Tall Fescue
Festuca arundinacea (syn. Schedonorus arundinaceus) · Cool-season, Perennial, C3 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, Subfamily Pooideae, Tribe Poeae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf, Pasture, Sports Turf, and Erosion Control
Variety / Cultivar
Turf-Type Tall Fescue (TTTF); specific cultivar unknown but displays typical improved dark green color and finer texture than 'Kentucky 31'.
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 4-7; excellent heat tolerance for a cool-season grass and good cold hardiness. Stays green longer into winter than warm-season grasses.
About This Grass
A robust, deep-rooted perennial grass. It forms a dense, coarse to medium-textured turf. Color is typically a medium to dark green. It remains green through much of the winter in transition zones and produces a panicle seed head if left unmowed.
Blade Characteristics
Blade width is medium-coarse (3-4mm); flat shape with a distinctly pointed tip and prominent longitudinal ribs/veins on the upper surface. Vernation is rolled in the bud. Ligule is short and membranous; auricles are absent or very small (non-clasping); margins are often rough/serrated to the touch.
Root System
Deep fibrous root system, often reaching 2-3 feet deep, providing superior drought tolerance. It is a bunch grass with minimal thatch accumulation and moderate establishment speed from seed.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to Europe and North Africa; widely adapted throughout the United States Transition Zone and temperate regions.
Growth Habit
Bunch-type (clump-forming); lacks significant rhizomes or stolons, though some newer cultivars exhibit limited short-rhizomatous spreading.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Prefers full sun but has moderate shade tolerance (better than Kentucky Bluegrass/Bermuda); requires roughly 4-6 hours of sun. High drought tolerance once established due to root depth; prefers well-drained soil with pH 5.5-7.5.
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal height 3.0 to 4.0 inches; mowing frequency should follow the one-third rule. Requires 2-4 lbs of Nitrogen per 1000 sq ft annually. Low to medium maintenance; requires periodic overseeding to fill in bare spots due to bunch-type growth.
Special Characteristics
High wear tolerance; excellent drought resistance; susceptible to Brown Patch fungus in high humidity; good salt tolerance; primary choice for transition zone lawns because it survives hot summers better than most cool-season grasses.
Ecological Information
Introduced species; provides soil stabilization for slopes; valuable for livestock forage in pastures (often endophyte-enhanced for durability); can be slightly invasive in native prairie settings; often mixed with Bluegrass for recovery or Clover in pastures.