Lawns - Tall Fescue
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  (April) I have a shady yard, and want to sod with Kentucky tall fescue later on this season. Right now I have some crabgrass and annual bluegrass that I want to get rid of. Can I post-emerge now to get rid of it and then sod? If so, when?

  If you are planning on sodding a fescue lawn this year, don't wait too late. Kill everything growing now with a glyphosate (Round-up) herbicide, then till, level the soil, and sod with a turf-type tall fescue. It is best to get it growing before it gets too hot, since summer can takes its toll on tall fescue. I would be surprised to see crabgrass already, since winter weeds are much more prevalent now than summer ones. Keep in mind that spraying now with a gylphosate product will only kill the existing weeds, not any dormant ones.

  (November) I have a very shady lawn and I was told to plant Kentucky Tall Fescue 71. Can I plant it now? Also should I fertilize first?

  The fall seeding time for fescue is a past. I don't think you would have enough time for it to germinate before a killing frost. Tall fescue is best seeded from September through October. Keep in mind, that if you are growing a lawn, you may want a turf-type tall fescue. K 31 is not a good lawn grass, it performs better as a pasture. If you can find turf type fescue sod, that could still be planted.

  I intend to seed tall fescue this spring on my front yard. It has a fairly good slope and I am worried about it washing. When should I seed, and how can I keep it in place?

  Tall fescue can be seeded from March through mid-April. However, spring seeding is not as desirable as fall seeding. You have a relatively short period from seeding until the hot weather hits, which tall fescue doesn’t like. You can try using a landscape netting, or burlap over the seed to help hold it in place until establishment. Another option, and one that would be worthwhile if you have a large area to seed, is hydroseeding. There are a couple of people in town who can do this for you. Hydroseeding is what is used by the Highway Department to spray seed on the banks along the highways. They spray the seed on and it stays in place through germination. Keep your lawn watered well this summer, and be prepared to overseed it again in the fall to keep it thick.

  I have planted fescue seed in our backyard which is very shaded in the summer months. Now that we have growth (approx 1-2" in height) how do I treat it for the winter and what should I do come Spring? Since it is new growth, how tall should I let it get before cutting? My main concern now is keeping the grass and promote the growth and spreading of it.

  Tall fescue loves the cool weather and should stay green year-round. If you didn't fertilize at planting, consider using a new lawn starter now. Mow as needed, when you won't remove more than one third of the grass blade at any one time. Don’t allow it to keep growing without mowing, or it will begin to fall over, and then mowing will be difficult and can stress the lawn. Fertilize again in March, and one last application in late April. We normally fertilize spring and fall, not summer. Water as needed as long as dry weather prevails. Summer is the toughest time for this lawn, right now it should do fine.

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