By DoMyOwn staff
By taking care of your fescue grass lawn throughout the year, you could easily have the best lawn on the block.
If you live in the central or northern united states and your lawn stays green year round, there's a good chance you have fescue grass. Incredibly popular due to its ability to handle cold temperatures, fescue turf is also resistant to some common diseases that can affect other turf types.
There are several varieties of fescue grass including tall fescue, hard fescue, creeping red fescue, and fescue blends. No matter what type of fescue you have, you can keep your lawn healthy and weed free with some basic preventative maintenance and care.
Mowing your lawn not only makes it look neat and tidy, but also helps grass stay healthy. Keep grass blades two to three inches long by mowing every other week during the spring and less frequently in the summer. If you let your turf grow long for any period of time, take off only one third of the grass length during your initial mow after the growth period. This will prevent the turf from becoming stressed.
A thick lawn helps prevent weeds from growing and looks lush and beautiful which is why many homeowners with fescue lawns choose to overseed by applying additional grass seed to your lawn in the fall. You can also fill in bare patches and help your lawn appear thicker and less sparse apply the seed when soil temperatures drop below 65 degrees but before the first frost of the year.
Fertilizing your lawn keeps the lawn healthy by providing nutrients the lawn and soil may be lacking like nitrogen or potassium. Conduct an at-home soil test to determine which nutrients are needed. Then, choose a fertilizer accordingly. Apply fertilizer to fescue turf in the beginning of fall or mid-spring. Do not fertilize after mid-may with a synthetic fertilizer. An organic fertilizer may be used in some instances but make sure to check the product label for application rates and timing.
Fescue turf does not require frequent watering but will benefit from a deep watering of at least one inch of water on weeks when there is less than one inch of rainfall. Water in the morning to allow the water time to absorb into the lawn and avoid burning the grass in the afternoon sun.
Aerating your lawn once per fall will prevent the soil from becoming overly compacted this lawn treatment breaks up the soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots of the turf. Do not aerate after overseeding.
Weeds like goosegrass, chickweed, wild violet, and clover are common in fescue lawns. By applying a pre-emergent herbicide labeled for these weeds in both the spring and the fall, you can prevent these weeds from growing above ground. Use a backpack or hand pump sprayer to apply to your entire lawn. A temporary marking die can help determine where you've sprayed which will help you avoid missing spots if you plan on overseeding or aerating your lawn in the fall, only apply your pre-emergent herbicide in the spring.
While fescue fares better than other turfs against disease it is still susceptible to several fungi like brown patch, leaf spot, and rust. If your lawn is prone to disease, a preventative fungicide applied every 14 to 28 days throughout the late spring and summer will help control the disease. If you currently have disease in your lawn, use a curative fungicide labeled for that disease. Be sure to rotate fungicides as directed by the product labels to avoid resistance. If you find pests like cutworms, white grubs, or ants in your lawn, insecticides will help control the infestation and prevent new pests from invading your lawn. Select a treatment labeled for the pest you are trying to control and be sure it can be used outdoors and in lawns.
Refer to the lawn care and pest control guides at DoMyOwn.com for additional information on how to care for your fescue lawn.
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