Fescue Grass Seed
Originally maintained as a pasture grass in England, tall fescue now covers over 37 million square acres in the United States. This grass type became popular as farmers and homeowners alike began planting tall fescue blends to create beautiful green lawns.
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17 PointsFescue
Fescue Grass
As you prepare to plant your seeds, here are some things you should know about fescue grass:
| Cool-season grass | - It grows well in northern regions and shaded areas |
| Drought-tolerant | - Fescue requires little water maintenance and upkeep |
| Dethatching | - It rarely needs dethatching |
| Browning | - Fescues are some of the most heat-tolerant cool-season grasses |
| Overseeding | - Can be paired with other cool-season species |
Fescue
Different Types of Fescue Grass
There are two main types of fescue (tall and fine) that create five different varieties overall: turf-type tall fescue, sheep, creeping red, chewings, and hard.
Growing Conditions
The best time to plant tall fescue lawns is during the fall and spring since these months usually are cooler and the influx of rain helps the seedlings germinate.
Germination usually happens in 10-15 days. After that, allow the seeds to grow for a couple of weeks before you try to mow your lawn.
Once it’s grown and is ready to mow, set your mower to 2” -3” during the cooler months and 3” -4” during the hot, dry months to prevent burning.
Tall fescue may go dormant (i.e., turns brown) to preserve the plant’s energy during periods of heat and drought.
Sheep fescue is a dark green grass that naturally bunches. It is hearty and can outlive other cool-season grasses. In large groupings, sheep fescue sometimes has a slight grey or blue tint depending on the variety and combination.
Growing Conditions
Given its durability and strength, sheep fescue grows well in various conditions.
As sheep fescue goes dormant in hot weather, you may find weeds sprouting in between bunches.
Ensure you get rid of the weeds before the cooler months come around. Otherwise, they will kill your healthy sheep fescue.
You can mow your fescue lawn shorter than tall fescues–2” all year round.
Although the dominant color is dark green, the tips of some blades have a natural red color, giving it the name red fescue.
Growing Conditions
Although the previous fescue seeds do well in shaded areas, creeping red fescue thrives in shaded regions.
Creeping red fescue grows faster than tall fescue and other fine fescue grasses, making it a great seed to blend with since it can hold the soil down and give other grasses time to germinate.
It’s essential to overseed with creeping red fescue because it is the first kind of fescue to go dormant, since its roots stay near the surface.
Chewings fescue is a bit more fragile than other fescues, so it’s not the best choice for high-traffic areas. However, chewings fescue grows well on sandy, poor-quality soils.
Growing Conditions
When it comes to growing conditions, chewings fescue shares many of the same traits as the other fine fescues. It can handle poor soils, shade, and occasional drought.
This type of fine fescue is more heat tolerant than the other fine varieties. It also happens to be more salt, drought, and disease tolerant. Additionally, hard fescue quickly grows in poor soils (like sand) or under heavy shade.
Growing Conditions
When you plant hard fescue, you want to give it time to germinate, so limit foot traffic and harsh conditions. The germination process usually takes 10-15 days, but there is hardly any maintenance once it roots.
All you need for hard fescue is the occasional mowing and watering to keep it out of dormancy.
Beautify Your Lawn With a Variety of Fescue Grass Seed
Fescue grass is a highly durable grass that is great for most climates in the United States. Whether you deal with cold or warm temperatures, fescue grass uses its deep root system to find nutrients and water to stay alive.
However, be aware that fescue browns in climates that get extremely hot. And, this grass type requires overseeding every 2-3 years for best results.
Whether you want to plant one type of fescue or use a fescue grass seed blend specifically made for your region, you can find the highest quality seed at Nature’s Seed. Get your seed today and notice the difference in your lawn.