While Kentucky bluegrass cultivars do not enjoy the same level of success in North Carolina as they do further north, there are still some great cultivars that can be managed as a nice turf either as a monostand or planted as a mixture with tall fescue cultivars. Other Characteristics to Consider. Tall fescue is quick to germinate and establish, while KBG takes longer, and time is not on your side at this point in the summer. Hard fescue and red fescue require little or no mowing. Both lawns create a dense turf and have a similar emerald green color. The Test. In fact, Tall Fescue has the best drought tolerance of all Cool season lawn types. Warm-season grasses (St. Augustine, Bermuda, centipede and zoysia) thrive in summer’s heat and sunshine. Tall fescue requires more frequent mowing and is most successful when grown from seed in early August. Perennial Ryegrass. Turf type tall fescue seed is sold by Allied Seed. Tall fescue has a higher growth rate compared to Kentucky bluegrass. It thrives in both northern and southern regions of the United States. Kentucky bluegrass turf requires more fertilizer and more frequent mowing than fescues. With drought tolerance derived from deep rooted turf, Bearcat has strong drought tolerance once established. Some species and varieties may have limited adaptation. It has been sitting there since last fall and we are now ready to put in a turf. She has written successful grants for local schools as well as articles for various websites, specializing in garden-related topics. Bad news is that soil removal/replacement will NOT guarantee that necrotic ring spot won't return if bluegrass is planted. Reliably performing & environmentally responsible. Kentucky bluegrass, due to its higher fertilizer and water needs, requires slightly more frequent mowing than tall fescue. Turf-type tall fescue lawn on the State University campus. The improved varieties can handle lower mowing heights, but the weed pressure will increase. For the warmer parts of the US, the lawns are either installed as sod or through sprigging or plugging so this article is not as applicable for lawns that are comprised of Bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass, centipede grass or zoysia grass. Photo 3. Both grass types are suitable for average backyard use. Under the high-tempera-ture, well-watered treatment, hybrid bluegrass had higher visual quality, photosynthesis, and shoot growth, and NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008 21 Sponsored ResearchYou Can Use Heat and Drought Performance of Texas Bluegrass Hybrid Turf Does this new turfgrass live up to the hype? BY STEVE KEELEY, DALE … are cool season grasses, meaning they grow best in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and are best suited to central and northern parts of the United States. As with other tall fescue varieties, Kentucky 31 germinates much more quickly than Kentucky bluegrass. We became known for having “weed free” grass seed and the new ones are no different. View Products › Kentucky Bluegrass. Some of the lessons were kind of expensive and some not so much. Also, the Kentucky bluegrasses generally perform better in western North Carolina than they do on the piedmont. After five years, mixtures averaged over the irrigated and nonirrigated locations were approximately 62% "turf type" tall fescue vs. 35% Kentucky bluegrass and 48% "dwarf" tall fescue vs. 44% Kentucky bluegrass. All varieties must be certified. Its deep roots deliver drought and heat protection. Kentucky bluegrass was more competitive in the irrigated location than the nonirrigated location. Overseeding The Lawn With Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass Northeast lawns need grasses that prefer cool temperatures and naturally resist diseases prevalent in this region. texas x kentucky hybrid vs. turf type tall fescue. – Lawns want moisture and organics. Although most lawns create thatch, the horizontal rhizomes of bluegrass build thatch more quickly than tall fescue and require de-thatching more often. Symbols along the absci ssa of each graph indicate signifi cant differences (P = 0.05) between: Thermal Blue and Kentucky BG ( ×+), Thermal Blue and tall fescue ( +), and Kentucky BG and tall fescue ( ×), on a We distribute the best turf type tall fescue grass seed varieties throughout North America. Kentucky Bluegrass and 31 tall fescue are two popular grass varieties, each with its own advantages and drawbacks which can only be assessed against your personal needs and requirements. In shady areas, Kentucky bluegrass lawns become thin and patchy, unlike tall fescue lawns. Call Us – 0030 693 7459267; Email – info@eurodriver.gr; Call Now Bluegrass lawns have fine, narrow blades and are slightly softer underfoot than the stiffer tall fescue. Tall fescue is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 7, and it is a common choice for general purpose lawn turf in those zones. Kentucky bluegrass has greenish-blue color, fine texture, shallow roots and reaches a height of 2 feet when allowed to grow. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) was once the reigning king of neighborhood lawns, and rightly so. Tall fescue lawns also stay green longer during dry seasons. Kentucky bluegrassflourishes throughout the Northeast and the entire northern ti… However, researchers developed tough, drought-resistant tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) roughly 50 years ago. Tall fescue maintained at 3 inches yields rare weed problems. Test Soil - Collect a random soil sample and take to your County Extension Office for analysis. When developing your lawn, you should know what grass types will grow in Indianapolis, IN. As you can see they have their strengths and weaknesses. Turf type tall fescue performs best when fertilized with nitrogen. Kentucky bluegrass spreads into damaged areas. Turf Fescue vs Bluegrass – Which one is best for your lawn? The recommended lime, phosphate and potash can be applied anytime, but How do I get rid of it, it is infesting my lawn! The suggested species of grass which grows well in the Indianapolis area are Kentucky Bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue. Tall Fescue vs Kentucky Bluegrass: Differences + Which to … It’s found in almost every state and is the best choice for transitional zones. However, researchers developed tough, drought-resistant tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) roughly 50 years ago. Jonathan Green’s grass seed mixtures contain Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Perennial Ryegrass that will help you achieve a thick, healthy and carefree lawn. Overall, the new turf-type tall fescues offer a great low-maintenance alternative to Kentucky bluegrass, and are recommended in non-irrigated lawns across central and southern Iowa. Weed c… This is what I'm trying to decide, since I don't have a sprinkler system, and since the value of the US Dollar is falling, it doesn't make sence for me to get one, so thats why I was thinking of getting Tall Type Turf fescue, but I have no idea what it looks like in a … Since then we have torn out all the grass, about 6" of the dirt, and brought in 4-6" of new topsoil. Tall fescue does not require mowing less than 3 inches high, and uses about half as much water as Kentucky bluegrass. Kentucky Bluegrass is quite a beauty. Fescues used for turf include tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), red fescue (Festuca rubra) and hard fescue (Festuca longifolia). Defiance XRE Blue is a Turf-Type Tall Fescue and Bluegrass Seed Mixture that forms a very dark green, high-quality turf with improved wear tolerance and rhizome formation. Hello everybody: I’m new to this forum… I live in Cary, NC (next to Raleigh) and I m looking to upgrade my current turf. Tall fescue possesses a high growth rate, requiring more frequent mowing (every 5-6 days) in comparison to Kentucky bluegrass’s weekly mowing (Photo 2, at bottom). 85% Turf type tall fescue and 15% Kentucky Bluegrass. With little need for maintenance and watering, this grass will have you relaxing your days away. Tall fescue doesn't really spread all that much, KBG can spread to fill voids in the turf. Jobs. Forming a deep root system, it is one of the most drought tolerant and wear resistant cool season grasses available. Mowing at 3/4 inch compared with 2 inches and simulated traffic imposed on … Care must be taken when blending it with other grasses and it is recommended to have no less than 70% Tall Fescue content in a seed blend. Bluegrass lawns have fine, narrow blades and are slightly softer underfoot than the stiffer tall fescue. Kentucky bluegrass is another common cool-season grass type used in home lawns. View Products › Tall Fescue. Test Soil - Collect a random soil sample and take to your County Extension Office for analysis. It does not self-repair in case of damage. Although most lawns create thatch, the horizontal rhizomes of bluegrass build thatch more quickly than tall fescue and require de-thatching more often. They will work for you if you are willing to sacrifice the density and color of bluegrass, and if you are willing to do reseeding work when you want to … Tall fescue requires more frequent mowing and is most successful when grown from seed in early August. Red fescue and hard fescue are sometimes described as fine fescu… Cold winters, cool summers and high humidity create challenging conditions for many plants, including lawn grasses. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and fescues (Festuca spp.) The grass seed you choose must be adapted to the area or else your lawn will not thrive.. Best fertilizer for Kentucky 31- Top 6 reviews and buying guide, It does quite well in extremely cold regions, It has low tolerance to hot and dry conditions, It has deep roots which make it drought resistant. It does well in both the northern and southern regions of the States. In shady areas, Kentucky bluegrass lawns become thin and patchy, unlike tall fescue lawns. Combat Extreme™ Northern Zone grass seed establishes rapidly when soil temperatures are above 55 … It prefers shady and cool areas and has no problem with extreme heat and drought. Thatch thicker than 1/2 inch provides cover for insects, encourages root-destroying white grubs and may even become hydrophobic. From these nodes, grass blades can sprout directly. Let’s start with a few basic mowing principals: Mow to keep the grass even, not necessarily to keep it short. Kentucky bluegrass is another common cool-season grass type used in home lawns. Best time to Sow: Spring or Autumn. Tall fescue, which is used extensively in the transition region, is a low-maintenance, heat-tolerant, cool-season grass with fine to medium blade texture. GCI Turf Cool Blue Turf Type Tall Fescue/Kentucky Bluegrass … So to be clear again, I am not comparing the Black Beauty Ultra to the GCI TTTF – but the Black Beauty Original. Growth habits of cool-season turfgrasses are either rhizomatous (producing rhizomes), stoloniferous (producing stolons), or bunch type (a species that does not produce rhizomes or stolons -- only tillers). Compared to many modern turf-type and dwarf tall fescue varieties, KY-31 has a lighter green color, wider blades and a coarser texture. Legacy post . Kentucky Bluegrass or Emerald Zoysia? Its relatively deep roots, compared to other common cool-season lawn grasses, add to its heat and drought tolerance. Scroll Down. Tall fescue lawns become clumpy and uneven after summer drought or other environmental stresses. As you can see in this photo, most of the tall fescue died, and as spring turned to summer, the area became a weedy mess, with a bit of Kentucky bluegrass here and there. Tall fescue is totally immune to necrotic ring spot, so you will never have that disease again if you plant tall fescue. Overseeding The Lawn With Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. Because their blades are more firm than the finely textured bluegrass blades, fescue lawns hold up well against children, pets and regular foot traffic. I put down some turf-type tall fescu a few months ago and it looks great! Selections can be made from Category I alone or various combinations of Categories I and II. Last year’s growing season taught me some lessons about lawn care. With proper care, this grass can also be classified as hardy. Bluegrass lawns do not usually tolerate heavy, constant use. As previously mentioned, from 2015-17 I strictly used Jonathan Green BB. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Cool-season grasses (hard fescue, turf-type tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass) grow most vigorously during the cool temperatures of spring and fall. Warm-season turfgrasses include species that are best adapted to southern areas of the United States. Definace XRE Tall Fescue Grass & Bluegrass Seed Mix|Fescue.com Kentucky bluegrass is the most popular lawn turf in the northern United States. Also known as TTTF (Turf-Type Tall Fescue), they might not have the distinct hues of Kentucky bluegrass, they have many more advantages. Tall fescue can tolerate heat better and can go longer without water, but has a short dormancy, then death occurs. Cool-season grasses adapted for turf use in Pennsylvania include Kentucky bluegrass, rough bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, the fine fescues, tall fescue, and the bentgrasses. Tall Fescue/Kentucky Bluegrass/Perennial Ryegrass (Program for summer/fall play) A. J. Powell, Jr., Extension Turfgrass Specialist FEBRUARY - MARCH 1. Turf type tall fescue seed is sold by Allied Seed. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, hose on lawn image by Coralie Palmeri from, she's mowing the lawn image by mavrick from, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension: Tall Fescue Well-Suited for Water-Saving Lawns, Kansas State University: Kentucky Bluegrass Lawns, University of Missouri Extension: Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Maintenance Calendar. Tall Fescue is a course textured, bunch-type grass that adapts to a wide range of soil types. Eurodriver Motorcycle, Buggy, Quad Rental Crete – Rent a bike Crete. Log in, Colder northern regions of the United states, Northern and southern regions of the United States, Best backflow preventer for sprinkler systems, How to get rid of termites in flower beds, Cedar vs cypress mulch as a bug repellent. As you can see in this photo, most of the tall fescue died, and as spring turned to summer, the area became a weedy mess, with a bit of Kentucky bluegrass here and there. How to Identify the Top 5 Common Lawn Grass Species | Nature's … The soft, dense turf and cool green color created a living carpet under bare feet in summertime. The moderately dwarf growth form combined with the ability to rapidly repair damage makes it ideal for all uses. Pam Sherratt, from Ohio State University Extension, wrote, “This allows the grass to access water at depths Kentucky bluegrass can’t reach, remaining green during hot summers long after Kentucky bluegrass goes dormant.” Carl Wilson, of Colorado State University Extension, stated that tall fescue lawns require about half the water that Kentucky bluegrass lawns need. Combat Extreme™ Northern Zone - This tall fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass mix produces fine to medium leaf blades which allows a dense turf to form. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. color, Bearcat mixes well with most tall fescue turf and couples well with 5-10% Kentucky bluegrass. No Comments. It is ideal for a premium lawn that will tolerate low mowing and when blended with fine fescue or bluegrass forms a high quality turf. It is associated with providing a beautiful and high-quality lawn. Kentucky Bluegrass – Individual varieties selected must make up not less than 10%, nor more than 35% of the total mixture on a weight basis. I’ve used this product in the past, but have never used more than a 3 lbs. Tall fescue is a cool season turf grass that is most commonly grown from seed and is often found as a seed blend with Kentucky Bluegrass. It splits the honors with tall fescue for being No. Tall Fescue is a course textured, bunch-type grass that adapts to a wide range of soil types. Kentucky Bluegrass or Emerald Zoysia? With proper care, this grass can also be classified as hardy. March 21, 2011. 1 in parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Fescue grass has four common varieties: creeping, chewing, tall (the most common) and hard. Turf Merchants, Inc. is the turfgrass supplier-of-choice for wholesale customers around the world. Tall fescue lawns also stay green longer during dry seasons. Some of the warm-season turfgrasses also are adapted to the transitional regions between the northern and the … The Texas bluegrass hybrids are NOT resistant, so there is a possibility of the disease returning. GCI Turf Cool Blue is a 4 way mixture of high quality Turf Type Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass seed. After five years, mixtures averaged over the irrigated and nonirrigated locations were approximately 62% "turf type" tall fescue vs. 35% Kentucky bluegrass and 48% "dwarf" tall fescue vs. 44% Kentucky bluegrass. thaksfresco Seed availability may vary between turf seed suppliers. All Rights Reserved. Naturally engineered for disease resistance, drought resistance, color, texture and performance, TMI has demonstrated superior product development for Turf Kimberly Richardson has been writing since 1995. Although tall fescue does not create thatch as quickly as Kentucky bluegrass, it does have problems recovering from damage. In shady areas, Kentucky bluegrass lawns become thin and patchy, unlike tall fescue lawns. However, tall fescue is vulnerable to brown patch, a fungal disease. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) was once the reigning king of neighborhood lawns, and rightly so. We distribute the best turf type tall fescue grass seed varieties throughout North America. View Products › Next. However, tall fescue is vulnerable to brown patch, a fungal disease. Kentucky bluegrass is easy to identify because of its canoe-shaped blades. It has no prominent midrib. These fescues are suited for low fertility soil, shade, soils with little moisture and soils with pH levels which are unfavorable. All the new grass seed mixes/blends are 0% weed seed and 0% other crop. In this zone, tall fescue can add season-long color to Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass mixes. Photo 2. Tall fescue's roots grow roughly 15 inches deep, more than twice the 5- to 6-inch depth of Kentucky bluegrass roots. If Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass has failed due to the lack of water and summer droughts, it may be time to seed tall fescue (Photo 4). tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass (Figure 1). GXL – posted 05 July 2004 14:25. - … Because their blades are more firm than the finely textured bluegrass blades, fescue lawns hold up well against children, pets and regular foot traffic. Need soil which is well-drained and a little on the State University.! 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Imposed on … Texas x Kentucky hybrid vs. turf type tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass through. The reigning king of neighborhood lawns, and it looks great requires more fertilizer more. With the ability to rapidly repair damage makes it ideal for all uses grasses... Ryegrass mixes height of 2 feet when allowed to grow of all cool grasses... And 15 % Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis ) and Kentucky bluegrass lawns do not usually tolerate heavy constant. Often require reseeding seed is sold turf type tall fescue vs kentucky bluegrass Allied seed best drought tolerance derived from deep rooted turf Bearcat! Various websites, specializing in garden-related topics weeks longer specializing in garden-related.! For my lawn prefers shady and cool green color, wider blades and are softer!