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TURF MAINTENANCE CHARACTERISTICS

BREEDER
The Scotts Company

DESCRIPTION 
Allure is a new and improved moderately dark green Kentucky bluegrass variety classified as an “other” type of improved Kentucky bluegrass (similar to Ascot, Chateau, NuStar) with good resistance to leaf spot and stripe smut. It is a cold hardy, persistent, attractive grass that, through the development of an extensive rhizome system, forms a well-knit, durable sod. It is adapted to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. 

APPLICATION 
Allure is an excellent choice for use in elite Kentucky bluegrass blends for sports turf, landscaping or on golf course fairways, tees and roughs. Allure can be utilized in polyspecies mixtures, maintained at a moderate height of cut, which contain improved perennial ryegrass, chewing fescue, hard fescue, sheep fescue, strong creeping red fescue and tall fescue. 

PERFORMANCE 
Allure has been evaluated for five (5) years in the 1990 NTEP Kentucky Bluegrass Medium/High and Low input trials and 3 years in the 1995 NTEP Kentucky Bluegrass Medium/High and Low input trials at 15 and 29 US and Canadian locations respectively. Allure exhibits good resistance to leaf spot, stripe smut, dollar spot and fusarium blight and shows outstanding seedling vigor. 

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS TYPES 
Kentucky bluegrass is an apomictic species that exhibits a great range of genetic diversity. Kentucky bluegrasses reproduce asexually; in scientific terms, by a method called facultative apomixis. As a result the seed from a mother plant (children) is essentially identical to the parent plant. Genetic diversity in Kentucky bluegrass for the end user is critical. Blends and mixtures containing genetically different Kentucky bluegrass varieties reduce the opportunity for an individual strength or weakness of a Kentucky bluegrass cultivar to express itself over time. Therefore, single varieties of Kentucky bluegrass may not provide enough genetic elasticity against abiotic and biotic stresses during the growing season. Many distinct types of Kentucky bluegrass have been released, and these varieties have been classified into 14 groups based on growth and performance characteristics (Murphy, et al 1998). Allure is classified as an “other” type Kentucky bluegrass but is similar in every respect to Sydsport and Cheri which are classified as “Cheri” type Kentucky bluegrass. However, Allure has finer leaf blades than Sydsport or Cheri. Kentucky bluegrass types include:
 

Blends and mixtures containing Kentucky bluegrass should include complimentary and compatible but different varieties for optimal long term turf performance. For example a mixture of “Other” type (Allure), Bellevue type (Suffolk) and Northern latitude compact type (Midnight) Kentucky bluegrasses will provide broad genetic elasticity for improved disease resistance and agronomic performance.

SEEDING

• Dates: Spring and fall when soil temperatures are above 60ºF. Kentucky bluegrass is generally slow to tiller once germinated, so higher soil temperatures with an increasing photoperiod in spring or warm soils with decreasing photoperiod in the fall provide an optimal environment for seedling establishment.
• Rates: 2-3 lbs./1,000 sq ft or 10.0-15.0-g/meter sq. on new seedlings, 1-2 lbs./1000 sq./ft. or 5.0-10. /0 g/meter sq. on established turf. (Allure has a high seed count of 2,200,000 seeds per pound.) Seed count is dependent on the year of harvest, location of production and seed production practices. 
• Depth: Sow at 1/4 to 1/2 inch or 6.25 to 12.5 mm. Generally, Kentucky bluegrass is slower in germination than other cool-season grasses and results may be seen in 21-28 days under optimal conditions.

CULTURAL PRACTICES

• Soil Preparation: Prepare a firm seed bed, free of clods, sticks and vegetative debris. Seed should be in contact with soil. Kentucky bluegrass is intolerant of heavy soil conditions (high bulk density) and saline soil conditions and is best established in well drained sandy or silt loam soils.
• pH: Soil is best maintained at a neutral pH of 7.0. Of the cool-season turfgrass, Kentucky bluegrass is the most susceptible to variation in soil pH conditions.
• NPK requirement: Allure would be described as a medium user of fertilizer. In northern regions 5-6 lbs. N/year; in southern and transitional climates 6-7 lbs. N/year with minimal utilization in summer months to discourage foliar turfgrass diseases such as brown patch and pythium. NPK ratios are generally recognized as 5-1-3 with clippings retained on the turf.
• Water use: Kentucky bluegrass has a moderately short fibrous root mass for water uptake and will go into stress induced dormancy or may die under severe drought conditions. An ET rate of 7-8 mm per day places Kentucky bluegrass into medium water use category for cool-season turfgrass. ET rates can be reduced by frequent mowing to encourage a denser turfgrass and infrequent but heavy irrigation to stimulate deep subsoil root growth.
• Thatch management: Kentucky bluegrass is recognized as a medium to high thatch producing cool-season turfgrass. High N levels to encourage fast grow-in coupled with minimal traffic pressures encourage thatch accumulation. Verticutting, lower mowing heights and dethatching are recommended for dormant sod or grass breaking dormancy in the spring. At any given dethatching, never remove more than .5 inch of thatch layer. If the thatch layer is greater than 1 inch, it is recomended that removal be done over a period of years.
• Mowing height: Allure should be mowed at 0.75-2.0 inches or 18.5-50.0 mm and may tolerate 0.5 inch or 12.5 mm mowing height under optimal growing conditions.
• Weed Control: (From NCSU Pest Control Recommendations for Turfgrass Managers, 2002 and Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook, 2001). In established turf for postemergent broadleaf control 2-4 D, MCPA, clopyralid + triclpyr (Confront) and dicamba (Banvel). Spring pre-emergent control DCPA or bensulide (Dacthal). Pree-mergent crabgrass and goosegrass control on established KBG with pendimethalin (Pre-M), prodiamine (Barricade), oxadiazon+benefin, oryzalin (Surflan), benefin (Balan), siduron (Tupersan), dithiopyr (Dimension).

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