Best Tall Fescue Grass Seed | Jonathan Green (2024)

FAQs

Which tall fescue grass seed is best? ›

For the best tall fescue grass seed, choose the Jonathan Green Black Beauty® Original Grass Seed, which contains our elite turf-type tall fescues that are naturally darker green in color, uniform in leaf texture, will not shred when mowed, and will thrive even under adverse growing conditions.

Iron can work for all different types of grass but is especially effective if you're using Fescue or Bluegrass. It's worth knowing that iron will help just about any plant get more green, including roses, citrus trees, and even tomatoes.

Adaptable to a wide range of soils, including poorly drained areas, turf-type Tall Fescue produces dark green foliage that remains green throughout the growing season. Attributes of Tall Fescue: Grows a beautiful fine-textured lawn. Maintains a deep green color throughout the growing season.

Fall is the perfect time to establish a beautiful new tall fescue lawn. This popular grass variety adapts well to diverse environments, including damp or shady areas and colder climates. And unlike warm season varieties, fescue maintains its rich green color year round.

Tall fescue has good cold tolerance, though it can suffer from winter damage in the coldest areas of the northern United States and Canada. It can withstand hot temperatures provided it gets adequate water, but extreme heat combined with drought can kill this grass.

Hard Fescue is the "toughest" of all the fescues in that it is the most drought resistant, shade tolerant, and disease resistant than the other species. It is a clump type grass that can be grown in very adverse conditions as well as extremely shady areas, typically in the Northern regions and in higher elevations.

If the lawn does not get enough water it will turn brown and go into summer dormancy. Once the lawn turns brown from summer stress it will take heavy watering for to green back up. The secret to having a green lawn all summer long is to water on a regular schedule and keep to that schedule.

Nitrogen Fertiliser makes Grass Green Fast

Adding nitrogen through slow-release fertiliser is the easiest, safest and best way to achieve this.

When overseeding your lawn, a starter fertilizer such as Pennington UltraGreen Starter Fertilizer 22-23-4 helps promote vigorous root growth for the fast establishment of new grasses. For established lawns, Pennington UltraGreen Lawn Fertilizer 30-0-4 provides the nitrogen your lawn needs for thick, green grass.

While Kentucky bluegrass stands up to the North's coldest winters, extreme heat and sunshine can scorch or kill its leaves. Tall fescue is more tolerant of hot weather, making it best suited for transitional climate zones and cool-season regions with milder winters.

What is the difference between fescue and tall fescue grass? ›

Chewings, creeping red, and hard fescues have fine leaves and are classified as fine fescues. Conversely, turf-type tall fescue has wider leaves and is found in many lawn grass seed blends because of its versatility.

It depends on the type of grass. Kentucky bluegrass has runners that help it spread on its own. But many northern grasses are bunch-type grasses which don't spread, so seeding is needed to fill in bare spots. Perennial ryegrass and fescue are among the non-spreaders.

You should spread 5 to 6 pounds of good quality Tall Fescue seed per 1,000 sq. ft. I suggest seeding this time of year as traditionally winter is a wetter time for California. I also suggest you reseed every year in the fall to early winter.

Basically, Fescue is a cool season grass (that means it likes cooler temperatures, more appropriately, it melts in higher temperatures), so now is the time it should look good. Many covet their fescue simply because it is green year round, unlike its warm season grass counterparts that brown out in the winter.

Tall fescues generally have greater heat tolerance than other cool-season grasses, but KY-31 offers better heat and drought tolerance than many tall fescue varieties. Its cold tolerance, which is greater than that of perennial ryegrass, also provides an advantage over warm-season transition zone grasses.

Fescues are a cool-season grass, so it's best to plant its seed in early fall between mid-August and mid-October when outdoor temperatures average around 70° to 75°F. This way, the young seeds will experience less heat, stress, and disease.

While Kentucky bluegrass stands up to the North's coldest winters, extreme heat and sunshine can scorch or kill its leaves. Tall fescue is more tolerant of hot weather, making it best suited for transitional climate zones and cool-season regions with milder winters.