Fine fescue, PR, or TTTF?

16 years ago

I have a one acre lot that gets mostly full sun. The front 15,000 sq. ft. is elite KBG seeded last fall as part of a total renovation. The back 25,000 sq. ft. is very thin and clumpy. It's mostly PR that came up when my builder hydroseeded the lawn. The soil is very poor, infertile, and acidic (5.7 PH). I have done nothing with the back in the four years I've been here.

Maintaining the front is going to keep me busy, so I want a lower maintenance backyard. The KBG in front looks great already, no regrets. But I have no intention of going through that whole process for the back. What I propose is to slit seed into the existing grass, with either a fine fescue blend or maybe PR?

My goals are as follows:

1. A grass that comes up quick, that I can overseed this spring using the spring rains to keep the seed moist.

2. Compatible up against KBG. I have the KBG ending at the back of my house so there's a clear, noticeable line of where the KBG stops and the clumps of PR start. So I need a grass that will blend in with the KBG, both in color, and somewhat in texture.

3. Slow growing, low input, therefore less mowing. I do not want to spend 3 hours every week mowing it.

4. Attractive. It has to meet the approval of my fussy wife:). It doesn't have to blow your socks off like the KBG, but it has to be decent looking.

The fine fescue would grow in the poor acidic soil and is slow growing. Maybe a mix of creeping red fescue and chewings? Compatibility with the KBG could be an issue? The fine fescue would establish slower than the PR. The PR would probably look better, match the dark green color of the KBG better? Or is TTTF what I'm looking for, or a mixture of all the above?

I know fall is the ideal time, but I'm thinking early spring because of the more consistent rains. I'm only able to water 10,000 sq ft at a time so a fall seeding requiring watering would be a three year project.

What would you do?

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Comments (5)

morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
16 years ago
1) PR is the rabbit of the sprout world and should fill in nicely in a month or so. It won't tiller, so I'd mix a hefty amount of KBG with it to get that benefit as well.

2) I've seen PR and TTTF blend beautifully and if you're not that touchy anything will do. Color match is probably going to be more important than anything else, and PR may do that better than TTTF. I'm not an expert on the fescues, tho'.

3) Good luck. Your compact KBG is the best compromise I've found so far, except for specialty grasses you probably don't want to upkeep.

4) Either. Both are nice grasses.

All things considered, I'd probably lean toward a three way mix of PR, TTTF, and KBG and let them fight it out. The TTTF deep roots, the PR looks great in winter here (and nice in summer), and KBG repairs itself. Some fescues have short tillers, too, so they'll do some self-repair.

I wouldn't count on being weed-free in the slightest, not with a March/April planting. Plan on much weeding. Much weeding indeed, grasshopper.
gbig2
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Morpheus, I'm leaning towards a blend, yet still considering just going straight PR, maybe a Lesco double eagle blend. The problem with any kind of mix involving PR and KBG is that it would have to be mostly KBG since too much % of PR will keep the KBG from coming up. Plus I'm not going to water so what are the chances that any KBG will come up anyway?
Are there any fine fescue experts out there? How would a blend of fine fescue look if I overseeded it into my clumps of PR? I'm still considering fine fescue since it's so low maintenance.
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kelleynelson
16 years ago
I'm not sure about the PR, but I'd stay away from fine fescue. It won't do well with little irrigation and full sun.

Modern TTTF does have a similar appearance to KBG, but lacks the self-repair and density of KBG. It does well with little attention and all of the TTTF I have sown has sprouted in less than a week. (Sometimes 5 days).

I think Lesco Teammates Plus has TTTF and KBG?
morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
16 years ago
The PR in seed form isn't all that alleopathic, but once it's in and growing you can pretty much forget adding anything else. To some extent--a thin, weak PR isn't going to stop anything that effectively.

Kelley's right, fescues aren't going to like a dry summer like last year much at all. My parents lost the hottest, driest areas (they didn't water) in patches. The KBG is coming back, though. Not well, but it is.

Whether TTTF will do better than fine fescue I can't say--I don't know enough about them.

Plus I'm not going to water so what are the chances that any KBG will come up anyway?

Doing it right now, fairly good. I've seeded with KBG and I'm not watering. I shouldn't have to for some time yet, at least until daytime temperatures are moving into the seventies. Call it early May at the earliest.
gbig2
Original Author
16 years ago
I've had a moment of clarity and have come to my senses. Forget about this spring seeding nonsense. I'm going to wait until Fall and do it right. It's going to cost $200-$300 for seed anyway, why do it half-fast. Plus a Fall seeding allows me to put down pre-emergent so I'm not seeding into crabgrass and it allows me to be able to kill all the perennial weeds mid summer before I seed. Forget the fescue, I'll go with either straight PR, or a mix of PR and KBG.

Fine fescue, PR, or TTTF?

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morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)

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Fine fescue, PR, or TTTF?

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morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)

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