Tall fescue is one of the most widely used grasses in the world, but it is not extensively used in the in the UK. The main reason for its popularity is its outstanding tolerance of hot and dry conditions. For this reason, it is widely used in parts of the USA and through areas of southern Europe. When you think of fescue it is the wire-like fine fescues that come to mind, such as Chewings or slender creeping red fescue. Tall Fescue is not like that – it is much broader in the leaf and resembles a ryegrass more than a fine fescue. In fact, there has been long running debate as to whether tall fescue should be reclassified as a member of the ‘Lolium’ (ryegrass) family.
Key Characteristics
- Exceptional drought tolerance
- Very deep rooted
- Generally dark green in colour
- Generally broad leaved and can be coarse in texture
- Slower to germinate and establish
- Requires warm temperatures for germination
Sowing times
Tall fescue grass seed requires constant soil temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius for optimum germination. In the UK this would typically be between May and September.
Germination time
Tall fescue grass seed will germinate in 14-28 days, subject to conditions.
Other Grass Seed Guides
Why not read some of our other grass seed guides and find out more interesting information, to find the right grass for you.
Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass is the most widely used grass species in the world – and yes, it is used to feed sheep and cattle! Perennial ryegrass is hugely versatile, it is used in grass seed mixtures for farms, all the way through to the tennis courts at Wimbledon.
Hard Fescue
Hard fescue is a species that often gets overlooked in favour of the other main fescue species. some qualities that make it a very useful grass, specifically around its low maintenance and drought tolerance attributes.