Tall fescue, Lolium arundinaceum (syn. Festuca arundinacea), is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass that obtained strong acceptance as a turfgrass from 1980 to 1990 as a result of breeding success by Dr. C. Reed Funk and Dr. William A. Meyer, in the creation of cultivar ‘Rebel’ and other so-called “turf-type” cultivars. Previously tall fescue occurred mostly as the pasture cultivar ‘Kentucky 31’ and was mostly a nuisance weed of Kentucky bluegrass lawns. After the revolutionary development of the turf-types, there was expansion in the Midwestern United States because of superior heat and drought avoidance and extensive use in the transition zone. By 2005 tall fescue became the most widely planted turfgrass in North Carolina, with over 1 million acres (Tredway et al., 2005). For more on this development, see Morris, 2015 and Cook, 2005.
There are drawbacks. The shorter, denser cultivars are more prone to brownpatch disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani, so there has been movement back to intermediate stature plants. Tall fescue has been considered invasive in natural areas and was designated the “Weed of the Week” on 10/24/2005 by the USDA Forest Service. Finally, multiple serious livestock disorders are associated with the endophytic fungus Neotyphoideum coenophialum (syn. Acremonium coenophialum) which occurs in some tall fescue cultivars and cultivars in some other Lolium species.
MarkinAL – posted 25 June 2006 06:19 I planted fescue this spring and with watering and fertilizer I had a really lush, thick start (I live in Birmingham, AL). However, crabgrass and barnyardgrass have invaded much of my fescue. I…
dmichels – posted 26 June 2006 22:35 How can I kill St.Augustine in Fescue/Bluegrass sod that is 6 weeks old? The old lawn was St.Augustine and I spent 2 months spraying round-up, watering and spraying again to kill it. Grassguy…
schultzmj – posted 26 August 2006 13:58 I am getting ready to re-grade a small backyard (approx. 2000 sq ft) after a home renovation and addition and establish a new lawn. I am going with Fescue as the small yard…
MarkinAL – posted 03 November 2006 11:36 I got a late start on plantiny some fescue in my back yard…did not get it seeded until about Oct. 20th. I have irragation, the weather was nice (40’s at night and 70’s…
B Opal L – posted 15 January 2007 21:26 Science Project Growing grass. Put grass seeds in soil, sand and woodchips. After 9 days of watering the containers the grass started to grow. Then the soil died 12 days later…
lind42 – posted 29 July 2007 12:00 Does someone here know a sod farm in New Hampshire, or New England? I would like to replace my existing lawn with sods to get a uniforn look. Thanks in advance for your…
bill11 – posted 06 March 2006 17:23 The person who laid the fescue sod left many gaps throughout the lawn. Other than these areas the grass in beautiful. What is the best way to fill in these gaps (anywhere from…
CHEPE – posted 20 September 2005 15:36 i WANT TO SOWN RED FESCUE IN RED CLAY SOIL, IT WOULD GERMINATE OR NOT???/
bootcamp – posted 01 October 2005 19:22 I have given up trying to apply weed killer directly to emerged bermuda sprinkled throughout my beatiful fescue. WHAT can i DO?! I am so sad, my fescue was so nice. I can…
Fran – posted 04 October 2005 18:48 I have St Augustine creeping into my Fescue lawn. Is there a way to kill the St Augustine without harming the Fescue? Thanks tommy – posted 06 October 2005 09:46 Spray MSMA (crabgrass…