Tall fescue is an important grass in the United States, and has been widely used for pastures and soil stabilization on roadsides and other problem place. Tall fescue is an European grass that was introduced into the United States during the 1800’s. However, it was not used as a lawn grass until the introduction of the improved and more disease resistant varieties Alta in 1940 and Kentucky 31 in 1943. These two tall fescue varieties have become the standards of all tall fescue lawns. Only recently have finer-bladed varieties that tolerate lower mowing been developed for lawn use.
As a lawn grass, tall fescue is a deep-rooted perennial grass. It is basically a bunch grass, forming clumps rather than spreading. Kentucky 31, the most popular variety, has course leaf blades with rough edges. If sown thickly and developed into a dense stand it can form an even sod. However, if it develops thinly the scattered plants become clumped and objectionable. Like bluegrass, it is a cool season grass, although it persists well through hot summer. In addition to growing well in sunny locations, it has tolerance of light shade. However, in shade it is softer and thinner in growth.
Tall fescue seeds are much larger than those of bluegrass, and need to be planted in larger amounts of weight. Seeds should be given a light soil cover for best germination. Seeding rates for a fescue lawn are higher than for a pasture, to make sure a dense stand develops. Sow seeds at about seven to eight pounds per 1000 square feet of lawn area. Although Kentucky 31 is still the only tall fescue variety available for lawn use in many areas, where the newer fine-bladed varieties are available, they are worth considering.
Rebel, which was first introduced in 1979, shows much promise. It was derived from a diverse background which included trispecies hybrids of tall fescue, meadow fescue and perennial ryegrass. It has a fairly fine texture, good disease resistance and can be maintained as low as ¾ inch. Older tall fescue varieties must be cut two to three inches high. Falcon is another tall fescue with finer texture and moderately low growth. It was introduced in 1980 and is still not available in many areas at this time. It is able to resist leaf roll during hot, dry weather, a common characteristic of older fescues.
The number of fine-bladed tall fescue varieties is still very limited, and those that are being marketed are often hard to find. Nevertheless, where available, they represent another choice for lawns in areas of the Midwest where summers are often too hot and dry for good bluegrass, and winters are sometimes too cold for warm season grasses such as zoysia or bermuda. Tall fescue, as well as any other cool season grass, should be seeded in early fall. At this time of year it can germinate with enough time to grow well before winter sets in. Also, few weeds germinate in fall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_Fescue_(Festuca_arundinacea)
