Grass -Species Description
TALL FESCUE
Tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea Schreb., is a cool season, bunch-type turfgrass. It has an extensive root system that allows it to have excellent tolerance to heat and drought stress. Tall fescue also has excellent wear resistance, will persist in full sun to partial shade and has low maintenance requirements. It has a medium green color and medium-wide leaf texture which is coarser than perennial ryegrass or Kentucky bluegrass.
PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
Perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L., is a cool season, bunch-type turfgrass. It has a dark green color and a fine leaf texture and is adapted to full sun but also has good shade tolerance. It is quick and easy to establish and is adapted to a wide range of soil conditions.
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis L., is a cool season turfgrass that spreads by rhizomes and tillers which enables it to form a dense sod. It has excellent mowing quality and will grow in full sun to light shade. Kentucky bluegrass has a dark green color, fine leaf texture, good wear tolerance and excellent cold tolerance. During extreme periods of heat and drought, it may go dormant with growth continuing as moisture becomes available and heat subsides.
CHEWINGS FESCUE
Chewings fescue, Festuca rubra L. ssp. commutata Guad., is a cool season, bunch-type, fine fescue turfgrass. It has very good shade and drought tolerance and fair traffic tolerance. Chewings fescue has low fertility and maintenance requirements and will tolerate a wide range of soil pH. Chewings fescue is very similar to creeping red fescue but does not have rhizome development.
HARD FESCUE
Hard fescue, Festuca longifolia Thuill., is a cool season, non- creeping, bunch-type, fine fescue turfgrass. It has low fertility and maintenance requirements and will tolerate a wide range of soil pH. Hard fescue has very good shade and drought tolerance and will grow in a wide range of soil conditions.
CREEPING RED FESCUE
Creeping red fescue, Festuca rubra L., is a cool season, fine fescue turfgrass with a tillering, rhizome spreading type root structure. It has very good shade and drought tolerance and fair traffic tolerance. Creeping red fescue has low fertility and maintenance requirements and will tolerate a wide range of soil pH. It is very similar to Chewings fescue but does spread from rhizomes.
ANNUAL RYEGRASS
Annual Ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam., is a cool season, bunch-type turfgrass that tillers profusely. It is coarse textured, has an upright growth habit and a light green color. Annual ryegrass is very quick to establish and will grow on poor or compacted soils. This is an ANNUAL grass. It is not intended for permanent lawns but is often used in permanent grass seed mixtures to provide quick cover and serve as a nurse crop to help the permanent grass species develop.