I wrote about tall fescue a few weeks ago, but since the time for planting it is about here, I wanted to talk about it a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fescue is commonly used for pastures and lawn in our climate because it is able to handle the cold well. Fescue is a cool season grass, which means that it does best in the spring and fall once the weather has cooled off. Fescue does not do as well in the summer because it doesn\u2019t like the heat. In May this year some of the fescue suffered because we had three weeks with no rain and temperatures in the 90s. Some folks\u2019 lawns developed brown patches after that, but I expect that in most of those situations the fescue will be able to grow back out this fall and winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because fescue is a perennial cool season grass, it\u2019s best to plant it in mid-September. It can be planted from seed, not sod. Fescue also has good drought resistance because it has deep roots. The deep roots allow it to pull up nutrients and moisture from deeper in the soil profile. Fescue is one of the most shade tolerant grasses out there. That makes it good for our area because of all the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fescue does best if it\u2019s cut at three or more inches. That means that it won\u2019t be trim like the Masters in Augusta, but it\u2019s best for the plant. The same goes for pasture that\u2019s being grazed. There is a saying that, \u2018Grass grows grass.\u2019 Meaning that if you want a hay crop or pasture to grow out, there needs to be some grass left for it to grow from. If the grass is cut or grazed too low, fescue will struggle and not be able to grow out as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Low pH is a common challenge when trying to grow grass, especially if it\u2019s a space that was recently covered by trees. A soil test will tell you what the pH of your soil is and how much lime is needed to adjust it. An ideal pH for growing grass is 6 \u2013 6.5. It\u2019s best to add lime before planting grass because lime can take 3-6 months before it\u2019s fully effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a couple of other grass options for lawns in our area besides fescue, but fescue is often the easiest. Zoysiagrass can be done as well, but it must be grown from sod for most varieties. There is a variety of centipede grass called Tifblair centipedegrass that is also adapted to our climate. Zoysiagrass and centipedegrass would need to be planted in the spring because they are warm season grasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n