Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
Muraina grass is grown in zones 9-12, which does not overlap with Kentucky's zone range (6a-7b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Muraina Grass is hardy to zone 9, and the warmest ground in Kentucky is zone 7 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Kentucky winter. To grow it here, grow muraina grass in an earth-sheltered greenhouse — its modeled 2.5-zone lift covers this gap.
An earth-sheltered greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 9-12 (plant) against 6-7 (Kentucky). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['earth_sheltered'] (+2.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Muraina Grass in Kentucky — the short answer
Muraina Grass in Kentucky: grown in zones 9–12, full sun, against a state median of ~221 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 9-12
- Not verified
- Kentucky zones
- 6a-7b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 27 - Apr 2 – Nov 4 - Nov 10
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 195 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Kentucky spans zones 6a-7b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score muraina grass against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
Kentucky is not one climate
A single Kentucky answer averages 120 counties whose growing seasons are 50 days apart — from 195 frost-free days in Greenup County to 245 in Jefferson County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what muraina grass can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 120 counties runs 216–227 days, with a median of 221 days — a 50-day span end to end.
Measured across 120 Kentucky counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where Muraina Grass Stands in Kentucky
Muraina Grass is rated for zones 9–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 20 to 30°F. No Kentucky county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Kentucky winters, not about muraina grass.
Below the zone 9 floor
120 counties
- Anderson County · zone 6b
- Bath County · zone 6b
- Boone County · zone 6b
3 of 120 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Muraina Grass Needs
- USDA Zones: 9-12
- Frost-Free Days: 175+
- Sun: Full Sun
Kentucky Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 4 - Nov 10
- Annual Rainfall: 42-52 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Limestone-derived
Plant Zone Range (zones 9-12)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Muraina Grass in Kentucky
The frost window
Across Kentucky, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 4 and Nov 10 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 216-day window you can count on — up to 228 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Kentucky runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for muraina grass, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether muraina grass is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Kentucky; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Greenup County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
Muraina Grass is grown in zones 9–12; Kentucky runs zones 6a-7b, outside that range. It is grown as a summer crop, so season length decides it here. Kentucky's typical season runs ~221 frost-free days against the ~175 muraina grass needs.
Frost-free days
Muraina Grass wants 175+ frost-free days; a typical Kentucky site sees ~221 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Muraina Grass tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4-7) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Kentucky. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4.5 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Kentucky soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
Your land, not the state average
Kentucky's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Muraina Grass needs about 19 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how muraina grass performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Kentucky soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant muraina grass for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before muraina grass goes in. What follows is Kentucky’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Kentucky — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Kentucky — 19,166 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 219 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Kentucky carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Kentucky
Severity Distribution
across Kentucky
Highest-Severity Sites
Know Before You Grow
- •Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
- •TRI facilities report what they release. Check the wind — downwind beds catch more of it.
- •Near a brownfield, a raised bed of imported, lab-tested soil lowers contact with the ground; it does not remove it.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Muraina Grass in Kentucky
The zone range tells you where muraina grass is grown — but Kentucky growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Bluegrass region
High humidity promotes fungal diseases
Karst topography creates drainage unpredictability
Growing muraina grass here specifically
Muraina Grass needs pH 4.0–7.0; Kentucky's dominant silt loam soils may or may not deliver that, so your parcel's SSURGO map unit is the real test.
Start with a soil test on your own ground and adjust pH and texture to fit muraina grass's 4.0–7.0 range. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kentucky grower, not just muraina grass — is covered on the Kentucky growing guide.
Timing shifts within Kentucky
Kentucky isn't one climate. In Greenup County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 13 — roughly 13 days later than the recorded state median — so plant muraina grass to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Muraina Grass needs about 175 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Greenup County — Kentucky’s shortest season at 195 frost-free days — clears that by 20 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Kentucky. What varies is your own parcel.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Muraina Grass's 175-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Kentucky Cooperative Extension
For Kentucky-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for muraina grass, the canonical source is University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Muraina Grass native to Kentucky?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Muraina Grass as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Kentucky's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Kentucky natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Kentucky growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Kentucky and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Muraina Grass in Kentucky
When can I plant Muraina Grass in Kentucky?
Kentucky's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 4 and Nov 10 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Muraina Grass, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Kentucky and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Muraina Grass grown in across Kentucky?
Kentucky spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Muraina Grass is listed for zones 9-12, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in Kentucky where this page can call outdoor growing reliable. A parcel report resolves your own address's zone.
How many frost-free days does a typical Kentucky site have?
A typical Kentucky site sees ~221 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Muraina Grass needs 175+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Greenup, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Muraina Grass native to Kentucky?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Muraina Grass as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Kentucky's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Kentucky natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Muraina Grass in Kentucky?
Muraina Grass tolerates pH 4-7 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Kentucky site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Muraina Grass actually grow on my specific land in Kentucky?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores muraina grass against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Kentucky
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores muraina grass against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Kentucky muraina grass averages can't show:
We read public map data around Kentucky — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Kentucky muraina grass average
Explore More
Growing guides for muraina grass
Explore Kentucky county by county
Kentucky carries 120 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for muraina grass there:
Where else muraina grass grows
Muraina Grass's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Kentucky in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Kentucky
Kentucky has a growing page for 889 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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