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Poa nemoralis, also known as rough bluegrass, is often used in seed mixtures for shaded lawns. We show why this plant is particularly suitable for this and how you can benefit from its advantages in the garden.
You have probably never consciously noticed this type of grass, but you may remember the intense green undergrowth of a sparse deciduous forest. That's probably where you last saw bluegrass (Poa nemoralis). This type of grass is characterized by its high shade tolerance and is therefore ideally suited as a component of shaded lawn seeds such as our Plantura shaded lawn mixture.
Poa nemoralis: origin and description
As a native species, rough bluegrass is often found in Germany. Its natural range covers much of the northern hemisphere: from China to Kamchatka, from the Caucasus to the Alps and to Morocco. The grass is particularly noticeable because of its protruding leaves. The flowers, which appear in June and July, are arranged in panicles and thus indicate that it belongs to the genus of meadow grasses (Poa). Poa nemoralis can grow up to 80 centimeters high and grows in loose clumps, mainly in sparse deciduous and mixed forests. Both the German name Hain-Rispengras and the Latin species name nemoralis indicate this preference.
In sparse places in the forest, the soil is mostly fresh and humus-rich and nutrient-rich due to the regularly falling leaves. The grove meadow grass has adapted well to these conditions. It also needs soils with an alkaline to slightly acidic pH value. By fertilizing with primarily organic fertilizers such as our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer, the humus content of the soil can be increased, thereby improving the conditions for the grass.
Its occurrence in forests, bushes and groves indicates the high shade tolerance of the grass. This makes the grass species an excellent part ofShade Lawn Seed Mixtures. In places where grass otherwise grows sparsely due to lack of light, such mixtures can work wonders. For this reason you will also find Poa nemoralis in our Plantura Shade Lawn Mixture.
Characteristics and Use of Grove Bluegrass
For a quick overview we have briefly summarized the characteristics of Poa nemoralis below:
| Poa nemoralis in brief | |
|---|---|
| Features | Forms loose clumps, grey-greenish colour |
| Claims | Demands Soil rich in nutrients and humus, alkaline to moderately acidic pH value, sufficient moisture |
| Durability | Moderate to low resilience |
| Usage | Shadow lawns, part of our Plantura shade lawn mixture, biotope areas, landscaped lawns |
| Germination time and development | 14 - 24 days, medium development |
| Cutting Tolerance | Moderately cut-tolerant, do not mow too often, do not cut below 5 cm |
| Special Features | Very tolerant of shade, very well adapted to local climate, high tolerance to lawn diseases |
Use of Poa nemoralis
In agriculture, the rough bluegrass is hardly used consciously. Nevertheless, it can often be found on shady pastures. However, the grass has made a name for itself in particular through its use in shaded lawns. Where there is a lack of light, Poa nemoralis can show its advantages, which is why it is also an important part of our Plantura shade lawn. However, because the grass has fairly shallow roots, it is a little sensitive to heavy use and frequent trimming. For this reason, the type of grass is primarily suitable for areas where the stress is limited. Stepping on, setting up garden chairs or the like is of course not a problem, only football games or raging and digging dogs would damage the lawn badly.