recently expressed some interest in KY31 as an alternative to our 3 standard turf varieties.

I don't think that you've hit your head. I have had similar thoughts...but maybe I've hit my head too :?


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

I really like @Dave2500 's perspective here.


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## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Here's a mix of KY-31, TTTF, and HBG mowed at HOC 3.5". Picture taken Jun 24 this year before the 90s high temperatures. I'm on well water and don't irrigate so I'm more concerned about heat and drought tolerance. With recent two week high temperatures and little rainfall, the TTTF was the first to show signs of heat stress.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@social port, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm going to add a question to this thread...

Anyone know if some KY31 seed is a slight bit more TTTF-like than others? I keep hearing whisperings that all might not be the same. I believe Pete from GCI mentioned something along these same lines in a video of his, as have people on this site I think. Plus, observations...some KY31 has like 2/3-inch wide blades on the end of super long stems, but others seem more compact, more like a much wider bladed, much lighter green, less dense version of TTTF, with blades never more than a half inch wide or so. If there really are multiple versions based on who grows the seed and where, it's the more refined version I'm interested in. I feel like it can definitely pass as a nice lawn if used right, but I'm not at all into the rougher looking sub type (if there is really a difference) that makes St. Aug look like a fine textured turf.


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## j4c11 (Apr 30, 2017)

01redcrew said:


> About this time of year when I starting getting diseases and stuff I always think about trying k31.


I'm not sure where this idea that KY31 is disease resistant originated. It almost always comes in dead last in brown patch tests.

http://www.ntep.org/data/tf12/tf12_18-3/tf1218t26.txt

http://www.ntep.org/data/tf12/tf12_18-3/tf1218t15.txt


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## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Green said:


> Anyone know if some KY31 seed is a slight bit more TTTF-like than others? I keep hearing whisperings that all might not be the same. I believe Pete from GCI mentioned something along these same lines in a video of his, as have people on this site I think. Plus, observations...some KY31 has like 2/3-inch wide blades on the end of super long stems, but others seem more compact, more like a much wider bladed, much lighter green, less dense version of TTTF, with blades never more than a half inch wide or so. If there really are multiple versions based on who grows the seed and where, it's the more refined version I'm interested in. I feel like it can definitely pass as a nice lawn if used right, but I'm not at all into the rougher looking sub type (if there is really a difference) that makes St. Aug look like a fine textured turf.


The KY-31 I bought was DLF Pickseed, the bag tag said "Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue" (coated) with no company assigned variety name. I've searched the DLF Pickseed website for any technical information about this seemingly generic cultivar seed, but haven't found anything specific.

Here's an area with KY-31 mixed with TTTF and HBG. Would the untrained eye spot the differences? The lawn was last cut six days ago HOC 3.5" and is showing some unevenness now. Yes, KY-31 gets diseases, so far on my lawn I've noticed TTTF having the more noticable disease issue (net blotch), nothing on HBG.


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## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

01redcrew said:


> About this time of year when I starting getting diseases and stuff I always think about trying k31.


The "and stuff" does that include summer stress?

KY-31 took number one spot for summer stress rating, and with a LSD value of 1.1 it was statistically better than majority cultivars tested.

http://www.ntep.org/data/tf06/tf06_12-10f/tf0612ft42.txt

Not that I'm promoting KY-31, just pointing out that it does have it's strengths along with it's weaknesses, choose what's important to you.


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## 01redcrew (Jun 16, 2017)

Ya I'm sure some of it is summer stress as well. I know a guy that lives close to me and it slit seeded his lawn with all k31. It looks pretty decent right now in the heart of summer.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

I have a mix of k31 and TTTF. There is an obvious color and blade width difference. On a fresh cut, it looks nice. In this summer heat, the TTTF is barely growing but the k31 needs to be mowed weekly. I don't irrigate. In the spring when both were growing, the k31 grew about 1.5" per day. I had to mow it every 2 days. Yes, it does get fungus but it doesn't seem to care when it's 95 and humid. It keeps growing! The mix looks weird though when all the lighter green is much taller after a few days. If you had a pure k31 lawn, aside from the lighter green, it would grow and look uniform. Probably better for hot summers without irrigation.


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

This article is very interesting to me.

http://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/ticpdf.py?file=/1980s/1986/860101.pdf


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Butter said:


> This article is very interesting to me.
> 
> http://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/ticpdf.py?file=/1980s/1986/860101.pdf


I've read that article before. It was published when I was a baby. Lately, I've seen it stated that the transition zone now encroaches as far North as coastal Southwest and coastal Southwest-central Connecticut. Both areas are USDA zone 7A now, and are often referred to as part of the transition zone in modern literature, including the labels on pre-Ms. Times have changed!

I also found it interesting that according to the article, some of the DNA in modern TTTF came from crosses of fescue and ryegrass (PR). I'm still waiting for Turf Type Tall Rye-Fescue to come on the market. (Turf type Festulolium) But right now, the scientists seem to be focusing specifically on forage types. It's only a matter of time, though...someone will do it. @Powhatan, speaking of DLF: https://www.dlf.com/forage/festulolium#ath


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## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

@Green thanks for the link.

I did a Google image search using keywords "DLF Pickseed tall fescue" and the results included my TLF images, interesting. Those google web crawlers are hard at work munching on festuca arundinacea. :mrgreen:


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Powhatan said:


> @Green thanks for the link.
> 
> I did a Google image search using keywords "DLF Pickseed tall fescue" and the results included my TLF images, interesting. Those google web crawlers are hard at work munching on festuca arundinacea. :mrgreen:


Yum yum! Or Lolium arundinaceum, depending on which family you think it belongs to, and in keeping with the theme of the last few posts.


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## 01redcrew (Jun 16, 2017)

I figured there would be a few more people on here thar plants k31


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