We all love those Tall Fescue Lawns that are green all winter and thick
and wonderful in the summer but sometimes they fall into trouble. What is a person to do if Fescue is suffering and how can you tell when it needs attention?
Way 1.
Your Fescue lawn should be dark green, thick, and tall. Here in Middle Tennessee Fescue goes by the name Tall Fescue for a reason. You should be growing your grass at least 4″ tall. When your lawn is grown to the proper hight it will block out light for Bermuda to invade, store the proper nutrients and water in the leaves, and grow right up against the plant next to it and make a thick lawn. If your Fescue is looking Gray this is a sure sign of Dehydration. Sometimes you can look straight on at your grass and it looks healthy and green. Take a look at the lawn from different angles and you will see areas that need water by the graying that takes place when Fescue is thirsty instead of dark green. Also the blades begin to thin.
Way 2.
When your Blades of Fescue Grass are getting really thin and weak looking they shrivel up and this is a sure sign of dehydration. Unfortunately Dehydration is one of the main factors in destroying a beautiful Fescue property. Your blades of Fescue should have a range of widths because of different varieties in a typical mix of seed but you will certainly know the difference when all of the widths of grass are extremely out of the normal size and really thin. This thinning makes gaps in the lawn.
Way 3.
Large gaps between the Fescue grass plants in your lawn promote weeds, and faster drying of the soil which will also contribute to a lack of nutrients. Moist soils make nutrients available to your Lawn. Fescue will wither in the summer due to summer dormancy which is common to all Fescue turf grasses. This is a process the Fescue has learned to survive droughts in the Tennessee and Kentucky area. When light can get to the soil along with moisture summer weeds will begin to take over. We always recommend an irrigation system when a client wants to grow a Fescue lawn. Irrigating helps to keep the watering on a regular schedule even when you are busy and cannot do it. When the grass is well watered the plants are large and they fill up the gaps which helps to prevent weeds.
If your Fescue is looking Gray it is a sign of dehydration. If the blades of grass are shrinking and shriveling it is suffering and needs water. So give your lawn a good soaking watering and you will see great results, and if you see large gaps between your Fescue plants you know it is a dehydrated lawn. The main cure for these problems is regular watering and an irrigation system is the best solution.
To find out more information on what could be causing your grass problems Contact us.