I lived in the transition zone for 12 years, and struggled with fescue for 9 of those years. Then I moved to a house (in Richmond, VA) which had a fescue/bermuda mix. I know this goes against all lawn care wisdom, but it worked for me. I mowed it at about 3", and when it got hot, the bermuda filled in the bare patches in the fescue. I only reseeded in the fall once in 3 years and the fescue did great. It was an established yard, and if you want a mix, you may have to overseed fescue in the fall, since your spring crop may have severe damage. Now I am down south and have a bermuda lawn. I don't really like the dormant season (5-6 months here) but it is way too hot for fescue here unless you have some shade, which I don't. I say go for it...throw down some bermuda seed!

Hi John, thanks for responding. I did think initially that it was something to do with the hot weather, but I am still leaning towards the leaf spot / melting out. In one of the areas it started a month or so ago before the hot weather really kicked in. I did see some information about the possible alleopathic affects of PRG on other grasses, but I'm not really sure how that would impact the fine fescue that I have already or any new seed I might overseed with. It seems like a lot of store bought mixes include PRG along with KBG or fescues. If PRG was that bad I don't know why they would include it in the mixes. Then again I know store bought stuff is not always the best. Does anyone else have any thoughts on what would blend well into predominately fine fescue lawn?

Zoysia is not going to take over Tall Fescue, especially during the fall, winter, and early spring months. Fescue has to die first to make room for Zoysia or any other spreading grass. You can overseed Compadre into Fescue because the established Fescue will completely out compete the Zoysia seedlings. It will produce too much shade. The best method is kill all vegetation with Roundup, top dress with compost/sand or topsoil, till, level, then broadcast the seed and water every day for 30 days. BTW, it's too late for that this year, you need to start in late May to early June on most years. Seed with Fescue and Bluegrass in the Fall and be done with it.

I'm glad you asked, I have experience with both Rebel and elite cultivars. I currently have a stand of Speedway tall fescue and a couple years ago I had Rebel. I should mention, Speedway is the #1 cultivar in 2011 NTEP tests in Raleigh NC so the differences are a bit exacerbated, but the differences compared to Rebel are: - Much quicker germination. - Vastly superior establishment and seedling vigor. - Much better density. - Much better genetic color - it's a few shades darker than Rebel. - Superior drought resistance. - Better texture. I always germinate some seed in a clear plastic cup about one month before seeding time so I know what to expect as far as timing. From my observations, elite fescues will develop deeper roots faster than Rebel. The champion in this category was Bullseye which dropped 2 inch roots by day 4 with no top growth. Rebel is the opposite, it produced top growth before roots. In layman's terms, it's the difference between a Mercedes and a Ford. In regards to rhizomes, the spreading ability of these cultivars has been tested and found to be non-existent: https://seedsuperstore.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/does-tall-fescue-spread/ You can get good seed online at seed super store or you might find places that sell it locally. Check NTEP tests to see which ones do best in your area.