The Grass Type NO ONE Talks About // Pros and Cons To Fine Fescue Lawns

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

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[@aprilgeneric8027]

i have found fine fescue looks good even in a drought, so long as you don't cut it and that was in medina and the north west and west metro where there is clay deeper in the soil which will give up it's moisture, but ever so slowly and this helps keep the fescue green so long as you don't cut it until after it has rained atleast a few times in the previous 2 weeks before you cut it, and even then, you have to let it go for almost 3 weeks before you can cut it again, good news is it won't have grown as much to naggingly notice until after the second week you will start to get that itch of ' maybe i should now ' fight it and resist that urge and give it another rain storm atleast in that 3rd week and wait 2 days after that rain to cut it, yields a greener result that has less chance of fading into dormancy. have learned this after trial and error on my own lawn as well as some of my pickier customers who only have fescue left due to 70+year old trees keeping it pretty shady during prime growing light hours especially in crystal and new hope. oh also i added a bunch of perennial rye to mines 30%'ish and that has helped alot, the kbg grew in for a bit but is fading back out in less that 10 years due to lack of watering and fert'ing as a planned experiment which i started 2summers ago in giving it some fert only 10-10-10 and then another shot of 10-10-10 2 25# bags mixed with a 30-0-7 45# bag before spreading this past summer and wow, i have to say that the results with 10-10-10 alone were good even at a very light spread to power the fescue and rye thru the mid summer heat but the 10-10-10 with 30-0-7 mix was explosive really nice results that stayed a really nice dark green with minimal growth where applied moderate, and where applied heavy under the shade areas was way over kill until the peak wore off the fert application, then it had nice residual growth with a deep green still right up to almost winter.

[@christopherhughes7970]

I have about an acre of my yard that’s heavily shaded and lots of trees. I raked out all the leaves and put down fine fescue and have never watered, fertilized or mowed it and it looks incredible.

[@hochhaul]

Fine fescue is amazing. Great germination rate, LOVES shade, thrives where others struggle. And it's great to walk on. I blend with tall fescue in areas of higher traffic and makes for a really plush full yard.

[@l0v3li]

I have several spots in my yard that is clay soil (Oklahoma) and I'm going to top it with compost and manure soil. It's fully shaded by the house and is pretty much near the entrance to the back yard so it's inevitable for some foot traffic, do you think a mix would do well? We also want to reno our current lawns and do the dethatch, aerate and seed trio, but these lawns are full sun, would this blend do well there?

[@jimbo4890]

Mines now coming into its 4 season and I have noticed it seems to get better each year (maybe due to the creeping variety), big selling points to me were it is supposed to naturally inhibit weed growth once matured, is generally less prone to heavy attacks from critters than rye.

[@therealhellcat]

I love how it lays over and if you have a whole yard like that it doesn't need cut as often. Greatest in the world

[@thesugarlipslove]

here in the uk most lawns (especially traditional and golf courses) are predominately fine fescue (and bent). newer mixes include rye. it can be cut very short or left long to sway.

[@craig9280]

I actually really like the long swaying look! I might be in the minority though.

[@tortron]

​@@craig9280I leave mine long, the wind comes through and it looks great. I do get asked why I don't mow my back lawn though

[@MJorgy5]

I've been hybridizing my fine fescue lawn by pushing KBG, but really like the characteristics of it. Never grew up with it, so didn't really understand it at first. It loves the mower, but only the spreader in moderation. Glad you're giving it some attention. 👍🏼

[@alliecatnz]

Great video! Where I live even though not desirable maybe I let the fine fescue grow out quite a lot for the water months especially when we have watering restrictions and I’ve found it bounces back much faster if I do this once we get some rain and the harsh dry sun hours reduce. We live in zone 9b. One benefit as well is you can use certain weed controls to remove pest grasses without killing the fine fescue. We have a large golden retriever and we don’t get die back but it is a large yard. The only thing is that where the lawn used to be a mulched garden bed we do get fungal issues and grub attack but I think any lawn could be susceptible to this. Oh I wanted to add we have extremely heavy clay soil too, I did put a thick top layer of top soil and sand but the roots do penetrate the clay especially if you let it grow out a bit more occasionally before summer.

[@bigbearbear5458]

I am in western Washington State (Puget Sound Area) and in our area, the weather is pretty rainy/cloudy with a lot of trees, as such, fine fescue is fairly common and I too have some patches of it planted in my backyard by the previous owner. I have noticed that they tend to go dormant pretty quickly in summer but comes back without issues in fall. Our winter isn't very cold with just a few days of snow so they don't go dormant in winter either, remaining green until next year's summer. Some HOA managed areas have these planted besides their walk path and they look very nice during spring and fall despite minimal care given, not a bad choice if you're in the Pacific Nothwest and you have areas that you don't walk on often and doesn't get too much sun.

[@meowk5812]

Agree

[@thurmanis1]

Threw down a bag of creeping red fescue back in the fall. We have many mature popular trees one our property, and is fairly shady. Over all impressed with well it has developed so far

[@michaelperry4398]

Yes , I agree fine fescue looks better cut short but was always under belief that leave it longer in shade , more plant to absorb sunlight, but I would say f that and cut it 2.5 , and yes I agree doesn't like a lot of foot traffic

[@TopTierLawnCareServices]

I have fine fescue planted in all the shady areas in my lawn and it does great, perfectly blends with the sunny rest of my yard

[@emiller7040]

Fine fescue is all I use in the Piedmont area of NC. Looks beautiful now and in the fall. The lawn is aerated and seeded every fall.

[@a_noelle8595]

Thanks for this comment. I'm in the Triangle area and looking to start overfeeding my tall fescue lawn with fine fescue because I need the spreading factor. 😢

[@larryvandenbosch6871]

What does it look like in the summer? Is the rain enough water for it? And how does it do in shade?

[@emiller7040]

@@larryvandenbosch6871 It survives the summer heat and I let it go dormant. With too much water there can be an issue with brown patch disease. I have 2 homes and fine fescue seed is used on both lawns. One has lots of sun and the other one has lots of shade. I use a lawn service and they just completed the spring 2 treatment. I had them add grub control on the home with wooded areas on 2 sides. Mole prevention! Good luck with your lawn!

[@atheosathonille130]

Thanks for the video, very informative. I live in Alaska, up from the Carolinas and I bought my first property up here. Small cabin in the woods with a horrendous looking yard, but good soil underneath to till. I've been debating on which grass to use, and I think I'll be going with Fine Fescue and using annual rye on top of it while the fescue fills in and takes over.

[@simonh73]

Here in the UK fine fescue is used in most mixes. For lawn mixes: rye and fine fescue mixes or fine fescue and bent.

[@edwardmcgee5465]

I have fine fescue and I have found that around 2" is the best cut. Like you said if it gets to tall it wants to lay down.

[@Piccolo_Re]

For some reason in the US, the turf specialists I’ve all spoken with no longer recommend fine fescue. They all say to use TTTF. They say fine fescue should just be left alone to grow long and not be cut like regular grass. Lots of people’s yards in the US aren’t perfectly level either and I think that is another reason they don’t recommend fine fescue. Because you’d have to have a very level yard to cut that grass low.

[@lushlawns8904]

Some of the best shade mix I've ever used.

[@jfarm_1311]

I don’t know much about FF, but it seems to have a purpose in cooler climates and in shade. It looks nice from what I’ve seen of it on the videos and in pictures

[@TheeRaddad]

Great info man. Been really considering mixing fine fescue in my kbg lawn that’s pretty shaded. Thanks

[@doublea4760]

I did a full lawn renovation last fall with super seed stores SS6000 mix. It's a blend of a few fine fescues and 1 cultivar of kbg. Hand down best yard on the block. With spring yet to come, this yard still has some areas that are a deep green. This year I'll be starting bio stimulants, I'm really looking forward to seeing how this grass looks matured a little!

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Summer is the time that it struggles but really all cool season grasses do to some extent so it is what it is.

[@runtime_engineer]

​@@ryanknorrlawncare which grass stay green during summer then in New England? I have seen maybe couple yards that have healthy green grass during summer.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

@@runtime_engineer anything heavily watered or most likely it was a newer tall fescue

[@mgriffin12]

Dead on. I have fine fescue in my shaded backyard at 2". Talk fescue in full sun in front yard, 4". Fine fescue is good to mix with your tall if you have an area with mixed sun. You'll have some really uneven growth though.

[@EaveeDoesIt]

Traffic and color are the 2 biggest downsides IMO, but it is a huge trade-off for sustainability with much less product and maintenance demand. I'd also note that within the last 10 years, it's been a generation jump in genetics so the new stuff is leaps and bounds better than any of the old stuff most people see in their lawns. I compare the jump to how far TTTF came compared to KY-31.

[@user-mn3gb5hc5t]

Ryan, Thank you for the 10% discount on Simple Lawn Solutions Fertilizer!

[@jamms2966]

Great vid Ryan. Got a bag of your PRG scheduled for delivery tmrw. I planted a few test patches w/it last summer and it's beautiful. I wonder if this new bag is some of your newer genetics? Wanted to buy some of the seed in this video on that order but the sticker shock got me. Keep up the great content & work on developing seed

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

We have a new top rated cultivar in the rye and the fine fescue is much harder to find in the quality that I expect so the price comes along with that. The nice part is the seeding rates are a little lower so it goes farther.

[@dallinerickson1382]

Just ordered TTTF from you and I can’t wait to get it down on my yard!

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Thanks for the support!

[@toadster1989]

Purchased my lawn leveler and perennial rye.

[@HashknightGaming]

From what I understand this can greatly reduce the heat of the air around your home.

[@dragonstalk86]

my yard is heavy shade so i'm watching this grass seed arc very closely

[@09jlivers]

Videos on the leveling of the fine fescue would be nice content.

[@Ana84262]

Thanks fantastic information as usual.

[@arellano6186]

Excellent video🎉

[@bigboi146]

I'm stuck between fine and tall fescue now for a completely shaded side yard.

[@thechosen5805]

go with fine, it wont look as good but is ALOT less maintenance if you value your time.

[@grayfox9911]

Another good video! Thanks!

[@demarsa]

Stoked!!!

[@mollyoshea9096]

Any thoughts on what to do about course fescue? I think that is what I have growing in my lawn. It grows in clumps and has really thick blades. It is taking over!

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Spray it out and reseed

[@kpbarbee]

Wonderfully informative video! Do you think it is a good idea to mix Fescue Turf Type with Fine Fescue? Thanks!

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

You could do that. It would be very different texture wise but I'm going to be trying that here as some point to see what it looks like.

[@unpavedexplorer338]

My lawn contains a good amount of fine fescue. I accidentally destroyed my lawn using Tenacity. Tenacity killed off a significant amount of the fine fescue. I did a lawn renovation during Labor Day Weekend. In the future, What can I use in place of Tenacity so that this doesn’t happen again?

[@SpudRunGolf]

I’m planting 150 pounds this week

[@perro_8688]

Can you do a video on a short cut fine fescue? Apparently it is very popular on golf courses in Europe.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

I have a plot of it being cut at 3/4" planted last fall

[@autumnauston]

Is there anything like this good for sunny areas?

[@humbertohernandez3378]

Can I overseed my lawn today if it's supposed to get down to the 30's at night next week for a few days.? The high will be 50s and 60s .

[@mrkuz4644]

I have a 80/20 KBG/RYE lawn, I have some trouble spots from the shade of a tree. Considering mixing in some fine fescue in the shaded areas. My question is does anyone have a rye/fine fescue lawn how well do the two bled together. My lawn is pretty nice looking now other than the thinner area under the tree I just don’t want to add some fescue in and have it stick out like a soar thumb.

[@GBene23]

I have a small area of my yard that used to be mulched from a previous owner and is full shade… any recommendations here? Fine fescue? Located near metro Detroit area, MI. Love the content!

[@pc0086]

Which type of fine fescue can handle part sun and some foot traffic?

[@djaga530]

Can you cut fine fescue at 1.18'' ( 30mm) thats the max height my cylinder mower can cut?

[@KellyMonk156]

This is the most popular grass in New Zealand

[@v8soarer1991]

Creeping Red is great at 25mm/1" Hate the bunch Fescue's. Need to watch where your going or you might twisted an ankle

[@tomtom4903]

Is Fine Fescue ok hot weather in Georgia?thx

[@garywilliams7084]

What’s the best way to level TTTF?

[@tzito87]

Ryan- I have about 2200sq ft of grass total on my property extreme shade to full sun, is it wrong to tailor the grass types, or is there a proper way to blend? Is there a truly “all purpose” mix that will sustain and look good? Cold climate, 5k ft elevation

[@jasperchieng9294]

How is the large acreage project doing?

[@aradoran]

Do you think fine fescue is a good candidate to put in shade next to Bermuda grass? I’ve got some of the “shade-tolerant” Bermuda varieties growing in the transition areas between sun and shade but in the more heavily shaded areas this grass is still struggling.

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

I might go tall fescue next to it. In my testing the tall fescue does fine in shade but is also better in hotter climates

[@aradoran]

@@ryanknorrlawncare Thanks Ryan

[@terrywatts1060]

Hey hey!

[@aussiesimmo]

How low do you reckon you could get it too? I've been looking at fine fescue as an option for the front yard of my house that's currently being built. It's a battle axe block with limited sun most of the day.

[@harley2003jfjf]

what options do I have for south Texas? No watering acreage ready to seed 😅 thanks

[@dragonstalk86]

Texas bluegrass or zoysia is probably your best bet

[@jsuperman7672]

What grass is best for lots of clay dirt in the yard.

[@user-it9ti7lt6z]

Turf type tall fescue, it's roots go down deep and can handle wet and dry soils. Stay clear of Fine Fescue

[@larryvandenbosch6871]

@@user-it9ti7lt6z So for red clay in North Carolina, is the tall fescue better?

[@nelsonvega0323]

Is there a fescue grass that can tolerate Florida heat ?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

No. Warm season grasses would be the options there

[@GD15555]

I talk about it daily 😂

[@kgeo2686]

I bought a house in “The Knolls” Miller place Long Island NY. I’m thinking I’ll put this down. It’s super shady.

[@createone100]

How does it do in full sun?

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

It will be stressed in heat but recovers in cooler weather

[@createone100]

@@ryanknorrlawncare Thanks!

[@arsenic0]

You couldnt pay me to put floppy fine fescue back in my lawn in Western Oregon. You go on vacation once and let it get too long and it flops over and you'll be spending hours trying to get your mower to cut it properly.

[@bradygamble214]

I feel ya in Idaho also haha

[@mljones99]

i agree. there isn't a single positive about fine fescue that would persuade me to use it again. There is a reason no one talks about it....

[@trevormuggeridge4560]

First Aussie 😁

[@Striperman]

Good Wednesday morning Trevor. Sunny and 12 degrees Celsius. Birds are chirping and happy the Winter is over. How is it by you.

[@trevormuggeridge4560]

Striperman, Good early Wednesday morning to you, the heat is still with us , ranging from 31-35 degrees Celsius into late next week. It’s a glorious , blue sky ,bird chirping day here. Still waiting for autumn here to arrive.Need some rain. Have a great day mate. 😎

[@shawndubay4050]

Well I like that grass type but can't have it. It would fry.

[@Striperman]

2nd

[@Dan-oi4kt]

Turf type tall fescue is a fine fescue

[@thejarrod123]

Pros: none Cons: everything

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

I like the positivity :)

[@wayneessar7489]

In the north, north west it looks very good, we get three 90°f days a year on average so it persists. The higher chromosome number strong creeping reds make a strong tight turf. Bermuda of the North.

[@user-it9ti7lt6z]

@@ryanknorrlawncare Take all comments not just those you like

[@sureguy8124]

I can get rid of the deer for you. Get at me.

[@user-it9ti7lt6z]

Fine Fescue as described here is not suitable for most home owners. It's shade tolerance is worse than Turf Type Tall Fescue, any claims otherwise are woefully wrong. Fine Fescue also suffers in the heat badly and is very thatch prone. Do us a favour and stop trying to peddle product.