Poa Nemoralis: Properties & Uses Of Grove Bluegrass
Poa nemoralis , also known as grove bluegrass, is often used in seed mixtures for shade lawns. We show why this plant is particularly suitable for this and how you can benefit from its advantages in the garden.
Grove bluegrass is also suitable for shady locations [Photo: Nau Nau / Shutterstock.com]
You have probably never noticed this type of grass, but you may remember the intense green in the undergrowth of a light deciduous forest. This is probably the last time you saw the grove bluegrass ( Poa nemoralis). This type of grass is characterized by its high tolerance to shade and is therefore ideally suited as a component of shade grass seeds such as our Plantura shade grass mixture.
Poa nemoralis: origin and description
As a native species, the grove bluegrass is often found in Germany. Its natural distribution extends over large parts 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, indicating that it belongs to the genus of the panicle grasses ( Poa ). Poa nemoralis can be up to 80 centimeters high and grows in loose clumps, mainly in light deciduous and mixed forests. Both the German name Hain-Rispengras and the Latin name nemoralis indicate this preference.
Poa nemoralis is often found in seed mixes for shade lawns
In clear areas in the forest, the soil is mostly fresh and humus and rich in nutrients due to the regularly falling leaves. The grove bluegrass has adapted perfectly to these conditions. It also needs soils with an alkaline to slightly acidic pH value. Fertilizing with mainly organic fertilizers such as our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer can increase the humus content of the soil and thereby improve the conditions for the grass.
Its occurrence in forests, bushes and groves indicates the high shade tolerance of the grass. This makes the type of grass an excellent component of shadow lawn seed mixtures. In places where grass otherwise grows rather 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 mix.
Properties and uses of the grove bluegrass
For a quick overview, we have briefly summarized the properties of Poa nemoralis below:
| Poa nemoralis in brief | |
|---|---|
| features | Forms loose clumps, gray-greenish color |
| Expectations | Demands Nutrient-rich and humus soil, alkaline to moderately acidic pH value, sufficient moisture |
| Durability | Moderate to low resilience |
| use | Shadow lawns, part of our Plantura shadow lawn mix, biotope areas, landscape lawns |
| Germination time and development | 14-24 days, medium-fast development |
| Cutting tolerance | Moderately cut tolerant, mowing not too often, do not shorten to less than 5 cm |
| particularities | Very shade-tolerant, very well adapted to the local climate, high tolerance to lawn diseases |
Use of Poa nemoralis
Grove bluegrass is hardly used consciously in agriculture. However, it can often be found on more shady pastures. The grass has made a name for itself in particular through its use in shadow lawns. Where there is a lack of light, Poa nemoralis can prove its advantages, which is why it is also an important part of our Plantura shadow lawn. However, since the grass has quite shallow roots, it is a little sensitive to intensive use and frequent cutting. For this reason, the type of grass is primarily suitable for areas where the load is limited. Entering, setting up garden chairs or the like is of course not a problem, only football games or raging and digging dogs would play badly on the lawn.
