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Festuca spp.
The fine fescues are comprised of a group of lawn grasses that includes:
- Creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra)
- Chewings fescue (Festuca rubra var. commutata)
- Hard fescue (Festuca longifolia)
- Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina)
The fine leaf fescues are the most shade-tolerant of the lawn grasses. Their leaves are medium- to dark-green and narrow -- almost needle-like. They are primarily bunch-type grasses, except for creeping red fescue which can produce rhizomes. Fine leaf fescues grow very slowly, require little or no fertilizer, and should be mowed at 2 inches or higher.
These grasses are well-adapted to infertile, acidic soils and tolerate shade better than other cool-season grasses. They are not good for high traffic areas because they do not tolerate abrasion, and like other bunch grasses, they are slow to fill in damaged spots.
Thatch can become a significant problem if not managed properly, as the fescues are the most aggressive thatch producers of the cool-season grasses. This is primarily because fescue's leaf stems are high in lignin (which is slow to break down), not aggressive growth. In fact, the slow growing nature of the fescues often slows establishment, especially, sheep and hard fescue.
Traditionally, the fescues are used in mixtures with Kentucky bluegrass and/or perennial ryegrass. However, growing interest in low-maintenance lawns has made blends of fine fescue cultivars increasingly popular.
The low maintenance approach assumes that quality expectations and traffic patterns will be reduced as the fescues will assume a "brown haze" appearance under full sun and dry conditions. Still, the benefits of reduced mowing and fertilizer applications, while still maintaining a dense lawn, seem a fair trade.
The sheep and hard fescues are more adapted to the low-maintenance approach, while the chewings and red fescue perform better in traditional lawn mixtures that will receive regular fertilizer applications.
The fescues have few major pest problems. However, under wet condition they can be attacked by red thread and leaf spot. Similar to the ryegrasses, certain fescue cultivars have endophytes to repel surface feeding insects, but are susceptible to white grub infestations.
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