Tall Fescue is a very hardy form of Fescue which is commonly used for creating attractive lawns.
Tall Fescue is not a running lawn like Couch or Kikuyu, it is a clumping grass. Fescue lawns are grown from seed and can be a very cheap lawn to establish. As the name implies Tall Fescue grows as a more upright growing lawn. The resulting lawn is grown long and does not have the low refined look of a running lawn like Couch.
Fescue is commonly combined with other seed varieties like Perennial Rye grass.
Tall Fescue will grow on a variety of soils, however it is better suited to loams and sandy loams. The roots of Tall Fescue grow quite deep into the soil as a result it is more drought tolerant then other seed lawns. It can make an excellent lawn in the right climate and is best suited to cool temperate and temperate climates.
The colour of the lawn is a dark green colour and it maintains its colour even in winter. The major drawback to growing Tall Fescue is that it is hard to repair sections which die-off. The areas have to be reseeded, as the lawn will not spread to any great extent.
There are other varieties of Fescue like Chewing fescue and Creeping red fescue, these lawn grasses and are mostly used on golf courses and bowling greens as they are fine leaf varieties.
The best mower to use on a Tall Fescue lawn is a Rotary mower, as the lawn is best left long. This increases the drought tolerance of the lawn. Cylinder mowers (also called Reel mowers) can also be used on the high setting.
Tall Fescue lawns have few pest problems and are considered low maintenance compared to running lawns. Tall Fescue lawns do not require a great deal of fertiliser, however an application of 30 grams per square metre in spring, summer and autumn will create a lush green lawn.
Tall Fescue lawns are fairly hard wearing, possibly the best wearing of all the seed varieties.