It is sometimes included in a seed mixture with Kentucky bluegrass because of its shade tolerance. It responds vigorously to fertilizer and irrigation, and under conditions where water is supplied too frequently, it becomes intolerably aggressive and smothers out the Kentucky bluegrass. Figure 1 . A management program providing too much fertilizer and water promoted the infestation of the Kentucky bluegrass lawn by the bright yellow-green, aggressive rough bluegrass. Figure 2 .
Rough bluegrass turns brown under high summer temperatures.
Since rough bluegrass has limited use as a turfgrass only a limited number of improved cultivars have been developed which are more tolerant of high temperature stress and turf diseases and have an improved dark green colour. Rough bluegrass is not recommended for home lawn use. However, it competes well in cool moist areas where cutting heights are as low as 1 to 2 cm. While recommended for wet shade situations, it seldom provides a good lawn if the area is dry. The shallow-rooted, drought susceptible rough bluegrass will be under stress, grow less, and be much less competitive.