Sod??? Please, not to sound crass or surly, but I don't think there is anyone here who knows the Rolla's area garden centers or nurseries, or the ones in STL either! Don't you think you'd have a better chance asking locally, in person? I mean, heck, I'd have an awfully hard time directing somebody here, in the third largest city in America, as to where to pick up "fine fescue sod". And I drive around here everyday, 200 miles everyday for a living. It really isn't something common, to tell ya the truth. Can we interest you in fine fescue seed, by chance?

Yeah okay, my mistake. Maybe it was someone else who mentioned that KBG would burn out in this part of the country and I mistook that post for you...not really an issue with me. But so far this year most of the folks I know that have KBG are suffering just like I am with mostly TTTF...brown-outs and having to pour the water to it every 3-4 days to keep it green and not lose it. In this heat, I don't think there's such a thing as dormant with fescue, or if there is there's a really short timeline between dormant and dead, especially in full sun all day.

Western wheatgrass isn't often listed as a turfgrass. Were they talking about western wheatgrass or crested wheatgrass (or streambank wheatgrass)? Streambank wheatgrass isn't normally found as far east as MN, so I didn't list it. I don't like crested wheatgrass very well. I don't like the color very much (too yellow) and the way it lives in low water conditions is to go in and out of dormancy very quickly Western wheatgrass deals with drought by having an extensive root system. So it has to be dry for a long time to go dormant (the native stuff in fields here usually goes dormant in mid July after no rain since the first week of June). It's not without faults, though. It's almost blue in color and has wider blades than most of your other options (with the exception of K31 tall fescue). I've seen native stands here under trees along the road that look like they'd keep it shaded most of the time. Most of this area is either zone 5 or 6, but at higher elevations, it's zone 4 and I've seen it growing there, too (native, no water at all except for snow, early spring and late fall rains). If you want something that is closer in color and blade width to a traditional lawn, western wheatgrass is not what you want, but if you want something that will stay green (or blue, anyway) with no water from the sprinklers, it'll do the job. The fescues will probably stay green in MN, so CRF + sheep fescue might give you a lawn that will stay green for the most part and look more like what you're used to seeing.

You need to irrigate it. In a full sun situation with drought and record heat, this isn't optional. Even Zoysia would need irrigation to look good in full sun/compacted clay but it probably wouldn't die. Creeping red fescue and other fine fescues tolerate a dry shade and grow well in that setting in our climate. I've been able to keep it alive with very little irrigation and very little shade but I have used a proven variety that has ranked high in full sun test plots. That's why I suggested it in the other thread. With the creeping red fescue that you find in big box stores those varieties aren't so great and usually chock full of weeds. What I would suggest that you do if you can commit to watering 1" a week (once or twice a week) and in the morning during spring/summer, mowing higher in the summer, is to see if your local Home Depot has the Lesco Transition blend of Tall Fescue. The brands you have used were decent varieties too (except for the kentucky 31). This weekend (weather permitting), aerate, scalp-mow the existing grass even if it's dead. Overseed at the recommended rate and water several times a day until germination then cut back your watering. Great tall fescue lawns are not made overnight. They take a couple of years until the drought and heat tolerance is realized and performance is better. So during that time you need to baby it the most to get it to the point that it will be durable, attractive and long lived. And plant some more trees to provide afternoon shade. Here is a link that might be useful: Look over this F.A.Q.