So I recently bought 200lbs of SPF-30 hybrid bluegrass from Outsidepride. I did this because my original plan for a shade tolerant zoysia went out the window when they had a seed shortage and prices went to $1600 per 50 lb bag. So living in North Texas I needed something that was shade tolerant that wasn't St. Augustine (wife hates it). So what is shade tolerant and a warm season grass? Not really any of them. So I decided that a cool season grass was my only option as a shade tolerant grass. I read and read over all the cool season grasses and could not find one that I felt could handle the heat and droughts we get here. Then I came across this hybrid and it appears to have tested rather well in small testing categories but the SAT of Turf grasses (NTEP) doesn't have test results on this grass yet or hasn't even began testing it. There's also very little information on residential users results of this turf. So I decided to be a guinea pig of this hybrid grass and seed this a mono-stand of grass and document my results since this is the closest thing to KBG I'm ever going to possibly have success with in North Texas. Wish me luck and I'd love to hear your thoughts or recommendations since most of my time has been spent in the warm season side on this forum and in the yard.
SPF-30 hybrid bluegrass
jakemauldin
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Very impressive.
Looks darker than the Thermal Blue I tried a while back.
Is it 100% SPF-30?
Looks darker than the Thermal Blue I tried a while back.
Is it 100% SPF-30?
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So my seed is now starting to germinate since I seeded the SPF-30 everywhere that I can't reach with irrigation. so it gets natural water only. I had a few showers before it got super hot and had a few small spots germinate and take off. they with stood the 105 Heat without water. These spots did brown out and go dormant almost looked dead to me at times but they have came back stronger than before with the rains we've gotten over the last few weeks. I have to bring up my side yard several feet and I might seed some more of this in the spring and will document what it does with actual proper irrigation. I'll also try to get around to taking some pics and might even do a video explaining whats happening with the SPF-30.
@jeffcatton Your yard looks great. Do you know how many lbs/k you have put down altogether thus far? I originally threw out 200 lbs over 3 acres.
@jeffcatton Your yard looks great. Do you know how many lbs/k you have put down altogether thus far? I originally threw out 200 lbs over 3 acres.
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Thanks Jake, I want to learn more about caring for SPF-30 in the heat and what has failed/worked for others as this is my first with SPF-30 in Texas heat. Hope you can share your experience also, thanks.
I have full irrigation on my yard (.25) and I used about 70lbs (over did it would say - impatient me) so far. I bought 2 @ 50lbs bags - 98% KBG germination rate. I will over reseed in January when it start to warm up so I can get the spots where it is not a thick. I am cutting high, at 3.5" right now to help force out any weeds and give a little more bend to the grass.
It is very dark, I like it. Others in the neighborhood are using Winter Rye (I used for 2 years), it is very light in color (lime green color but there is a Double Green which is darker). That winter rye is awful to cut (very wet - cannot mulch it), and it is messy - plugs the lawnmower. This is why I also moved to KBG SPF-30 for year round green grass : )
Jeff
I have full irrigation on my yard (.25) and I used about 70lbs (over did it would say - impatient me) so far. I bought 2 @ 50lbs bags - 98% KBG germination rate. I will over reseed in January when it start to warm up so I can get the spots where it is not a thick. I am cutting high, at 3.5" right now to help force out any weeds and give a little more bend to the grass.
It is very dark, I like it. Others in the neighborhood are using Winter Rye (I used for 2 years), it is very light in color (lime green color but there is a Double Green which is darker). That winter rye is awful to cut (very wet - cannot mulch it), and it is messy - plugs the lawnmower. This is why I also moved to KBG SPF-30 for year round green grass : )
Jeff
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So you know, this is where I got my seed from ... https://www.outsidepride.com/
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This was back on 9/3 after some rainfall. It helped push the seed to germination after sitting there all summer. I'll try to mow/blow all the leaves once they are done falling and show the growth I've gotten since. It has progressed along.
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Well it is a start of a new year and nearing the end of January already, wow. Added a striper to my mower and it seems to work very well with the 3.5-4" high KBG-SPF30 grass in Fort Worth Texas. I hope this will make it through the hot summer with the longer grass and irrigation. Only time will tell!
Here are a couple updated pictures of the grass growing in Texas during the winter.
Here are a couple updated pictures of the grass growing in Texas during the winter.
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Impressive! Do you know (rough estimate) the % of HKBG?
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Thanks. It says 98.77 pure seed with 85% germination rate. Pictures attached.
Hope that helps, let me know.
Hope that helps, let me know.
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I watched it sleet at my house for the first time this winter. I went around and checked the SPF-30 progress, It has started to spread a bit.
The SPF-30 up close. I like the dark green color.
The SPF-30 up close. I like the dark green color.
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I had an all hybrid KBG lawn of Thermal Blue Blaze. It was a solid stand, but it was not attractive like his, which really does look great. Now, it could be that SPF30 is a lot shinier and narrower bladed than TBB, but on my lawn TBB looked more like a not so great cultivar of TTTF. So, I'm tempted to try SPF30 also, but I wonder how it will turn out.w0lfe said:
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If your soil temperature is consistently 100 degrees, HKBG is going to go dormant at best, and maybe not survive at all. TTTF might be a better choice for a shady area. HBKBG does not root as deeply at TTTF, which gets down to the cooler soil temperatures.w0lfe said:
His pix do look fabulous, but as I said earlier, my experience is that HBKBG's are not showpiece lawns by any stretch of the imagination. Not sure I'd want it in my front yard. Too thick bladed, and just dull green when I've tried them. So, I give the gentleman a lot of credit for his success!
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I have been maintaining it at 1.5" and it has been g2g It is spreading nicely. It was just getting started last summer when it hit 105 a couple times but it came back and I basically didn't water it at all since it was not part of the main yard. This year I will try to maintain it better and plan to overseed at some point as well.
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Hi all, I started growing the KBG-SPF30 and had days > 100. It did fill in over the fall and winter. It is extremely thick and about 3.-4 " right now and have to cut every 5 days. It is very dark green and bends nice (last until next cut) with a home roller from 4" PVC filled with sand.
I am in Fort Worth and summers get very hot over 100 for 30 days or more. Hope it lasts being SPF30.
Pic is from my perimeter camera - last cut 6 days ago.
Jeff
I am in Fort Worth and summers get very hot over 100 for 30 days or more. Hope it lasts being SPF30.
Pic is from my perimeter camera - last cut 6 days ago.
Jeff
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I cut at 3.5-4" right now. Has a nice bend. I hope the 4" continues to keep weeds out.elm34 said:
Jeff
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Jake I hope you have luck in spring with it growing faster, especially with the nice rain.
The color is dark and amazing, I am sure you will like it.
Hope you can share your success.
Jeff
The color is dark and amazing, I am sure you will like it.
Hope you can share your success.
Jeff
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Sc didn't really do anything this summer/early fall. I reseeded in October and I think it germed over the winter. Between the summer and fall it's coming in pretty nicely now. I dropped more seed a couple of weeks ago in mid February. I'm trying to get it as established as possible before the heat arrives. It is a great looking plant. We will see.social port said:
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