Hi folks, my lawn died last summer immediately after putting down a new grub repellant product…at least that’s how I account for it. I reseeded in late September
( fertilized in Oct) and what I believe is a patchy tall fescue now covers 70% of the lawn. Do I try to kill the fescue or do I kill the other grass and now plant the more unsightly fescue for the sake of uniformity? (photo will not fit)
Fescue is a cool season grass that does well in spring/early summer and again in fall/early winter. During the hot summer months it struggles in the heat and humidity – it goes dormant and turns brown if not watered really well. This could explain your browning lawn over the summer, rather than the grub repellant.
Fescue may be a coarser grass than you’d like for your lawn but it has many advantages. It is fairly low maintenance, is a deep rooted plant so is quite drought tolerant, rarely needs dethatching, takes less fertilizer, is shade tolerant, withstands heavy foot traffic & wear and will green up earlier in the spring than many other grasses. Many seed mixes available today contain a percentage of fescue for these qualities.
Your current lawn, with the fescue grass, will most likely go brown again this coming summer as it is a “cool season” grass, so what I would suggest is that you over-seed this spring with a “warmer season” grass, avoiding a mix with fescue. This way you will get a green lawn all season long. Your local nursery or garden centre should be able to help you select an appropriate seed from their selection.
Hope this helps.
Mar 27/21