Facts About Fescue Grass
The fescue grasses are cool season grasses that are adapted to
the transition zone and into Canada. The fescue
species are easily seeded and include the sub species of
tall bunching grasses named tall fescue and fine shorter
fescues named creeping red, hard fescue, chewings fescue and
sheep
fescue. Fescue grass varieties are drought tolerant and thus eco friendly but Pennington takes tall fescue up another notch in the environmental ladder with the release of the
Tall Fescue Blend Smart Seed with natural microorganisms. Unlike the majority of cool
season grasses, Fescue grasses are shade
tolerant and perform well in the lower areas of the
transitions zone where the season is too hot for the other cool grasses
and in the area of the transition zone that is too cold in the
winter for the warm season grasses.
Fescue grass seed are also found in many seed blends with grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass and Ryegrass varieties. You can find information on these fescue blends in the
menu on the right here or in our online store Seedland.com.
All of the fescue grass varieties
share the same variety characteristics. The three
dominant ones being shade tolerance, staying green all
year, and having very good drought resistance.
Fine Fescues are more cold and shade tolerant than Tall
Fescue, but both are used though-out much of the Central
to Northern USA states.
Fescue grass fills a large gap in the grass field created by the climate differences that are not fully defined by zone. Fine Fescues are readily used in mixtures with the Kentucky bluegrass varieties for summer northern lawns and with the warm season grasses in winter lawns. Both Fine and Tall Fescues can remain green all year long in the cooler climates. They usually will become dormant in the areas too hot during the summer or too cold in winter and will show a paler green color at these times. Fescues
are also used in overseeding warm and cool grass lawns.
How To Grow Tall & Fine Fescue GrassYou will find below links about planting and growing fescue grass in the USA. These links are in the informational network of sites
created by Seedland.com as a service to you!
 Fine & Tall Fescue Growing Range Map -
Note:
Planting Tall Fescue in Northern colder states with temps below 10 degrees can result in winter kill on Tall Fescue. Map includes both the fine and tall fescues growing range.
Bluegrasses are more cold tolerant and may be planted further north in the USA.
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Tall fescues planted in single varieties
make early, fast growing "average" lawns and can provide a lawn of low maintenance. Tall fescue is the coarser of the lawn fescues, with a dense turf when maintained,
forms a clumping growth at the base of the grass plant, drought resistant (as cool season grasses are categorized) and is shade tolerant.
New Tall Fescue Seed Blends Varieties For Lawns & Sports Fields
The newer Turf-Type Fescue Seed Blends are more dwarf-like
in plant size, and create much more attractive lawns than do the
older varieties. They have better drought tolerance, improved
disease resistance and perform under heat better. Much changed
from the older troublesome varieties. Popular choices of
improved varieties are Rebel Shade Lawn Blend,
Rebel Brand Tall Fescue,
Mow Less Fescue Blend,
Summer Lawn,
and
Summer Lawn PLUS. See more Fescue varieties at
Seedland.com. Pennington's new Smart Seed has Myco Advantage which is a
 unique seed coating technology that reintroduces beneficial, all natural
micro-organisms into your lawn. Natural occurring soil micro-organisms can become destroyed or depleted over time, often times a result of increasing environmental stress and construction
techniques. This can result in lifeless, compacted soil. The micro-organisms in MYCO Advantage™ correct this by attaching to the emerging seed roots, helping the grass grow a denser,
deeper root system (as seen in the picture on the left here) And the result is a healthier, thicker lawn that utilizes available nutrients and fertilizer more efficiently, and requires up to 30% less water. The way nature
intended. Read more about this environmentally friendly tall fescue at
our online store Seedland.com.
NEW!! Defiance XRE Tall Fescue Blend
Defiance XRE has Rhizome spreading capability.
Read More about this exciting Fescue Blend that offers repair ability to Tall Fescue Lawns and Sports Fields. Defiance
also is naturally resistant to insects and able to recover from stress, such as playing fields or high traffic areas better than other grass varieties.
Older Tall Fescue Varieties Uses
Older
varieties of Tall fescue grass seed
are planted as pure stands in pastures. These same seeds
when planted in a fine
fescue or Kentucky bluegrass lawn, result in the different characteristics
(clumping / tall) in the pasture types being considered a
weed.
Newer turf type Tall
fescue Grass endures heavy traffic, have
been developed for higher disease resistance, insect resistance,
better blade structure, and lower mowing capabilities, and better
color making them a good choice for a premium lawn. These varieties are available in seed form, are
numerous and most often they are a blend of tall fescue varieties. A popular turf type Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend is
Rebel Tall Fescue Grass available online at
Seedland.com.
Tall fescue lawns can easily be over seeded when the lawn is thin and
start to get the bunching, clumping uneven appearance. This can be
the result of extreme heat during the summer, disease or insect
damage or other factors. The Tall Fescue is then over seeded in the
fall to get the lawn into shape before the next hot summer weather
sets in. This is a good time to add newer and better varieties
(especially in older stands) to the lawn. Several
varieties for improved lawn performance can be over seeded yearly.
The variety or varieties should be chosen by the adaptive
characteristics for the region in which you are planting.
 Red fescue is also called Creeping
red fescue and is a cool season grass used in
the northern and temperate areas.
Red fescue
is in the fine fescues category and has narrow deep green
blades. This fescue can be grown in single stands and prefers the
more shadier and cooler areas than most other cool season
grasses. Red fescue is often added to Tall Fescue, Bluegrass
and Perennial
Ryegrass mixtures and improves these mixture by increasing shade tolerance. It also has fair drought resistant qualities.
Red fescue can establish in the lawn quickly while the slower
growing bluegrass is forming. This fescue variety is a non
aggressive easily maintained grass and over-seeds quite well in the
areas of adaptation. Besides being a lawn cover it is quite
beautiful when left un-mown in a meadow or for a roadside growth
and erosion sites on slopes or hill sides. Red fescues one of the
most widely used grasses in mixtures and to overseed
cool grass lawns.
 Chewings fescue grass resembles
Tall fescue grass in growth being more upright than creeping, yet still
retaining the fine texture of the fine fescue group. The predominant use of
chewings fescue grass seed is as an addition to other grass seed mixtures. One of the most popular is the mixture of perennial rye grass and chewings fescue. The adaptations of chewings improves the predominant grasses ability
to better perform.
As with all fescue grass, chewings grows well in the
shade, is drought resistant, non-aggressive and blends well with
almost any grass. Chewings is not as wear tolerant as other
grasses of the fescues but can be mown lower and prefers to grow
on the more sandy soils of low fertility. Chewings fescue grass seed
will germinate in about fourteen days. This fescue can be mown low
at 1˝ inches making it even more popular if grown
alone or in mixtures. Over-seeds well into other lawns for
better diversity and problems solving.
 Hard fescue grass is indeed one of the
"hardiest" of the fescues. Shade and drought resistant, and
more disease resistant this fescue grows best in the
north and the higher elevations.
Hard fescue grass has a beautiful
blue-green color, and can grow in some of the most adverse of
conditions and in heavily shaded areas. Hard fescue grows in the
clump formations and may not be mown as low as the other fescues.
Hard fescue is one grass that stays green a longer period of time,
is slow growing and a low maintenance grass. Varieties of hard
fescue are being developed for extended usage and
acceptability as lawn grasses. This fescue makes an ideal
conservation, erosion, and reclamation planting in areas not
easily maintained and is the only fescue that is salt tolerant.
Using Fescue Grass For Pastures
WHY IS ENDOPHYTE FREE FESCUE REQUIRED?
Be sure and read about Tall Fescue Grass For Pastures
- You must plant an endophyte free or endophyte friendly variety to prevent health
problems (fescue toxicity) from animals grazing on fescues. Lawn
varieties are NOT endophyte free. There are now available
newer fescues that can prevent this endophyte problem. Plant
ONLY endophyte free or endophyte friendly varieties for pastures. READ ABOUT A BRAND NEW SOLUTION TO THE
ENDOPHYTE PROBLEM
MAX Q Fescue Pasture Grass with friendly endophytes!
For both Cattle & Horse pastures...
Also visit our forage website at Farmseeds.com
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