Ted, I'll hop on this thread with you. I think I'd be needing the same recommendation. I live in WI also, although I'm 70 miles or so north of you (on the other side of the state).

I have the want for a nice dark lawn also and I have very small trees, almost all sun!

Bestlawn is the greatest!!! All KBG lovers bow to Bestlawn!

Sorry this took all day, gentlemen, but I'm only just now really satisfied. The final selection is up to you though.

This first blend is formulated for wearability, rapid recover from damage, and dark green color. Overseed every 2 or 3 years to maintain composition and diversity or you will quickly have a North Star lawn being that it is so aggressive. You don't want that to happen because it will render the other two varieties less able to express their traits and characteristics, such as disease resistance, leaf texture, dark color, etc. However, that is also precisely the reason you want North Star in the blend. Its aggressive trait is great for wearability and rapid repair. Blue Velvet and Kingfisher are also good for wear tolerance, but neither are nearly as aggressive as North Star. You'll have good overall disease resistance. Mow at 2.5 inches or higher if you wish. You're going to love this lawn!

20% North Star
40% Blue Velvet
40% Kingfisher

Purchase North Star and Kingfisher from
Pawnee Buttes Seed pawneebuttesseed.com
800-782-5947 ask for Glenn
Tell him you want sod-quality seeds

Purchase Blue Velvet from
Charles C. Hart Seed Company
860-529-2537 ask for Jim
Tell him you want sod-quality seeds

{{gwi:104877}}

This second blend is formulated to satisfy exactly the same criteria and you'll love it, too. The only difference is I expect the first one is somewhat darker. Another reason I composed this blend is all the varieties can be purchased from one location, whereas the above will have to come from two different retailers, meaning twice the shipping cost. The decision is yours.

20% North Star
40% Midnight II
40% Brilliant

You can purchase this blend from
Roselawn Agriseed
503-651-2130 ask for John

Thank you for the quick detailed response and thorough explanation. Are you suggesting this blend for both the front (not used for walking only for looking) and back (play time) yards?

Thanks again!

Ted

Yes, great for front and back.
I neglected to mention you should baby the grass the first year. This seeding season, do not walk on it during or after establishment. Next spring and summer, go easy on it and limit traffic. I know that will be difficult with the children, but it's up to you. The first year of a lawn's establishment is crucial to growing into maturity.

Bestlawn, you are the greatest. I can't thank you enough for your advice.

I don't have quite the traffic worries as tgoergen and I've been watching your recommendations closely. You had recommended v1rtu0s1ty use the following blend:

Bedazzled -> 40%
Moonlight -> 40%
MII -> 20%

I have to ask, would I be better off with this blend, if I'm not concerned with traffic? I would like a dark lawn, low disease possibilities and slow growth/drought tolerant.

Thanks again for your help! I can't wait to post photos of my project :).

Bestlawn... I know you've been very busy answering questions the last couple of days, but would you mind answering my post above regarding a mix your recommended for vlrtu0slty vs the one you mentioned above. He's not very far south of tgoergen and I. Thanks so much!

So sorry, zhoster, I didn't see your question.

Actually, that isn't the blend I suggested to Ron. I'd have to search the board to be reminded exactly what it was, but I do recall that Diva was a component. I think we ran into an availability problem with Diva. Ron likes Turf Toes' lawn so much that he coined the blend "The Magnificent 3" (That was Ron's doing, not mine. I fell in love with the name.), and we ended up changing his blend a few times until it worked out to be the Magnificent 3. Yes, he finagled me LOL. He's very persistent :)

Anyway, I later found out Diva can't be trusted this year or I would suggest it for you. Moonlight exhibits rather mediocre performance in your area. And, you may swap Blue Velvet for Midnight II if you wish since they both perform equally well in your area. But, if you check Wisconsin quality ratings you'll see that Blue Velvet is much darker.

My preferred blend for you would be......
Blue Velvet (or MII, your choice)
Kingfisher
Bewitched

But, I still have this little problem with Bewitched. No one will have it until the second week of August. Is that too late?

zhotster,

The "Mag Three" blend will fit your desires perfectly as it will be dark green and those three cultivars are nearly bulletproof with respect to disease. Additionally, Moonlight is about as drought-tolerant as Kentucky bluegrass can be.

A.J.

zhotster,
My guru has spoken!

Bestlawn said that Moonlight was a "mediocre performer" in your area. Well, Moonlight performed equal to all the other cultivars above it in that list, save for the top four. Plus, that data probably won't apply to you much at all since the Madison WI NTEP data was from a fairway trial maintained at one-half inch. You weren't planning on doing that, were you?

A.J.

Not sure what's going on between the two of you fine people :). Anyway, the Blue Velvet, Kingfisher and
Bewitched varieties appeal to me. Quite honestly, I'm confused to what the Magnificent 3 is. I've searched a lot of threads, is it?

Midnight II - 40%
Bedazzled - 30%
Moonlight - 30%

In any case, I like the idea of Blue Velvet, as it has a darker rating in linked tests. Bestlawn, is there a place I can buy the mix of Blue Velvet, Kingfisher and
Bewitched? If so, where? I won't seed until Sept 1st. Thanks for your help!

Zhotster, he and I have different practices, philosophies and such when it comes to blending. However, he is my kbg guru because I learned a lot from his superior knowledge, and he corrects me on occasion. Exactly what that was all about though I couldn't tell you but I apologize.

Preferred Seed in Buffalo, New York 716-895-7333 will have Bewitched the second week of August. Give me Monday to make a few more phone calls. This blend at the moment will require you purchase from three different places. I'd much rather try to save you those shipping costs and at least narrow it down to two places if not just one. I'll make the calls Monday and get back to you.

Yes, that's the Magnificent 3.

I'm certainly not trying to pick a fight, and I regret that my posting may have come across that way. Bestlawn has done a better job than I ever could have in advancing the homeowners' knowledge of modern cultivars. Ironic, perhaps, since that was the exact reason I joined this forum several years ago--to spread the word that there are lots of great grasses out there that only the professionals know about--and if we homeowners knew about them and badgered the suppliers en masse maybe we could buy and enjoy them also.

All of the cultivars Bestlawn and I have mentioned are excellent, and you would do well with any of them. I guess my point was that if you look critically at the NTEP data, taking into account the LSD values and the cultural practices employed at the particular sites, it can be pretty hard to find meaningful differences between any of the good, modern varieties.

This becomes even more evident if you go and look at the NTEP plots in person. I annually visit those at Michigan State University, and now fully understand why the Michigan rankings are so flat. About the only KBG cultivar you can pick out at a distance is Kenblue. The differences between all the newer, better cultivars are tiny. This is even more so with tall fescue. Only Kentucky 31 stands out. The rest are all dense and dark green.

So, if Blue Velvet sounds good to you (it IS an excellent cultivar) and you have a good source for it, by all means sow it and enjoy it. Kingfisher has done pretty well in the NTEP, but there are several other America-types that have a long and lusty track record against things like shade and powdery mildew. I haven't seen Bewitched, at least not by that name--maybe it was an experimental in the previous NTEP.

In summary, you could probably put together dozens of KBG blends that would perform just as well as the Magnificent Three, but I feel confident that that blend will work great anywhere KBG is adapted. Plus, we have some folks on this board who have the lawns to show it.

Happy glyphosating and sowing,

A.J.

Mallory, I don't expect you to make calls for me, unless you are doing them anyway. I may be drawn to a blend that is taken care of by one company, I don't trust myself to do mix the seed :). So, I may ask for a suggestion on a blend that I can get mixed by one company. So, if that saves you time, please consider that. I can even go with the Mag 3, if I can get it from one place. Let me know and I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP.

I love the idea of growing slower and being drought tolerant (I do plan on watering!).

I'm glad to hear the two of you actually do get along! It's also nice to get different points of view, that's what makes life interesting.

Thanks! Rod

A.J., I don't usually rely on data from just one page and the cultural practices of that particular trial. Ordinarily, I check many of the trials, including the Schedule C ratings for taller mowing heights in order to satisfy the poster's requirements. I think that's the biggest difference in our methods, I try not to rely solely on each cultivar's virtue of being a good one that performs well and looks good so it will, therefore, be the same everywhere. It just makes sense to me that NTEP does serve a purpose. If they all performed the same everywhere, that would render the test trials rather useless. You've seen many more than I have, but I still need that basis for logical selection. And I'm sorry but I really don't understand how they can all look the same when ratings still vary considerably following the LSD disparities.

Sorry I didn't see your last question, Zhotster. Nope, I don't have just one supplier for all three. For the Magnificent 3 blend, seedsuperstore has all three. Some people are saying they cost less than others. I don't know about it, so maybe just compare prices. I just posted a list of suppliers.