Why You Should Consider Fescue Seeding in NC

In North Carolina, the climate can range between scorching summers and freezing winters. If that wasn’t enough, our lawns are also susceptible to seasonal and general diseases. Selecting a grass that will survive and thrive year-round sounds like a tough prospect, but here’s the case for why you should consider fescue.

Fescue Grass 101

Fescue is a versatile cool-season grass that can generally tolerate changing temperatures, rain conditions and both partial shade and full sun. It generally does a good job withstanding the cold and heat alike, but the summer months and their dry weather can potentially create problems when ground temperatures reach the mid-80s to low-90s (this is when fescue root systems stop developing and lose mass that supports their survival).

This can contribute to things like thinning, diseases (like brown patch fungus, dollar spot and pythium) or other types of turf damage/injury. However, these issues can be controlled to a point with the right treatment options.

Why Seed for Fescue in NC?

While there’s certainly no “one-type-fits-all” grass that exists, fescue can grow well in many parts of NC. It’s an especially great option for lawns that can not support a warm-season turf type due to excess shade (warm-season turf requires 8 hours of full sun a day to thrive).

When to Seed for Fescue

For both new and existing fescue lawns, fescue seeding should be annually in late summer or early fall, around September or early October. Planting during this time allows the turf a chance to grow and mature, without encountering the problems that spring-established fescue may face. When planted in spring, fescue is more susceptible to drought, heat and fungal diseases.

Fairway Green Can Help With Fescue Seeding

Fairway Green’s hand-selected fescue seed mix, Southern Perfection, contains three turf-type tall fescues (and 0% weed and 0% other crop contamination). These varieties were specifically chosen because they have the highest heat and drought tolerance/recovery, disease resistance and color and texture quality. To get started on a custom fescue approach for your home, contact our experts today.