Fescue…The Year Round Green Grass (2024)

FAQs

Does fescue grass stay green all year? ›

Fescues are known for not only their drought tolerance, but also their shade tolerance, which makes Fescue a desirable species of grass because of its suitability to different conditions. Fescue grasses possess the ability to stay green all year long as well, which only adds to their desirabilty as a turfgrass species.

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 is a seed grass, meaning it grows from seed instead of rhizomes or stolons. It's classified as a “cool-season” grass, which means it grows best in the spring and fall. Tall fescue is a perennial, so it will come back year after year. It's often used in lawns because it's very tolerant of heat and drought.

During that time, Fescue stores food (carbs) that will help it survive the heat of summer. As the soil temperature rises in late May to early June, fescue growth slows and it's important to not do anything to stimulate growth during that time.

Continue mowing as needed until the weather warms closer to the spring. Proper mowing of Fescue throughout the winter will help prevent weeds such as Poa annua, and aid younger grass development.

Watering your lawn once per week deeply is better than frequent shallow watering. Use preventative fungicides. Always read and follow label directions. Use a fungicide labeled to prevent and eliminate brown patch fungus from fescue lawns.

Most modern-day course owners prefer Bermuda Grass or Bentgrass on the greens. The combination of these two types of grass is used with a logic behind them. Bermuda Grass grows well in Southern climates, while for Northern Climates, Bentgrass is excellent.

The cool-season ryegrass keeps winter lawns green. When warm temperatures return, ryegrass dies out and lets your lush Bermudagrass take center stage. Ryegrasses germinate quickly to add green color fast.

Cool season lawns, like tall Fescue, stay green through the cooler months and warm-season grasses go into dormancy and turn a light brown color. Warm-season grasses, like Zoysia, Bermuda and St. Augustine, thrive in the heat.

The downfall to grazing or feeding tall fescue is the risk of fescue toxicosis caused from plants infected with an endophytic fungal species, such as Neotyphodium coenophialum and Epichloë coenophiala, which lives within plant tissue and aids to improve the tolerance and pest resistance of the plant, but also produces ...

Will fescue reseed itself? ›

Why won't fescue repair itself? Tall and fine fescues are bunch-type grasses, which don't have runners to produce new plants as warm-season grasses do. Bunch-type grasses must be overseeded to repair bare patches, and the best time for overseeding fescue is in the fall.

Though tall fescue will tolerate some periods of hot temperatures, it cannot handle extended periods of soil temperatures that rise above 90 degrees. When soil temperatures stay above 90 degrees, tall fescue begins to go dormant, shutting down, and turning brown to tolerate the hot temperatures.

Apply 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet in late winter. Then, switch to a fertilizer with slow-release nitrogen and apply 1.5 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet in mid-spring and again in early fall.

Frost or heavy snow can cause Fescue to also turn brown. When Fescue is coated in frost, its cells can become brittle, and the turf can get easily damaged if any pressure is put on the lawn. Therefore, it is imperative for foot traffic and lawnmowers to stay off the lawn until it can thaw out.

In a typical winter, fescue will stop growing in late November to early December. While never losing all its green color, fescue will gradually turn to a dingy green starting sometime in December and remain off-color through February.

If properly cared for, fescue grass will look lush during the cool season, but this vibrant green comes with a caveat: If it gets really cold before the fescue can prepare, the lush growth can freeze. Sometimes it happens in patches and sometimes the whole lawn will turn yellow.

The optimal temperature for tall fescue to germinate is between 59-72 degrees F. Seed applied to lawns in the cold winter months will remain inactive until soils begin to warm to these temperatures. For optimal germination, as with traditional seeding, soil to seed contact is critical.