Is tall fescue bad?

Asked by: Christa Matthews

Tall fescue is considered a high-quality forage for beef producers and has been compared to orchardgrass or bromegrass for feed quality.

What is the best grass for cows to graze on?

Alfalfa– It is probably the best high quality feed for livestock and as a cash crop but it requires deep, well drained soils and high fertility for high yields. While it can be used for grazing, it is best adapted for hay or silage.

What is the difference between tall fescue and fescue?

Appearance of Tall Fescue and Fine Fescue

While tall fescue is dark green with broad, coarse blades, fine fescue has narrow, stiff blades. Fine fescue is also dark green when it’s healthy but the blade type can make it seem like an even deeper shade than tall fescue when they’re both the same height.

What is fescue grass good for?

Tall fescue is valued for its adaptability to a wide range of climates and its tolerances for cold, heat, drought and shade. In its preferred growing zones, tall fescue provides lawn owners with outstanding options for improving lawn resilience and durability.

Which is better ryegrass or fescue?

Durability. Tall fescue is more drought-resistant than perennial ryegrass because of its deeply embedded roots. It grows in full sunlight to partial shade, but cannot withstand extreme cold. Perennial rye tolerates full sun as well, but lesser shade than tall fescue.

Can I mix ryegrass with fescue?

The ryegrass would germinate and establish quicker than fescue, serving as a nurse grass. If they are mixed, don’t exceed 40% ryegrass. Two pounds of ryegrass plus three pounds of fescue equals the recommended five pounds of seed per 1000 square feet.

Which is better fescue or Bermuda grass?

Bermuda grass varieties tend to do well in the heat, while Fescue does not. Bermuda also tolerates drought better than Fescue, and that’s important to us due to the weather in recent years! A lower water requirement can also save you a bit of money on your water bill. Sunlight and shade.

Is fescue or Kentucky bluegrass better?

Rich, thick Kentucky bluegrass tolerates foot traffic and heavy use better than either hard or red fescue. However, coarse-bladed tall fescue is more tolerant of foot traffic than Kentucky bluegrass and can withstand the wear of people getting in and out of vehicles.

Is Kentucky 31 tall fescue good for cattle?

Kentucky 31 is currently primarily used for lawn and turf grass. It does have a more coarse appearance than improved types. While Kentucky 31 tall fescue has and is used extensively for livestock pasture grass, agronomists no longer recommend Kentucky 31 for livestock pastures due to the presence of endophytes.

Can you mix Kentucky bluegrass and fescue?

By mixing Kentucky Bluegrass with Tall Fescue, you get the benefits of both and reduce the negatives of each. Your lawn will thrive with moderate maintenance and watering, repair itself quickly, and remain attractive through summer heat and brisk fall temperatures.

Is Kentucky 31 same as fescue?

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.

How many pounds is an acre of tall fescue?

For seeding tall fescue alone, 12 lb of seed per acre is adequate. Tall fescue in legume mixtures should be seeded at 8 to 10 lb per acre (Table 3).

How do you tell the difference between fescue and bluegrass?

Both tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass have dark green blades but while tall fescue has thin, coarse, broad blades, the blades of Kentucky bluegrass are thin and relatively fine. Many people would describe the touch of a tall fescue lawn as “rough” or scratchy” while a Kentucky bluegrass lawn is undeniably soft.

Does tall fescue go dormant in winter?

Fescue Grasses

Fescues (both Tall and Fine Fescues) are cool-season turfgrasses that are semi-dormant during winter in our transitional climate zone. During winter, Fescue grass blades do not grow much, but the root system may continue to grow (except during the coldest weeks of winter).

Should fescue be cut back in the fall?

In climates where blue fescue is evergreen, you don’t need to cut them back in the spring. Everywhere else, the plants should be sheared back to a few inches from the ground to allow plenty of room for fresh new foliage to grow.

Does fescue come back after summer?

Fescue, as a cool-season grass, takes the summer off. Above all, don’t panic! The temperatures will go down and your grass will come back!!

Should you fertilize fescue in the winter?

The following schedule will help you maintain a consistent level of nutrients in the soil. Late Winter: Fertilize fescue lawns in late winter when soil temperatures rise to a consistent 50° in order to stimulate deep root growth. This is usually in late February/early March.

Does fescue go dormant?

Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues (creeping red fescue and hard fescue) are the first to go dormant followed by the more tolerant tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. In a lawn with a mixture of grasses (most lawns) the result is a patchy or thinning appearance as grasses go dormant at different times.

At what temperature does fescue go dormant?

50°.

Dormancy can occur in Tall Fescue affecting growth when temperatures drop below 50°. In other words, Tall Fescue will stop growing when dormancy occurs. Also be aware frost, snow and the recent sub-freezing temperatures can damage your Tall Fescue grass.

What causes fescue grass to yellow?

There are many reasons why your Fescue grass might turn yellow, but some of the most common causes are overwatering, under watering, fertilizer burn, dog urine spots, hot weather, drought, fungus, and iron deficiency.

Why is my fescue not green?

Tall fescue comes out of dormancy differently than bluegrass, which differs from zoysia. Even within a species, say tall fescue, different varieties will come out of dormancy at different times. Not all grasses are the same, so they get green at differing times.

Why is my fescue dying?

There are a few different reasons your tall fescue lawn may be going brown or declining this time of year—the most common are related to drought stress, soils that are too wet, or brown patch disease.