# # of KBG Cultivars



## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

So, after dealing with leaf spot/melting out for the third summer in a row (this year by far the worst), I'm thinking of doing a renovation. I know time is ticking so I need to decide quickly on what I want to do. I'm 50/50 at this point (depends on if my wife squashes the idea or not. I've already mentioned it and she responded with "you're absolutely crazy". She didn't say no. :lol: )

My ultimate goal to have a dark green lawn that stripes well, maintain around 1 inch, and have a pretty damn good level of resistance against leaf spot. I've narrowed my choices down to around 4 or 5 potential cultivars.

My question is what goes into the decision making of the number of cultivars you select? I know that 1 is better than 2 in preventing disease, 2 is better than 3, and so on... but are there any other factors that go into this decision? Obviously color uniformity is another...

I've been reading reno after reno journal and some go monostand and some have like 8 different varieties. Why so many?

I guess would there be a big difference in me choose 2 to 3 cultivars vs 4 or 5? Why or why not?

Thanks for the help. Especially with spending all my damn money this summer lol.


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## Tsmith (Aug 11, 2017)

Pre bagged blends will usually have 4-5 cultivars and why some ppl end up with that many but it could be they just wanted that many in their lawn.

Most of the time when people build their own blend though they tend to go with 3 cultivars but I don't recall seeing many with just 2 although I'm sure there are some. My guess is with 2 the concern is you'd be able to see the difference but with 3 the odds of seeing any difference isn't likely.

Monostands are a completely different ball game as there is more risk with fungus outbreaks since there is only one cultivar but they offer the most uniform color and growing habits.

As much as I like my Bewitched monostand though I wouldn't do it again and would instead do a blend of 3 KBG cultivars.


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## zeus201 (Aug 30, 2017)

I used to struggle with leaf spot / melting out on my nomix. Changed some of my own practices and incorporated use of fungicides to help treat & cure and haven't had issues since. In the end, I'm slowly converting everything to Mazama mono as nomix blends just don't perform as well as elite cultivars. Like @Tsmith mentioned, mono's have their own risks, but having the uniformity, color and growth habits is worth it.

But, highly recommend reading through NTEP test results and seeing how cultivators are doing up there. St. Paul has a testing location and could use it a basis in determining what KBG breeds performed best up north.

http://ntep.org/previous.htm#Cool%20Season%20Grasses


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback. @Tsmith love the avatar :lol:

@zeus201. I've been using fungicides the last two years (propi and azoxy). Last year they worked well to keep things at bay. This year it doesn't seem like they're touching it. Was hoping some elite cultivars could help me in my battle.

I've done a ton of research through the NTEP results. I'm leaning towards Bluebank/Bewitched/and choosing between either Mazama, Midnight, or Everest.

Just had no clue why people went went 3 cultivars vs 4,5,6+ if they weren't doing a monostand.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Generally you want different classes of cultivar. Three Compact Midnights, for example, are very similar genetically so you really don't gain much over a monostand. When you look at the classes, the compact midnight, compact america, and compact all have very similar growth rate, leaf texture, and, most importantly, color. That makes them all good to blend. The other classes tend to stand out much more with lighter color, faster growth, taller height, etc., so don't blend as well. The end result is a 3-way blend of compact midnight, compact, and compact america types.


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## Tsmith (Aug 11, 2017)

@jrubb42 if you took a pic of me right now it would look exactly like my avatar

If you do go with a blend I'd recommend making your own especially if you're going sod quality


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

bernstem said:


> The end result is a 3-way blend of compact midnight, compact, and compact america types.


Of your choices it seems Bluebank, Bewitched and Mazama would hit all 3.

Bluebank: Compact Midnight Type
Bewitched: Compact Type
Mazama: America Type
Everest: Compact Midnight Type (appears to be a direct decedent of Midnight)
Midnight: The OG


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

@bernstem that makes perfect sense now that you say that. I think that answers my question.

@Tsmith I will definitely be doing that.

@gm560 thanks for laying that out for me. Looks like I found what my potential mix will be.. if upper management allows it...


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## Sinclair (Jul 25, 2017)

I ended up with my 4 cultivars because I bought a bag of seed from my local sod farm, and those were the 4 they had chosen for our area.


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## gregfromohio (Aug 14, 2019)

gm560 said:


> bernstem said:
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> > The end result is a 3-way blend of compact midnight, compact, and compact america types.
> ...


Last year I seeded my partial reno with bluebank, mazama, and bewitched from seed superstore. You wont be disappointed with those 3. Went heavier on the bluebank, probably 50 to 60 percent. The bluebank doesn't do as well in the shade as the NTEP info would lead you to believe. I seeded some straight mazama in another part of my yard and it is phenomenal! When I reno my front yard in August, I'll likely seed 50% mazama, 25% bluebank, and 25% bewitched. I'm also kicking around the idea of straight mazama momo stand in the front, but afraid if I dont get a total kill on the existing lawn it wont look great. Good luck! You cant go wrong with the blend you are suggesting.


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

gregfromohio said:


> gm560 said:
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> > bernstem said:
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Good to know! I really want Mazama as my main cultivar but it doesn't do as well in the upper Midwest or against leaf spot as the others. Makes me a little hesitant to pull the trigger on that.

Do you have any current photos? Wish you would've kept up on your journal!


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## jestersdead13 (Feb 3, 2020)

Glad for this info. My stand of Bewitched has been doing well in the heat. Did my fungicides right before the heat and humidity came and so far so good. I may mix in these other cultivars this fall. Made the mistake of using the scotts shade and sun blend on a hill.. seems to be mostly light green ryegrass unfortunately. Its growing great, just looks off with the bewitched on my flat areas.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

When I was doing research over the winter I found that Mazama is a descendant of Midnight as well. That is how is came to get its dark genetic color.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=1468


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

With all the talk i just thought i'd mention that i still have 10# of Mazama blue tag for sale in the marketplace direct from Vista seeds i got last week im selling at my cost + shipping. For those of you looking at using it in Fall. With how fast the 15# went last year im kind of surprised no ones called dibs on this yet.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=19436


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## gregfromohio (Aug 14, 2019)

jrubb42 said:


> gregfromohio said:
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> > gm560 said:
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Yeah, I really dropped the ball on my journal. I'll try to post some updated pictures.


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## steffen707 (Apr 9, 2021)

bernstem said:


> Generally you want different classes of cultivar. Three Compact Midnights, for example, are very similar genetically so you really don't gain much over a monostand. When you look at the classes, the compact midnight, compact america, and compact all have very similar growth rate, leaf texture, and, most importantly, color. That makes them all good to blend. The other classes tend to stand out much more with lighter color, faster growth, taller height, etc., so don't blend as well. The end result is a 3-way blend of compact midnight, compact, and compact america types.


hey @bernstem , why does SSS seedsuperstore.com use bluebank, midnight and mazama in their ss1100 mix? Isn't Bluebank and Midnight both in the compact midnight class/type?


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

steffen707 said:


> bernstem said:
> 
> 
> > Generally you want different classes of cultivar. Three Compact Midnights, for example, are very similar genetically so you really don't gain much over a monostand. When you look at the classes, the compact midnight, compact america, and compact all have very similar growth rate, leaf texture, and, most importantly, color. That makes them all good to blend. The other classes tend to stand out much more with lighter color, faster growth, taller height, etc., so don't blend as well. The end result is a 3-way blend of compact midnight, compact, and compact america types.
> ...


I would email Drew. He is quite responsive and could give you his reasoning. His mixes move around a fair amount based on availability. My guess would be he is running low on Bewitched, which I think often occupies a slot in that mix.


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## steffen707 (Apr 9, 2021)

gm560 said:


> steffen707 said:
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> > bernstem said:
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Ahhh, i'll have to reach out to him on that. Bewitched, bluebank were 2 i'm looking for, then need to decide on my compact america type. Right now i'm thinking mazama, or bedazzled.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

steffen707 said:


> Ahhh, i'll have to reach out to him on that. Bewitched, bluebank were 2 i'm looking for, then need to decide on my compact america type. Right now i'm thinking mazama, or bedazzled.


Mazama would mix better in terms of color.


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## MNLawnGuy1980 (May 10, 2019)

@jrubb42 talking about renovations :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Must not have heard of the new thing in MN is to just let it go dormant in June as we haven't had rain in like a month!


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## steffen707 (Apr 9, 2021)

MNLawnGuy1980 said:


> @jrubb42 talking about renovations :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
> 
> Must not have heard of the new thing in MN is to just let it go dormant in June as we haven't had rain in like a month!


We had "No mow May" around here trying to help the bee population, but I haven't heard of
"No water June". :lol:


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

steffen707 said:


> bernstem said:
> 
> 
> > Generally you want different classes of cultivar. Three Compact Midnights, for example, are very similar genetically so you really don't gain much over a monostand. When you look at the classes, the compact midnight, compact america, and compact all have very similar growth rate, leaf texture, and, most importantly, color. That makes them all good to blend. The other classes tend to stand out much more with lighter color, faster growth, taller height, etc., so don't blend as well. The end result is a 3-way blend of compact midnight, compact, and compact america types.
> ...


I have no idea why vendors mix multiple cultivars of compact midnights in the blend. It gives you some genetic variability, but not a lot as the compact midnights are highly genetically conserved. The benefit of blending different classes is that you get differences in disease susceptibility, spring green-up, etc. With seeds in the same class, there is less difference.

Personally, I would recommend someone go with a monostand over a blend of several cultivars in the same class.


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## Marzbar (Aug 2, 2020)

Sinclair said:


> I ended up with my 4 cultivars because I bought a bag of seed from my local sod farm, and those were the 4 they had chosen for our area.


@sinclair. Just wondering which sod farm you bought your seed from. My local sod farm ( in Windsor) only sells jumpstart. They use 4 cultivars for their sod which they say is proprietary.


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## steffen707 (Apr 9, 2021)

bernstem said:


> steffen707 said:
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> > bernstem said:
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thanks, you validated my concern. =)


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

MNLawnGuy1980 said:


> @jrubb42 talking about renovations :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
> 
> Must not have heard of the new thing in MN is to just let it go dormant in June as we haven't had rain in like a month!


Hey man, this is an old thread that got revived. I haven't talked about it in the forums as of late 😂


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