Is all tall fescue sod the same?

blue sky – posted 31 May 2012 12:34

This is my first post on this forum. Thank you in advance for your help with my question.

I live in San Diego and getting ready to buy tall fescue sod for my backyard and have read that the different suppliers have varying quality product.

Everywhere I turn, I see ads for Marathon I, saying they’re the best. I’ve also looked into sod from West Coast Turf, their product is called “West Coaster Fescue” and they obviously say theirs is the best. The other suppliers I’ve talked with are AM Sod, Evergreen Nursery, and El Plantio. All the sod ranges from .39 to .49 sq/ft.

How do I know who has the best product? Density, blend, etc?

Thank You.

tommy – posted 01 June 2012 13:36

Most of them are very similar in appearance, and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. ‘West coaster’ has bluegrass mixed with it- which makes it more wear tolerant against ripping and tearing type traffic, but regular tall fescue has good wear tolerance to normal foot traffic. If a shorter cutting height is important, go with ‘Marathon 3’. Its slower and lower growing, and the most attractive of all the choices.