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Fine Fescues View Our Fine Fescues Varieties

Fine Fescue Specifications
  • Seeding rate: 3-5 lbs./1,000 sq.ft.
  • Germination: 8-16 days
  • Growth habit: bunch, creeping and/or spreading
  • Approx. seeds per lb: 500,000-615,000 depending on species
  • Blade: 1-2 mm, pointed, needle-like tip
  • Uses: Shaded Lawns, Ground Cover.
  • Identification: Narrowleaved, cool-season perennial and creeping and/or bunch growth habit, found mostly in shaded areas. Leaves have folded vernation (stem) and a dull underside.
  • Establishment: Slow establisher like tall fescue. Ideal for shade.
Foxy Creeping Red Fescue
  • Elite new and improved strong creeping red fescue
  • Deep dark green, graceful appearance
  • Endophyte-enhanced for improved heat and pest resistance
  • Great shade tolerance
Salem Creeping Red Fescue

Salem Red Fescue

  • Superior dark green color and fine leaf blade make it an excellent turf type grass
  • Shade tolerant and has a soft texture combined with low growing characteristics
  • Excellent winter survival and greens up quickly in the spring
  • Excellent choice for mixtures. It compliments the other species of grass used in fine turf grass mixtures
Ambrose Chewings Fescue
  • Exhibits a distinct deep dark green color
  • Adapted to low fertility and moderate to high soil pH conditions
  • Strong shade tolerance
  • Low vertical growth habit that will tolerate low cutting heights
Culumbra II Chewings Fescue

  • New and improved chewings fescue
  • Top performance in the 2002 Fine Fescue NTEP Test
  • Elite turf quality
  • Endophyte enhanced
Reliant II Hard Fescue
Reliant II Hard Fescue
  • Dark green color
  • Bunch-type growth habit with high tillering capacity
  • Ideal for wildflower and natural low-maintenance settings
  • Extreme tolerance to infertile, droughty soils and environmentally sensitive areas
  • Excellent where mowing is discouraged
Viking Hard Fescue

  • Top hard fescue in 1998 Fine Fescue NTEP Test
  • Deep dark green, endophyte enhanced
  • Elegant "wind swept look"
  • Heat and drought tolerant
Azure Blue Sheep Fescue

  • Very low growing
  • Requires little care and performs exceptionally where fertilizer use is discouraged
  • Excellent drought & cold tolerance
  • Appealing for its fine textured, brilliant teal blue color that actually intensifies under heat and drought stress
Fine Fescue Descriptions
Chewings Fescue
Chewings fescues have a bunch type growth habit, forms denser turf than the strong creeping red fescue, tends to be more disease resistant and persistent under lower maintenance. Of the fine fescues, chewings fescue is the most tolerant of close, continuous mowing and traffic pressure. From Northern Europe and bred for improved turf quality in hotter, dryer climates of North America.
Strong Creeping Red Fescue
Strong creeping red fescues have rhizomes and a distinct spreading growth habit. They have greater, longer and less prolific rhizomes than the slender creeping red fescues. Strong creepers also tend to be more tolerant of patch and crown disease and are often mixed with Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass in hot and humid regions.
Slender Creeping Red Fescue
Slender creeping red fescues are very tolerant of saline soil conditions, respond well to low mowing heights and can be used in winter overseeding programs where rapid spring transition is desired. Slender red fescue is often used as a component in roadside turf mixtures where salting of roadsides is required.
Hard Fescue
Hard fescues are similar in appearance to sheep and blue fescue, but have wider, tougher, less glaucus (bluish-green) leaves and are more tolerant of higher fertility and moist soil conditions. Hard fescues are more similar to chewing fescue with similar turf density and texture, but have lower nutrient requirements and slower vertical growth rates. Hard fescues are also used as a component in low maintenance turf mixtures where a "windswept" or "links" look is desired. Hard fescue is also used in wildflower mixtures.
Sheep & Blue Fescue
Sheep and blue fescues exhibit a stiff bunch type, non-creeping growth habit, bluish green to dark green leaves, require little maintenance and do poorly under intensive cultural practices. Sheep and blue fescue are often used in wildflower mixes because of their non-aggressive ornamental appearance. Sheep fescue is used for wildflower mixtures and blue fescue is used extensively for ornamental landscape plantings. Both species produce very good turf under shade conditions.
Tall Fescue Traits
 
COLOR
MOWING
TRAFFIC
THATCH
NITROGEN
SHADE
TYPE
DROUGHT
ENDOPHYTE
Dark Green Tolerate 1 1/2" Fair Medium 2-4 lb. per M Annual Very Good Creeping Very Good 36%
Light Green Tolerate 1 1/2" Fair Medium 2-4 lb. per M Annual Very Good Creeping Very Good 13%
Dark Green Tolerate 1/2" Good High 2-4 lb. per M Annual Very Good Chewing Good 36%
Dark Green Tolerate 1/2" Good High 2-4 lb. per M Annual Very Good Chewing Good 0%
Dark Green Tolerate 1 1/2" Fair-Poor Medium 2-4 lb. per M Annual Very Good Hard Good 11%
Dark Green 1 3/4-3" Fair-Poor Medium 2-4 lb. per M Annual Very Good Hard Good 76%
Blue Green 1 1/2-3" Poor High 2-4 lb. per M Annual Very Good Sheep Good 0%
Turf Products
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Perennial Ryegrass
Tall Fescues  
Fine Fescues
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Des Moines Forage & Turf Seed Corp., 2302 SE Creekview Dr. Ste. #6, Ankeny, IA 50021 515-965-4425800-810-1618