Is Tall Fescue The Best Cool Season Grass Type?
Vložit
- čas přidán 17. 07. 2024
- In this video I give you some thoughts on whether or not tall fescue might be the best cool season grass type. There are pros and cons to this grass type but with my kentucky bluegrass going dormant I have noticed the tall fescue is still looking good, and even with very minimal water.
Grass Seed I Use - ryanknorrlawncare.com/product...
Fall Lawn Renovation 2017 Playlist - www.youtube.comwww.yo...
Learn something from this video and want to help support me directly?
Join Our Community - / ryanknorrlawncare
My Merch Store - bit.ly/2LRDPYF
Paypal - www.paypal.me/ryanknorr
My Podcast - bit.ly/2FOo5ak
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs below. An affiliate advertising program is designed to provide a means for sites and creators to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com or other product sites. I receive a small commission through these links.
~~Products and Equipment I use in my lawn can be found here www.amazon.com/shop/ryanknorrtv ~~
~~Great Place to Purchase Lawn Products - shrsl.com/129zc ~~
~~Swardman Reel Mower www.swardman.com - Use the Promo Code “ryanknorr” ~~
~~Sprayer I use - Sprayers Plus 105Ex
www.sprayers-plus.com/product... - Get free shipping with code GOELECTRIC ~~
~~Kujo Yard Shoes Promo Code - Save 10% on a pair of shoes www.kujoyardwear.com?promo=10ryanknorr ~~
~~Notice my MN sports hats/sweatshirts? Grab your favorite team gear here - shrsl.com/19iqh ~~
-Find me on Social Media-
/ ryanknorrlawncare
/ ryanknorr
www.youtube.comwww.you... (My Music, Vlogs, etc)
Want to learn how I became a lawn care youtuber? - • The Ryan Knorr Lawn Ca...
Learn how to renovate your lawn from start to finish - www.youtube.comwww.yo... - Jak na to + styl
Need help with your lawn? Check out my FREE Guide - ryanknorrlawncare.com/simplelawnguide/
For those asking about grass seed, here’s what I recommend - ryanknorrlawncare.com/product-category/grass-seed/
Would you provide a link to the tool you suggest for moving Kentucky bluegrass plugs from one spot on my yard to bare spots? I can’t find that video you created. Thank you for all you do helping others.
I really like how dark green my tall fescue gets..I also have a large yard without irrigation, which makes fescue a better option.
Thank you! I’ve been on the fence about grass types. After watching several videos this was by far the most informative and practical video I’ve seen. I appreciate the help.
Always like your videos. Great job speaking and with the production/video editing.
I'm with you, I think fescue looks like poux poux mixed into kbg/rye. It looks good by itself, but not mixed with less narrow bladed varieties.
Now that... Is a snazzy looking shirt. Like you said, fescue is a great grass type for drought resistance. Great video Ryan.
I've got a whole new lawn wardrobe this year. :)
Good information on the type of seed. I also enjoyed UTAH. Thank you RYAN
I greatly appreciate these videos. Live just north of Indianapolis above the transition zone but probably not as extreme as Iowa. My lawn is primarily blue grass and that makes sense for the back of the house which faces west, getting the afternoon sun with no shade. I have a struggle with my front lawn, which primarily receives full sun most of the day but there are sections close to the house and under two relatively mature oak trees near the street that get as little as a few hours of sun a day, especially in the spring and fall. The blue grass is struggling in those spots and it is getting worse, thinning and just looking sickly while the rest of the lawn is thick and beautiful. This was less of an issue when the trees were young. Love the blue grass, especially the self-healing but have to weigh my options here. As much as I would love a close cut front lawn, I think my best option for the deep shade is fescue ... and that would either mean having a mix of the existing KBG and fescue or completely starting over with fescue.
I have fescue in the front and it take a lot of love to keep it full and lush. Heat and drought in Tennessee can really take its toll on the grass. Doesn’t take as much water as KBG, but still needs a morning sprinkle and some milorganite to be deep green year round. My backyard is another story. Haven’t reclaimed that space yet from the previous home owner.
Spring '20 I overseeded my lawn with Scotts Thick'r Lawn Sun & Shade mix (Bluegrass and Ryegrass) and loved the deep greenish blue color. At the time I didn't know much about the differences of all the grass types so I aerated in the fall and overseeded with Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue. This Spring '21 I've noticed dark green areas where I used the Sun & Shade mix heavy and light green areas where the fescue took off as the majority. You can definitely tell the difference when they're next to each other. Going forward I will be using TTTF since I can get the deeper green color with the drought tolerance.
Well said and understood.
I’ve planted my about two weeks ago. Some came up but I’m hoping all will. Thanks
Hi Ryan, I live in the STL area and had KBG for many years and it looks amazing in the spring/fall time-frame. However it was a real struggle keeping it that way through the warmer months. Also, the trees grew larger so more shade was introduced, bought a couple dogs, kids trampoline, you name it. The KBG just didn't fare well. I killed it a few years ago seeding with TTTF and blended with other seed, 65%, 25% KBG and rest Creeping Red/Hard Fescue. This mix has really worked great for me. Not that great blueish green during part of the year, but not weak in the summer either. It's worked well for me so far. The TTF has some lateral spread but not like KBG. I'm happy overall making the change and is easier to stay on top of. Oh and I do have a sprinkler systems. Just thought I'd comment. Love watching the channel.
Thanks for sharing!
Just got my tall fescue planted 2 weeks ago and its growing like crazy! The color is a beautiful forest/jungle green. It is super thin bladed right now and is mixed 90% tall fescue, 10% KBG. I got my seed from seed superstore and have been very happy!
Josh Burleson how look your fescue now??
It has been 4 or 5 years since this post. How has it gone with your 90% TF/ 10% KBG? Was it a good choice for your yard? Any negatives? What were the positives? I am about to put 90/10 down on my .67 acre yard with a lot of trees. Very curious how it went for you and if you recommend it. Thanks.
@@StevenLeeperThe first two years were very good. Regular watering schedule and reseeding helped. The only issue is... I have dogs that take over the backyard. It's been challenging to keep the yard looking great with them ripping it up every season.
On the other hand, the front yard is still pretty strong and I haven't done much to it the past two seasons.
Every once and a while (usually spring) moles will ravage through the front yard but not beyond repair typically.
Years 2-3 I used a 80 fescue/20 KBG blend that seemed to take well too. I haven't reseeded at all this year and am now regretting the destruction of the backyard 😂
Overall I'm very happy with the results I got. If you have areas that get less than 4 hours of direct sunlight, I would definitely look into a shade grass blend as well.
Hope this helps! 🤙
My Fescu holds up well. One of the best looking grasses on the Block with different varieties. Just dont like the clumps and does need to be reseeded. But it works well for beginners and unskilled.
I use to have KBG. I always liked the thinner blades, but it seems to go to dormancy quicker, and is slower to wake then TTTF. So, I have all TTTF now, and it's pretty hardy. I like it too because I do like to keep it tall for water conservation. I guess if I had an irrigation system I'd probably have a KBG lawn. As always Ryan, your videos are very very informative. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing. I scraped out my back yard and had lawn dr deep seed it. The yard has started to grow and I thought it was crab grass. It’s fescue and it’s interesting how it’s populating in clumps. Still have bald spots in the yard but it’s much better than it was.
I got mix of fine fescue and KBG looks great blends well. except in long dry periods kbg shows its grayish blue color because fescue does not need as much water
Kbg here in the Midwest has been been high maintenance this July. But with only 2000 sq ft it was manageable with deep waterings twice a week and a high cut. Took advantage of some lower temps last week and hit it with ringer and it looks 10/10. This year I’ve been hammering the lawn with humic and kelp to drive the roots for better draught resistance, and either my irrigation practices are better or it has worked, either way when kbg looks good, it looks good! This week back into the 90’s, only plus is 1x week mowings as opposed to 3x... keep up the good work and kill those nasty fescue clumps!
Yep, midwest here as well and since I have a big yard with no irrigation, it's tough. However, in a month or so I'll be hopefully looking at some recovery and I agree, when bluegrass is looking good it just plain looks good.
After this drought this year I am going with tttf. I am moving and think it will stand up better to this heat in July.
My grass was looking pretty good and I figured if we were going to get a "rainy" season here my grass would do ok. Well, I cut down the water by like 5 minutes with the same 3 waterings per week and I was not able to keep it green. Granted, i only put down Weed and feed, did not aerate or put down Ironite, but after watching your videos I realized that I probably have Bluegrass and some spots of Tall Fescue. We had two female Cottonwood trees that we cut last year and it's been harder to maintain our grass to stay green since we lost 90% of our shade, so I may consider going to tall fescue. Love your videos, and though I still feel pretty noobish watching your content gives me motivation to keep the good fight and get my lawn looking good eventually lol
Definitely agree with you, fescue is a nice grass to have if it's standalone but definitely a pain when mixed in bluegrass!
so i shouldn’t get a blend of both tttf and bluegrass?
if your referring to the patches of fescue then i understand but i was thinking about overseeing with a blue grass/fescue blend
Fescue, perennial Rye and KBG is the Pennsylvania blend. that's all over the state and can look nice.
You have made my decision so much easier, I'm going to try the RTF Tall Fescue. If i don't like it, i will start all over again maybe next year.
Thank you!!!
Love your videos
Glad to help!
How did this work out for you. I’m seriously considering RTF this season. I need a self-healing lawn with great drought resistance... and I mow tall. Sounds like a perfect marriage but I can’t find enough ppl that have given it a try.
I see people mentioning clumping with tall fescue. Does (did) the RTF Tall Fescue work ok and not clump?
I moved to Tennessee last year from Florida. Fescue is new to me but I like it much more than St. Augustine. Our house is a new build so there was no lawn, just weeds. Our lawn has clay soil and very rich. Lots of rain where we live, around 50 inches a year. We aerated and seeded, using Kentucky 31 Fescue in October. Kind of late but it came in great. Our lawn was green the whole winter. I over seeded this spring twice. I just want to get it thick and then get the weeds out. It looks real nice, I’ll post a video in a day or so. I use a wheelchair and this grass handles me rolling over it pretty well.
Where did you but the seed from?
I’ve had KBG for years, and every summer it would brown out because my front yard gets 8+ hours of sun, and I didn’t want a $500 water bill. After watching Pete from GCI Turf’s videos, I killed off my KBG front lawn and laid down a blend of 85% TTTF with 15% KBG sod. My lawn looks the best it has ever looked in the summer. I cut it at 4.25 inches. TTTF roots way deeper than KBG which makes it so drought tolerant. I still have KBG in my back yard as it gets more shade, and I cut it at 2” so I get my low cut fix lol. If you get over 8 hours of sun, go with TTTF!
That sounds like a great way to adapt. My backyard is 14-16 hours of sun at peak summer! It's insane how hot it is back there.
What the heck is TTTFI
Tall fescue???
Turf Type Tall Fescue. It’s not the old school crabgrass looking Fescue. It has a thinner blade and a nice dark green color. Much easier to maintain than KBG.
turf type tall fescue
Sub freezing in Missouri for weeks on end this past winter...my Titan Rx stayed dark green and thick
Thanks for the tips.
Hi Ryan
I live in St.louis Mo. The tall Fescue works best in my area, I did use 5 star
and sometimes they sneak K31 in it
that's why I only use one type fescue jaguar' cost 110 for 50 BL.
Hello, this is now I am, we have 38c °, very warm 👿and on my lawn the sun shines all day, nor does it irrigate bad enough and some of my places start to dry. I also do a complete reconstruction of my lawn, I go to this Barenbrug Water saver.Good luck 👍.. Marko Slovakia.
Marko I hope you'll read this!
Am in Macedonia and just wanted to seed Barenbrug dry and strong. Can you update how is your lawn after few years now?
Thank you very much!
Vlado, Macedonia
Haha at the end, we have the same text message notification ring tone! Also, Tall Fescue lawn guy here. You pointed out some great pros and cons regarding TF. The spot you have actually looked pretty nice compared to the majority of mine here in NW Oklahoma. We have had way too much heat since the end of April so TF lawns around here have pretty much went dormant or died. We
really haven't seen a high temp of less than 85 degrees since mid spring and cool season grasses usually start the process of dormancy at 85 max It's always an up hill battle managing a cool season grass around here, but the challenge is what keeps me going. I enjoy the being in the lawn so perhaps I am sabotaging myself for the experience! LOL. I personally say go with a turf type you want. I know that is exactly what you are doing! I know you enjoy the thrill of achieving the perfect lawn and there is nothing wrong with that!
Very well said. I can imagine it would be extremely difficult to have cool season where you are and that kind of heat. I like challenges as well but sometimes it feels like a losing battle and I get a bit frustrated at those times. However, it's all a process and I understand it, but being a perfectionist gets the best of me. Glad to chat about these things though and I'm surprised so many people love talking lawns. I'm still blown away by it!
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care, I totally understand the perfectionist side of things. It drives me crazy as well. The madness keeps me on my toes. I just wished I had the discipline to document it like you and other LawnTubers.
How much time do you spend on your lawn per week?
Hey Toby, do you plan on doing videos about your lawn?
I'm new to this whole grass thing. Honestly I was thinking of just setting it all on fire but I had a recent change of heart. I just bought a bag of Jonathan Greene Black Beauty and I'm in the process of killing off the salad growing in my yard. Thanks to you and the LCN it now seems very possible to grow a banging looking lawn, thanks!
Glad to help!
Morse, wondering how the Johnathan Greene Black Beauty worked out for you. It was recommended to me also here in coastal NJ
Great video ryan, there has been a lot of talk about reseeding in the lawn community, glad you covered this!
I was torn between with which to use for my lawn renovation, KBG or TTTF. Being in Minnesota, KBG does much better than TTTF in very cold climates. I also have heavy clay soil so if I water just a little bit, my KBG stays green and doesn't go dormant in the summer. I personally like the way KBG aggressively spreads vs the bunch style TTTF which generally does not. Lastly, from reading on many websites and forums, most don't recommend to mix KBG with TTTF. Most state that the bunch style of the tall fescue stands out significantly in the KBG and therefore doesn't blend well like other grass types. Depending upon your situation, I'd have no problem growing a lawn of either KBG or TTTF, but I definitely would avoid mixing them together. But, for me, I don't like blending different grass types together. I don't like my lawn blades looking different amongst each other or having different shades of green. I realize blending can be very beneficial for all the obvious reasons, but I personally, hate the look. It's my main reason for doing my lawn renovation. I wanted a 100% KBG lawn. I choose Seed Superstore's SS1100 KBG Blend (Award, Bewitched, and Midnight).
I live just north of the cities and TTTF does way better for me than KBG. I do not have an irrigation system and am in the Anoka sand plain, so much more sandy soil that dries out faster. The biggest factor of TTTF is the root system! Very deep roots and when I mow at 4 inchs during during the summer my lawn will stay green even with maybe a 1 inch of water a week and if there is going to be a dry spell I just won't mow, it might get a little shaggy, but it stays green and healthy. Even when I would try and water extra when I started with KBG it would always start to "gray" before browning really quickly in the summer heat. I aerate and over seed every fall anyways, so TTTF wins in this section too because it germinates so quickly. TTTF requires way less maintenance and way less $$$ (money, fertilizer and KBG seed is super pricey). The Root system to me is the game changer, if they can ever engineer a KBG that has a deeper root system than that would be amazing, but right now TTTF works way better in my sandy soil.
@@alexsmith3463 good info. I plan on overseeding my lawn with 90/10 TTTF to KBG. Some people say it will not look good as TTTF clumps, but a lot of the new and improved varieties tiller out more than old TTTF that clumps and looks bad in an existing grass that is thinner bladed.
@@GregAspenson I agree, I keep searching and find higher quality TTTF seed. I have a huge spruce in my backyard and even though it drops needles and shades my lawn, I don't want to get ride of it. The fescue is the only seed that grows and fills fall around it. Again, the Tall Fescue root system is the game changer, it performs better in dry heat, recovers fast and can handle shade way better than KBG.
im in SoCal. Fescue is everywhere. my yard used to be all fescue however there was bermuda before they laid sod. now i have a blend of the two, and honestly i like the bermuda more. fescue clumps and grows these weird mound that turn into ankle breakers.
Fescue is a really eye sore in my yard since it's not mixed well but more in clumps.
Turf type tall fescue is amazing....
It's a good choice, but I view it more as a transitional grass, not a cool season
I'm i n Cincinnati Oh. and have tall fescue that I have been cutting at 4 inches since the 1st week of May. Put down fert March 6 and June 6 and it's still looking pretty nice and green for the 1st week of August. I don't water but I think starting early cutting tall and often helps those roots get established.
That's pretty good without any extra watering .
Hi Ryan. There is a Red Fescue which is a creeping variety. I have not had any experience with it but it may be an option for you.
Lawns are hard to maintain if they are grown in climates which have a cold winter and hot summer. Last summer my fescue lawn struggled due to the very dry summer that we had even though I was watering constantly. Fortunately I received a good drop of rain in time which helped it to recover. If that didn’t happen I suspect I would have lots of brown patches. So fescue is not totally drought proof but can tolerate the heat to some extent.
wow sure glad I saw this before i decided on bluegrass fescue it is
5:43 looks awesome--got grass stains on my brand new WHITE JE ANS just watching your vid!
Hey Ryan, My lawn is a mix of whatever was here over many years and not very good. I'm overseeding with a medium blade fescue and 4% bluegrass (Scotts Heat Tolerant Blue Mix) as my first choice. Last year I used some Pennington fescue for reduced watering in one section of lawn and it looks much better than the dying weed-patch infested by the neighbors neglect and the large pine trees that were here for decades.. I watch your channel and some on Bermuda just for a variety of perspectives on lawncare on a budget (I like BYD) because the products & services are expensive.
The only thing I dislike on TTTF is the need to seed it regularly because of its minimal spreading. Its rugged, beautiful, and otherwise pretty great!
They have some Rhizomatous Tall Fescue now that spreads well. Check out Barenbrug Turf Saver RTF.
@@thomassullivan1207 interesting I like it, but its still easier for us to use KBG/Rye/Creeping fescue mix up here
I have a cold season mix kbg rye red fescue and we got loads of rain this year. I could not keep it cut short enough and lost some grass because it was too wet. The roots are too shallow and my zero turn just rips up spots. I am over seeding the front with Black Beauty Ultra to mix in some fescue for the deep roots. Getting my irrigation together and need to kill the invasive grasses with Tenacity. I have patches of nimblewill that I can’t wait to terminate. Problem is it won’t stop raining long enough to get out and spray. I just hit the front with AIR8 and RGS to help open up the soil.
I have a 50% KBG/50% TTTF lawn that I planted last year in eastern North Dakota. I have loved it so far. I haven't watered since the beginning of spring and its still plenty green currently. I like saving money by not needing to water to keep a dominating lawn. The modern species of TTTF blend fairly well with KBG, plus I get the self filling from the KBG. I think its the best of both worlds.
I am near NW of the Twin Cities. How does your TTTF handle the winters? I like KBG, but I really like the look of the Tall Fescues and how little water need compared to KBG as well, I enjoy a tall grass look in the lawn, but I keep reading Tall Fescue doesn't handle winter that well in MN.
Sounds like a great thing. Send me a photo at theryanknorr@gmail.com if you get a chance. I'd like to see it.
It saw one winter so far, and handled it well, and I'm probably a bit further North than you. It needed a couple waters to green up since early spring was dry here. I also had fungus problems this summer, but I think everyone did. I will be cutting it a bit shorter this fall to try and help with fungus next spring, I think I left it too long at 3.25" in late fall.
Hey @android4949 I know this is an old comment but just wondering if there were any noticeable clumps of TTTF in your mixed lawn? I’m considering doing a blend but I worry about how nice a blend of TTTF and KBG will look..
this is off topic - however a few major irrigation brands came out with smart water timers - similar capabilities to the rachio meter for inground irrigation systems
My lawn is super green as if it's spring time due to frequent thunderstorm in NYC. I also installed a water barrel to capture rain and reuse during dry days. I installed an overflow which I usually water the areas that r drying out. So far so good.
Sounds like a great plan. We have some major heat about to hit again. :(
Mixtures always work best for me, (here in SE Michigan), especially the self-repair effect of kbg. In the end...do what your gut tells you brotha. Looking forward to your next chapter👍.
I'm still a bluegrass/ryegrass guy at heart. However I did want to share these thoughts to give little more info to those who are specifically wanting to have a nicer yard in the summer. I think that's the main thing we're dealing with now is too many stretches of extreme heat.
Kevin Dowe I'm in lansing how does the tall fescue hold up over winter. I'm trying to decide what to over seed with. I have a bluegrass/rye grass mix but am really leaning towards overseeing with tall fescue. Plus the price difference is quite substantial.
kendog0731 I didn't stick with it long. The transition to fescue was taking too long. I'm in Redford and the kbg mix has been most beneficial for me.
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care I completely understand, the dormancy look is DEPRESSING!
Kevin Dowe thanks I have about a week to decide I think I'm leaning kgb. I do like the lower cut look in fall you get with kbg and the thinner grass blades. Where do you buy your seed from?
Thanks a lot for info trying to plant different types of lawns on my property and didn't understand the difference between tall fescue and Kentucky blue grass....
Glad to help!
I threw my money at the SSS TTTF mix with 30 percent fine fescue mix. We'll see how that goes this fall as an overseed. Really hoping it doesn't come out with some of the more coarse clump fescue everyone hates.
Nothing but TTTF for me. It does require care in terms of core aeration and overseeing. But my entire yard is full sun, and yet it stands up well over the summers. When it goes dormant, it comes back to life quickly. I love it’s dark green look and it’s durability overall.
Hi Ryan. I really enjoy watching your videos. I’ve learned a lot but the more I learn the less I seem to know. This scares me a bit. I’m getting ready to start my renovation. However I’m a bit confused. I’m trying to find the best type of grass to use for Southern California. So far I think the top two options are Tall Fescue and St Augustine. Personally I prefer the tall fescue because I can plant the seeds and is more dog friendly. However I’ve read that it goes dormant during the summer,while other sites say it works well in Cali during the summer (btw, max temp here is about 108 but usually 90s). Can you help me choose the right type of grass please
Good show, Ryan. I have concluded that bluegrass in this transition zone without irrigation is futile. Even with irrigation, July/August heat will result in coco matt appearance in some years. The TTTF is at least as good without irrigation and keeping it cut tall does help conserve soil moisture. Then again, it appears more and more as if the invasion of Bermuda hereabouts is going to make the decision for us whether we like it or not. For you, I think the tea leaves say install irrigation and go with Kentucky Blue,
I believe the transition zone map might need to adjust a little farther north. I kind of feel like I am in it now because the extended periods of heat we have are super tough on cool season grass. Spring and fall are perfect but it doesn't last long.
To me, it looks like patches of Crabgrass. I have no idea what most of my lawn is. Mostly nice though. Thanks for the vid's!
I live in southeast TN. I've have had a TTF lawn for 5 years, and I've had to do a pretty heavily lawn renovation every fall. I decided this past week I'm converting to bermuda grass. My TTF looks wonderful until about July, and then it wont look good again until around November. It's simply too hot here to try and maintain a cool season turf grass. My heart is with TTF, but I think the climate has changed and it's just too hot for TTF where I live. I think I can live with dormant bermuda for 3-4 months, we shall see!
the problem with just going pure warm season in the transition zone is that it won't work in shady areas so if you have lawns that are 100% sun in some areas and 2.5 hrs sun in another you get all sorts of fun (difficult) decisions to make. if the lawn is small enough sprinkler systems can get you through the summer.
I have had the Trugreen tall fescue/kbg/perennial rye mix growing for about 8 years. It does add a drought resistant dimension to the lawn, but that usually means it grows faster than the rest of the lawn during dry spells, giving a pretty uneven/unkempt look. Also, the clumps can look pretty bad if for some reason you're trying to cut lower. But the color is pretty nice.
Great info. Thanks for sharing!
I am in the cool grass area in anada and use a mixture of grasses. So checking the bag of "Scotta Grass Seed Supreme" it does not give the name of the mixture!! I expect it is KBG and Tall Fescue. My temperatures are very nice and cool so it grows all year long. It has on ly hit 80*F for a day or two and that for only 2 - 3 hours in the middle to late afternoon. I enjoy your videos thanks.
GreAt video man! I am in the process of renovating my yard with turf type tall fescue.. I found this video very honest and unbiased! I’m excited to see your next video on your own renovation project 👍. I’m at about the same point as you are having just sprayed about a week ago
Cool! I appreciate the feedback. More to come on my reno very soon.
I miss the weather up north. I forgot what a cool breeze feels like down here.
Last week in Northern MN reminded me what it feels like and I could sit next to lake superior until the end of time!
I'm working towards a 75% tall fescue and 25% KBG. I want the KBG to help with filling in open spaces you commonly get with the fescue.
Yes. I have a mix of KBG and TTTF. I did areas with KBG, and they don't look that different. I think the results are extreme in the areas where you didn't water. However, the KBG has died out in spots. I am overseeding with TTTF this year and moving toward that overall, because I think it is ridiculous how much more water KBG needs. The new TTTF blend in pretty well, unlike the old KY31 Fescue the builders use (cheap stuff that has the huge blades). Some of that is still around in the lawn too.
Thanks for sharing!
I have 2,000 square feet of a KBG and TTTF mix surrounding a bentgrass putting green in my backyard. The KBG does well cut short in the spring and fall, while the TTTF helps the stand survive July and August in Maryland. Given I have the products, equipment, etc., for the putting green, I don't mind the maintenance of the KBG. If I just wanted a nice lawn, cut at 2-3 inches, I would use a quality TTTF seed, no doubt. The KBG is much higher maintenance than the fescue.
How do you know if it's TTTF?
I bought the SS1000 stuff from Superstore... is that considered TTTF?
I like KBG, it goes dormant faster but it survives drought longer. When TTTF goes dormant it can die off quickly. My neighbor had a mix and the TTTF all died but the KBG remained.
That's a good point about the dormancy but I'm just shocked that the fescue I have is not going dormant and that's with essentially no irrigation.
I have a mix of quack grass, dallisgrass, crabgrass, and barnyard grass. Grows very well, seems to grow where other cultivars can't.
Yes, I'm kidding. And frustrated. Tenacity seems to have taken out most of my "yard" so hopefully this fall overseed will help.
Bluegrass is beautiful but I'd only recommend it for postage stamp yards that can be easily watered regularly or if you have an irrigation system. Myself I have way to much yard to try and keep watered completely unless I had a sprinkler out of this world. For low maintenance and long very hot drought periods we seem to have in central Indiana these days I'm going with Kentucky 31.
My yard is fescue and I love the low look you guys are doing now but it’s no way I could do the full kill and reseed. I’m just going to go heavy on a kbg overseed this year and hopefully it will spread.
I love my tall fescue. Tall fescue with just a little bit of kbg > all others. I seeded with a 90% tall 10% KBG looks great together, looks good all summer long and it does that good ole self healing the kbj is known for.
Just get a good irrigation system set up. And it doesn’t matter what type of grass you plant. Make sure you plant the right seed for your zone. And feed the lawn with good micro/macros.
Lesco liberty mix is a mixture of turf type fescue creeping rye and kbg.
Killing my lawn next week in preparation for a 90/10 fescue bluegrass mix. I’m in the transition zone being in Virginia, so I need some resilience
Awesome! Let us know your opinions when you get things rolling.
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care I definitely will! It will also be heavily documented on The RVA Lawn Love channel. Love your approach, keep up the great vids!
Heartland Supreme is awesome. Fescue bluegrass mix
Hello Ryan, we talked few months back when I sent you a pic of my lawn, its KBG, tall fescue and perennial Rye... After I killed the grub worms the lawn looks great with tall or medium cut, its dark green all year.
Nice!
@1:13 love the gauge. Im with the CoCoRaHS network as well. Have 2 actually for grabbing hourly snow melts.
Wow, excellent video! Lots of good info. KBG "Fills in", great point. I have Rye,Fescue,KBG and like that if 1 doesn't do well, the others do. I mow at 3.5" and it does fine. Lots of rain here this summer so everything is so green. See pic here. twitter.com/WeatherNut27/status/1022801032156393472
That's looking good for this time of year!
I have both Tall Fescue and Kentucky Blue. I'm so going back to Kentucky I feel like it handles the heat better than then fescue. Fescue to me goes into dormmate. From Long Island NY
Auto Finesse Fescue and Bluegrass for me, and Bluegrass baked alive. Fescue still kicking strong.
My experience is the same that bluegrass just cooks and it happens FAST.
Huh? Must be more going on here, no way does TTTF go dormant faster than KBG. TTTF is very drought resistant because it grows a deep root system. KBG on the other hand has quite shallow roots and will go dormant very quickly. I'm actually overseeding my lawn with more TTTF because I'm sick of all the KBG either going brown for 3 months or requiring water almost every day.
Ryan I have the same problem with my 100% bluegrass. It gets water every other day but it broke out in a real bad fungus it's terrible looking.. all my neighbors have fescue and their lawns look much better than mine. So I was also thinking of mixing in some Fescue but did not know what to use. Can't wait to see what you pick.
At this point I"m keeping just bluegrass but there have been some great suggestions for fescue in the comments here.
I have Titan Rx turf fescue mixed with Barenbrug RTF Turf
Type Tall Fescue and it stays green all year.
Very informative dude🤙. I was hoping for an update on the reno but this was actually a nice video. I learned something for sure, and was amazing how the fescue survived in the bluegrass. Great way to show👍
I'm kind of shocked myself!
Fescue has very deep roots. I'm not sure about holding more water but I think it's actually the root depth that is making the biggest difference.
In Kansas City I always use a heat/drought tolerant mix of tall fescue, fine fescue, perennial rye and bluegrass. I let natural selection choose which ones will thrive. K-31 looks horrible, you can always just dig it out when you see a bunch appear. Modern tall fescues look great and will dominate in our hot, dry transition zone.
I have a great looking KY-31 lawn. Just good care and annual overseeding keeps it looking great.
I have fine fescue and some Kentucky 31 in the back which I love as it’s green year round and very drought and heat resistant ,
I have rpr and Kentucky blue in the front .
They all have pros and cons I think .
Especially when it comes to disease and pests
I am.pretty sure I have a mix of fescue and KB. I have large clumps of fescue and as long as I keep everything cut low it looks good driving by but if you stop and look it shows.
The new turf type tall fescue grasses are hands down better than the tall fescue of just a few years ago...like night and day. Falcon IV (or any of the 5 Falcon versions) are excellent.
Best thing I ever did to my lawn. I scalped and thatch raked manually then top dressed with a compost and top soil mix and then over seeded. Some spots I sprayed Tenacity but it wasn't needed.
Turf Type Tall Fescue has become the most recommended lawn type by cool season lawn and turf grass management and research,for the first time in 50 years of KBG is no longer the recommend grass for American cool season lawns, though the majority of cool season lawns are KBG.
I had a mix for years . Straight Fescu now . The northern NY winter hear, along the Canadian boarder is ruff on short grasses . Love to show you some pics & some info to help your followers .
Hey Darren. Southern NY state and trying to figure out a re-lawning. Bad shale issues here, could be a shelf of shale 4 inches deep and the size of a refrigerator. I know I'll have to add a couple inches of soil when starting this project but the KBG lawn I have has not looked good for years. I think the shale issue really hurts it. You think a good TTTF would be an option?
@@Tom-hb2fe that's a issue for sure . Your best bet is to scrape it down & rebuild if it's worth it in the long term .
So tall Fescue would be good for a clay heavy soil?
how well does tall turf type fescue do in shady areas?
Great video as always Ryan. We were talking just two weeks ago about this. Reached out to Drew at seed superstore as well. It really does boil down to preference. I think I will continue my overseeding with KBG. I like the fescue too but here on Long Island as someone below pointed out, KBG just thrives. Going for the darkest of dark with the blend. Probably will allow some fescue in the mix too. Seems to be stronger with 80 percent bluegrass and 20 percent fescue. When should we start? Last year I aerated and seeded Labor Day due to the germination time of bluegrass.
I would say Labor day is perfect.
The darker the better!
@eric B I live on LI, NY. Would you mind telling me what brand of seed you used? Thank you
@@pat7899 I went with GCI Turf “cool blue” which is 85/15 Tall Fescue/KBG. I water 1/2 inch twice a week all season and it’s still green. I am doing a full KBG reno in the front this year as we speak but I love the Cool Blue. Highly recommend for LI
I have a lawn of crabgrass and it's doing fantastic 😆
LOL
I use turf-type Cochise IV tall fescue and the blades are relatively fine, it has decent drought resistance and looks great because it doesn't clump like ornamental fescue. The only downside is that it's expensive
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Just overseeded w a fescue mix. My perennial rye was getting burnt up
I am constantly removing velvet grass's (Holcus Lanatus) from my lawn. They grow at a much quicker speed and start to take over the lawn if you don't deal with them. Neighbor thought it was crab grass, but it was actually velvet grass, which is why crab grass removal product never worked.
grasses vs grass's
Hey Ryan! I have a blend of cool season turf in my front yard. KBG, Perennial Rye, & Tall Fescue. I am mowing this at about 3.5" and I have been able to keep my lawn pretty green throughout the summer. As for the fescue in my lawn I can tell where it is but at a glance it isn't terribly noticeable. I haven't really worried getting rid of it because I am still happy with the overall look. The fescue in my lawn is a bit of a wide blade fescue but I know there is some thinner bladed fescue in my lawn that doesn't really stick out.
Cool and thank you for sharing. I have such a hot backyard that things are difficult back there so I was surprised how well that fescue look without much water. Interesting stuff.
Yeah I'm barely in the transiti zone and I'm going perennial rye grass and now KGB in my back yard 4 really tall trees in 2000 sq feet area and tall fescue In the front were it about 4000 sq feet with one overgrown bush tree... have 1200 sq feet of Bermuda crab grass lawn
Lawn Guardian : I have the same here & started to add Tall Fescue last fall.
My question is: will it harden off, in say a year & turn darker to match the rest
of the yard ? Will Fert,Milo,Iron, etc change it's color from a light green to dark green
in time, like the rest of the other type grasses ? Or is it mainly K-31 that is lighter &
will stay that way !
What kind of Mix Seed would you recommend for a greener lawn even in the summer time and less maintenance that doesnt require that much watering for the MidWest region (Michigan - Detroit area). Would you use Tall Fescue? Fine Fescue at all?
I love Johnathan Green Black Beauty in Michigan.
I have a mix of fescue and blue and some rye which I put down last year because I moved in halfway through the growing season. It mixes well in spring and fall when everything is green but yeah it looks like ass in the summer. I think some of the wide blade stuff is a contaminant and not generally included in modern mixes. Also, If I'm not mistaken certain strains will also grow wider blades when surrounding grasses have tapped out and aren't sucking resources.
I've always felt TTTF is great as a stand alone and only if you start from 0. Success with overseeding is really hit and miss and it seems to need space to establish which is tough with the self-repairing nature of KBG. Same with the fescue/rye mixes - the rye germinates so much faster and takes over (not to mention the different mowing practices that each prefers). I tried for 5 years at my previous house overseeing at 5-7 lbs/1000 of an 80/20 TTTF/rye mix into my predominantly rye yard and made exactly 0 progress in visibly altering the mix.
Rye is a dominant one for sure and like you said, mowing really needs to be different for it. I agree that I think overall a specific grass type on its own (like only fescue or only bluegrass) is likely the best choice.
I have KBG and Tall Fescue blend in Tennessee, the varieties and mix I chose the tall fescue does not stand out as far as texture goes, and for most of the year the growth rate is the same.
In the spring time the Fescue actually started growing sooner than the KBG which was unexpected and so I had some uneven look to it at first.
In the summer I actually lose more Fescue than KBG due to humidity and fungus, but that would probably not happen if i stopped watering it and let it go dormant.
Interesting...thanks for sharing your results.
I am seeding with a mix of tall fescue, ryegrass and blue grass. Just curious, why is your fence not on the actual property line?
Try Jonathan green black beauty ultra. It's a tall fescue that is supposed to look like Kentucky blue grass. Not sure if you can mow it short.
I have been hearing a lot of people suggest that in the comments here. If I ever do a full renovation again I'll consider it.
I have fescue in MO and have been battling dollar spot over the past couple of years. When I reseed in the fall, I may need to go Bermuda.
If it can survive the winter then I think bermuda might be much easier since it's warm season and really made for the heat.
I have the big three in my Chicago area lawn. I have hand pulled a good amount of K-31 type old time coarse fescue out of my lawn, but the majority is a decent and beautiful TF. I’ve overseeded my 100 yr. old lawn several times with more modern, cutting edge, and disease/heat tolerant cultivars. I use Johnathan Green Black Beauty which was on the forefront of TTTF since way back. From a visual standpoint there is not a lusher thicker looking lawn than a rescue lawn, and to your point it has little water and fertilizer needs and takes wear and tear way better than the others. It is NOT a barefoot grass...like a fine KBG or Bent but I’m never barefoot so I don’t care...my kids do and they don’t complain. After the dormant/recover phase by November it starts looking outstanding again and stays green Into and DURING the winter. spring green up is almost instant. It looks cool as it really starts emerging in spring as the bunches grow out. It stays blended very well with the rest of the grasses most of the year, it starts outgrowing the rest at the onset of the heavy growing season so you might find yourself mowing certain sections of your lawn only, but after that it looks great all season. When the dog days settle in tho......you might have to turn your back and go inside and oil and sharpen your garden tools for a month or so..LOL rock on dude.
A lot of people have been recommending Jonathan green black beauty lately after I mentioned I wanted to do a heavy overseed this year. I'm about 2 hours north of Chicago but probably similar zone as you. I was thinking I would do straight kbg, but now I'm second guessing. My current lawn is just an ugly mess of a mix of weeds and other grasses I cant even identify. It looks like a blend of probably 10 different kinds of grass all growing at different rates. It sounds like the black beauty blends pretty well? Is the growing height and blade thickness really all that noticeable between the different grass types?
Great information, thanks for sharing. I’ve considered mixing different cultivars myself and other days think about just going with Black Beauty as I hear good feedback about it.
Hi Ryan! I live in California. Do we even have seasons here?
What type of grass do you recommend for a short cut? Long cut grass?
Im with you brother, im renovating my lawn right now. Im gonna try out tall fescue grass seed.
I just redid my back yard last week and did primarily Lebanon A List Winning colors blend. 4 types a fescues in all. I also blended in some KBG. I will follow up in 4-6 weeks and let you know how it comes out.
Kenny Casillas ....how did your lawn renovation with Winning Colors fescue go? I’m asking because it was recommended to me by a supplier for my front yard, which gets more than 6 hrs of sun.
How did winning colors workout? I am considering it for reseeding this fall. I am in Eastern Pennsylvania.
@@ramsessabori it worked out well. Dark green color. I use screamin green fertilizer. Not much maintenance however during growth season I have to mow every 2 days or so.
I am a lawncare contractor and I have been using Kbg and rye on all my lawns, but the towns have put a permanent water restriction on everyone that has irrigation, and only allowed to water 2x per week, I live in the northeast and during the summer when it hits 90+ degrees for weeks straight 2x per week isn’t cutting it, a lot of lawns got severely heat stressed this year which then brought on a crap load of fungus and chinch bugs, 2 years in a row, so I am aerating and seeding with tall fescue to help with the drought stress...
Sir, can seed tall fescue in the winter or show I wait for spring?
Emilio Nunez where are you located? It’s getting kinda late, tall fescue takes 2-3 weeks for germination... if your in the northeast I would suggest using more of a rye blend due to the quicker germination... but if you end up doing seeding in the spring make sure you use mesotrione (tenacity) as your pre-emergent... it allows seed to germinate but not weeds... expensive but a decent line of defense when it comes to preventing weeds
California, several days ago i finished adding irrigation system. I was planning to start adding the seed this Saturday that i bought from Ewing. (king tall fescue)... what do you suggest?
Living in KC you have to have a mix of grasses to have a green yard in the middle of summer. Our soil is crap and we are the transition zone for warm and cool season grass. I’d love to have a all blue grass lawn, but it is just not practical. Mixed fescue probably looks best at 2.5-3 inches which unless you are Ryan is normal height for home owners. Any lower than 2.5 is difficult. You do have to over seed every fall or every other fall to maintain thickness and maintain a blue grass look. Most non landscape nerds would not be able to tell the difference between modern fescue varieties and blue grass. Lastly I have never had fungus or brown patch, but I’m very careful with my watering times only between 4AM-6AM.