Tall Fescue Lawns

 

Description

Tall Fescue lawns have unique qualities that make them desirable, they are moderately shade tolerant, have fast germination and rapid establishment after planting and are adaptable to a wide range of of soil and climate conditions. An additional plus is that they are tolerant to high traffic conditions. Tall Fescue lawns are often used in blends or seed mixes with other lawn varieties. Tall Fescues grow in clumps, or bunches. The close spacing between the clumps force the fescue to grow upright.

Tall fescues ;awns have three predominant traits that make them popular, shade tolerance (Fine fescues more so then the tall), drought resistance and staying green all year, The additional benefit of making them easy to establish via seed make Tall Fescue a popular choice in a broad region of the U.S. A well kept fescue lawn that is well established is a great looking, moderate maintenance lawn.

tall fescue
Tall Fescue Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species . Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln.

Characteristics:

Traffic Tolerance High Traffic Tolerance
Type Cool Season Grass
Acidity PH 5.5-6.5
Maintenance High, A fast Grower!
Fertilizer Commercially Available Lawn Fertilizers
Growth Rate Slow
Light: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Watering Regular Watering (Do not Over water)
Mowing Height  2-3″
Propogation  Seed
Salt Tolerance Moderate
Best USDA Zones 4-5-6-7

USDA Info on Tall Fescue

Tall Fescue lawns are probably one of the most common lawns. When properly cared for, they can make showcase style lawns. Combined with their tolerance for traffic, they make an excellent lawn choice, particularly if you have children that will be playing on your lawn.

You’ll find these lawns throughout most of the USDA zones. Tall Fescue lawns thrive best in zones four through seven. Tall Fescue is no drought tolerant so does require regular watering (refer to the chart above). Fescues are cool season grasses so may require additional watering during the peak summer months.

Planting and over seeding of Fescue lawns is generally done during early fall. Fescues are typically fast germinators and will quickly establish themselves before first frost in most zones.