During this time the air and soil temperatures are optimum for tall fescue germination. † 2013-2017 NTEP; ‡ 2007-2011 NTEP; § 2002-2005 NTEP; # 1997-2000 NTEP; ¶ 2014-2016 Regional; * 2018-2019 NTEP (preliminary). 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. Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed- Pennsylvania State Mix. Its composition boasts of a generous amount of amino acids that release nitrogen slowly into the soil for … This is good for consumers since they have a greater assurance that the turfgrass seed they are purchasing is going to perform similarly to other high ranking cultivars. This publication printed on: Dec. 20, 2020, 2020 Top Performing Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass Cultivars Across the Transition Zone and North Carolina, None of the tall fescue cultivars in our tests have been completely resistant to brown patch (, These tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass trials used to develop these best performers evaluated 680 tall fescue entries and 454 Kentucky bluegrass entries. A&T State University. The mix contains Southern-bred grass seed that thrives in harsh conditions like sun, shade, and high traffic. Early spring offers the second best planting time for tall fescue seed. The air temperature is 70 to 80°F and soil temperatures greater than 60°F. Fall offers several advantages not available any ... Spring Planting of Tall Fescue. It is a bunchgrass often used in athletic fields because it can withstand heavy use and foot traffic. I returned to using K-31 after trying out a few of the newer tall fescue varieties since K-31 holds up the best with regard to drought resistance and disease resistance. Indians. NC State University and NC The following tall fescue cultivars were the top performing cultivars in tests conducted between 1997 and 2018 among the 680 entries tested. As mentioned earlier, many of the cultivars not on this best performers lists can still be wonderful turfgrass selection for a North Carolina lawn. That is not to say that we cannot still separate the best performers compared to the good performers. Some of the newer cultivars may not currently be available in our market. is usually early fall, but timing also depends on fescue type and local climate. Most turfgrass breeders rigorously screen their new selections at their test farms before they submit their entries into the national trials. If you are interested in viewing a complete dataset of all parameters evaluated or data just for a particular site, these data are available at the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program. The low-maintenance grass covers over 1 million acres in the state, and is the grass of choice throughout the Piedmont and mountain valley given its high tolerance for drought … Many tall fescue lawns are Kentucky 31 fescue, a type of tall fescue that’s known for its coarse appearance. — Read our Tall Fescue. commitment to diversity. I currently have a tall fescue lawn and I am planning on re-seeding this year. This economical, low-maintenance blend of turf-type tall fescue varieties combines all the traditional strengths of tall fescue grasses with the best attributes of modern turf-types. In more recent field testing trials, it has become more difficult to separate the tall fescue entries in the trial. Fall Planting of Tall Fescue. Combat Extreme™ Northern Zone - This tall fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass mix produces fine to medium leaf blades which allows a dense turf to form. Unfortunately, it may not be easy to find a bag that contains only cultivars from our high-performing cultivar lists. We distribute the best turf type tall fescue grass seed varieties throughout North America. The Andersons Innova – Best Fertilizer for New Tall Fescue Grass Andersons Innova is all-natural plant-based fertilizer that is not only safe to the grass and the soil but to kids, sensitive-waterways, and pets as well. A&T State University, in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee For fall seeding, wait for soil to cool to this range. DOWNLOAD TALL FESCUE AGRONOMICS & RESOURCES SHEET (PDF) The best companion grass with alfalfa because they establish and mature at similar rates. Cooperative Extension is based at North Carolina's two land-grant institutions, There are many brands of grass seeds being sold at garden centers and I wanted to get your opinion as to what is the ultimate best brand of tall fescue grass seed being sold out there. bag seeds … Fescue grass is a species consisting of multiple seed varieties, including tall fescue, creeping red fescue, hard fescue, chewings fescue, and sheep fescue. Even with fungicide applications, we cannot prevent summer patch in all the Kentucky bluegrasses grown in Raleigh. In addition, Combat Extreme™ grass seed mix uses lower-growing cultivars which means that mowing requirements and clipping yields can be reduced up to 30 percent. Check the seed tag to be sure of endophyte infection levels. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Our recommendation for the best fescue grass seed is probably Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue. Receive Email Notifications for New Publications. These tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass trials used to develop these best performers evaluated 680 tall fescue entries and 454 Kentucky bluegrass entries. Keep in mind that companies often blend multiple cultivars together for sale in the retail market but use a simple Name Brand to enhance brand recognition. Some of the newer cultivars may not currently be available in our market. It can handle a wide range of soil conditions, temperatures, and extreme weather. Generally Kentucky bluegrass cultivars are susceptible to summer patch when grown in Raleigh, which can be difficult to manage without the use of fungicides. This should be indicated on the bag. † 2019 NTEP data only; ‡ 2012-2016 NTEP; § 2006-2010 NTEP; # 2001-2005 NTEP. Every few years, recommended tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass cultivars lists have been published on the turffiles website with those cultivars that have been released to growers for production and sale. GreenView Fairway Formula. Buy on … In some lawns, patches of tall fescue may stick out and appear as a grassy weed. Also, the Kentucky bluegrasses generally perform better in western NC than they do on the piedmont. If you need to cover those bare … Some of the older cultivars may no longer be available. It performs best in full sun to moderate shade, is tolerant of a wide range of physical and chemical soil conditions, and performs best at … Table 2. The best time to plant fescue grass (Festuca spp.) It is a deep rooted, hardy, bunch-type grass. I used mean quality data (five years) for the NTEP trial and mean of two growing seasons for the regional trail planted in Raleigh. The result of this combination is a lawn highly resistant to traffic, more drought tolerant than bluegrass or ryegrass and able to … None of the tall fescue cultivars in our tests have been completely resistant to brown patch (Rhizoctonia spp.). These trials include standard cultivars that are well-known in the industry, newly released cultivars, and “not-yet-named-cultivars” that are still in experimental stages of testing. 1750 Sq. Suitable for both sunny … Tall Fescue is a cool-season grass that has been the grass seed of choice in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states for nearly 30 years and for about the last decade in the Midwest and far-western states like California. By clicking to run this downloaded file you agree to the, Liquid Lawn Refill Hydro Mousse Fescue Grass Seed 2Lb Up to 400sqft Spray, Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed - Dense Shade Mix for Tall Fescue Lawns, Scotts Classic Tall Fescue Grass Seed 7 lb, Hydro Mousse Liquid Lawn As Seen on TV Fescue Blend Grass Seed 0.5, Pennington 100086834 Fescue-Bluegrass Premium Grass Seed Mixture, 3 Lbs, Premium Oregon Grown Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed (5 LBS), Scotts 18302 Turf Builder Heat Tolerant Blue Brand Grass Seed Mix ,7 lbs, Scotts EZ Seed Patch & Repair Tall Fescue Lawns - 10 lb., Combination, Scotts Turf Builder 7 Lb. Scotts® Turf Builder® Grass Seed Tall Fescue Mix provides superior heat, drought, insect and disease resistance to lawns. It is adaptable to a wide range of climates, is disease resistant, and tolerates heat, cold, drought, and … You also don’t have to worry about the hot months or the cooler winters since the grass can withstand these months when the temperatures … They can then use the national tests to see how their best entries performs across multiple environments compared to other germplasm. Like brown patch in tall fescue, it is generally summer patch that reduces the quality of Kentucky bluegrass. commitment to diversity. An excellent choice for use on golf courses and … The higher the percentage of cultivars from our list in the bag, the greater the chances of obtaining/maintaining the highest quality turf possible in this climate. Kentucky Bluegrass / Tall Fescue Blend. Due to the similarity of performance among tall fescue cultivars and the number of entries tested over the years, the lists had grown to be very long. Some of the older cultivars may no longer be available. Generally, this type of lawn looks similar to bluegrass, except with slightly wider leaf blades. This disease typically plays a dominant factor in turfgrass quality evaluations, at least for the Raleigh test site. Turf-type grass grows rapidly and has excellent wear tolerance, making it ideal for high-traffic yards with … All new varieties of tall fescue have very low amounts of the endophyte fungus or are free of it. If that was the case, they were only referenced to the most recent trial. Table 1. Tall Fescue Grass. In many cases, proper establishment and maintenance of tall fescue will be a more significant factor in determining turfgrass performance than the cultivar. Cooperative Extension prohibits discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, gender identity, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation and veteran status. The cultivars in Table 1 are the top performers across the transition zone study sites plus any that performed equally as well specifically in the North Carolina (Raleigh) site for the last five National Turfgrass Evaluation Trials (NTEP) and one regional North Carolina trial. The evaluations of the datasets did not directly factor in many of the data points collected over the years, concentrating just on the evaluation of turfgrass quality. When combining these two, tall fescue should make up around 90% of the seed due to it not … Ft. Coverage Heat Tolerant Blue Grass. Tall fescue is the Swiss army knife of cool-season grasses. When to Plant Tall Fescue Grass Seed. Pennington Smart Seed Tall Fescue combines the best qualities of various tall fescue varieties in a premium blend that matures to a uniform, finely textured, lower growing and lower … It is better for the air and soil temperatures to be warmer than cooler for the best … A few cultivars appeared in more than one test, but its performance was only noted from the most recent test. The evaluations of the datasets did not directly factor in many of the data points collected over the years, concentrating just on the evaluation of turfgrass quality. A few cultivars appeared in more than one test, but its performance was only noted from the most recent test. The middle to end of September is the best time to re-seed your tall fescue lawn. Simply click the Run button at the bottom of your browser. Tall fescue germinates best when soil temperatures near 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Best Overall: Barenbrug Advantage Pinnacle III Perennial Ryegrass Seed. Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Quick Fix Mix. As mentioned earlier, many of the cultivars not on this best performers lists can still be wonderful turfgrass selection for a North Carolina lawn. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is the most used grass variety in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina University Extension. I used the mean of the transition test areas since parts of NC has climatic conditions more similar to other regions of the transition zone than Raleigh and by using several locations it removes some of the potential bias from using just one test environment. Tall Fescue grass seed is a cool-season bunch species used for home lawns, parks, and sports fields in warmer parts of the country. Several tall fescue varieties are suitable for Missouri. For that reason, this 2020 list highlights the top performers in the last six tall fescue trials NC State University has conducted. This tall fescue grass seed and fertilizer combination will change the way you grow grassThe most complete solution for large problem areas in your lawn and establishing new grass Unique, proprietary combination of tall fescue seed and fertilizer mix results in full green grass that grows in just weeksOne 5.6-lb. Several cultivars were entered in multiple trials, so they could be a top performer in more than one trial. It is more productive in midsummer than brome. Jonathan Green 10765 Fall Magic Grass. Turf type tall fescue seed is sold by Allied Seed. Pennington Tall Fescue Add versatility, durability and sustainability to your lawn with Pennington Tall Fescue Blend. As mentioned earlier, many of the cultivars not on this best performers lists can still be wonderful turfgrass selection for a North Carolina lawn. The Top Choice 17632 Tall Fescue grass seed mixture is a blend of three species that can grow you a nice lawn with tall and green grass that uses less water than other types of grasses. With so many production, selection, shipping and distribution variables to consider, it is difficult to predict availability of these cultivars to the consumers. The combination of grasses is often recommended since there is no one grass that will perform well under all conditions. Find more information at the following NC State Extension websites: N.C. Tall fescue seed germinates quickly (10-14 days) and is readily available as sod around the state. As one moves into cooler, less humid climates, the disease may be more easily controlled. These tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass trials used to develop these best performers evaluated 680 tall fescue entries and 454 Kentucky bluegrass entries. Read our Customers often ask about matching our recommended cultivars to those listed on the bag seed label. 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