# Help with Tall Fescue seeding



## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

Hello,
I have a bag of Fescue Blend and recommended fert,.. 
I am pretty new to lawn care so you may have to dumb it down a bit.
My situation is this:
Location: Bakersfield, CA 
I purchased a home in August of last year, the current front lawn had a centipede type grass...mixed with alot of junk. 
Before winter, I sprayed killsaw, and then seeded winter rye,...which after some time, looked very nice.

After a trip to my local garden shop, I decided to try the tall fescue blend seed as it is suppose to stay year round.

My main question is,....considering I had alot of junk grass, which I assume will return after the winter rye dies off.
Will I see good results by doing the following:
I purchased an electric dethatcher and a manual aerator tool, not sure the yard has ever had that done so I am guessing that will help.
Then I plan to cut the grass fairly short, and overseed with the tall fescue.
Will this method allow the fecue to blend and eventually override the current junk if cut longer?
I am guessing my best bet would be to completely remove what is there and start fresh...but I would greatly appreciate not having to do that.
Would scalping the current lawn and seeding be a better option than just cutting short?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Hi @drjoeshmoe , and welcome to TLF :thumbup: 
It is difficult for me to field your question because I have no experience with winter rye, and there are some details about rye and fescue co-existence that are fuzzy to me. I have read that some types of ryegrass will prevent fescue from thriving in the lawn. But again, that is something that I am not clear on.

But here is what I can tell you:



drjoeshmoe said:


> I decided to try the tall fescue blend seed as it is suppose to stay year round.


Yes, with proper care a tall fescue lawn will stay with you. Turf Type Tall Fescue is preferable to KY 31 Fescue. You might want to check the label to make sure that you will not be seeding with KY 31.



drjoeshmoe said:


> My main question is,....considering I had alot of junk grass, which I assume will return after the winter rye dies off.


It depends on what junk grass you had. It also depends on what 'killsaw' is. I couldn't find information about it. If the active ingredient is glyphosate, then it is possible that the junk grass won't return. Regardless, you will likely have plenty of weeds this spring and summer if you did not put down a pre-emergent.



drjoeshmoe said:


> I purchased an electric dethatcher and a manual aerator tool, not sure the yard has ever had that done so I am guessing that will help.


The main thing that you want when planting seed is to get the seed in contact with the soil. Dethatching and aeration can help with that, though they aren't always necessary. Note that aeration is most helpful when your soil is highly compacted--which, in your case, it may or may not be.



drjoeshmoe said:


> Then I plan to cut the grass fairly short, and overseed with the tall fescue.


That is definitely what you want to do with tall fescue. But it is best to reduce height of cut over time so that you aren't taking off too much of your plant at one time. Also, it is usually advisable to seed with fescue in the fall rather than the spring. If summers in Bakersfield are really hot and/or humid, it could damage your young fescue.



drjoeshmoe said:


> Will this method allow the fecue to blend and eventually override the current junk if cut longer?


Hard to say. Fescue can blend well with Kentucky Bluegrass. It is difficult to imagine fescue blending well with the junk grass, but it really depends on what the junk grass is. In my experience, Turf Type Fescue doesn't even blend well with KY 31 Fescue.



drjoeshmoe said:


> I am guessing my best bet would be to completely remove what is there and start fresh...but I would greatly appreciate not having to do that.


It is really hard to say absent of additional information, but in general, yes, it is best to start with a clean palette if you are trying to grow nice turf in a lawn that is primarily weedy grasses. But renovations like this are best done after you have a few years of experience in lawn care. Unless, of course, you are adventurous.

FWIW, I have tried seeding fescue into a weed-infested lawn. I ended up with more weeds. However, if done smartly (say, using mesotrione when seeding your fescue), there is no reason why you couldn't have a better outcome.

I'm happy to answer additional questions.


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

Thanks very much for all the info...1 thing a coworker pointed out to me today was,..my front throw will not work well with tall grass....so I went to tractor supply and purchased a cub cadet sc500z rotary mower. On the bright side...the yearly maintenance is less.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

drjoeshmoe said:


> front throw


Are you talking about a reel mower here? If so, reel mowers get a lot of love on this forum. A lot.

If you are going to grow fescue, my suggestion is to plan for 3.5-4.5 inch height of cut. In the spring, cutting every 3-4 days is common.


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

Yep....my co-worker was drewling over it when I scored it for a good price off Craigslist...he offered to buy it off me.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

drjoeshmoe said:


> my co-worker was drewling over it when I scored it for a good price off Craigslist.


 :lol: All I can say is that you are in the right forum :thumbup:

Several members use reels on their cool seasons grasses. Unfortunately, no fescue. It likes height too much.


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

You will love the 500Z. I have one, got my dad one, and suggest to everyone looking in that price range. Good cut, self propel is intuitive, and the front casters make turns much easier.

Enjoy.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

What kind of reel do you have? Pictures?

Edit: saw it says TruCut in your profile


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

I have an older Truecut with the white briggs 3hp motor....first thing I did was pay the $80 for full service and sharpening before scalping for the winter rye.

@Jconnelly6b Maybe you can help me be lazy and not pull out the manual,...could you tell me the approx. height on the tallest setting for the 500Z?


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

@social port FYI...I found out "Killzall" has 41% Glyphosate


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

@social port again thanks for all that help,...when I get time I will try and expand my knowledge and soak it all in. I work alot, but am determined to be my own successful gardener.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

@drjoeshmoe happy to help! Glyphosate is a heavy hitter. In general, it kills most everything that is green. It is entirely possible that one application took care of your weeds. 
However, some grassy weeds are remarkably strong and will die only after 2-3 applications.

And , although the same plants may not return, if seeds were dropped, new plants may emerge.

To help you along, you may want to give the cool season sticky a read. Starting with tier 1 will give you a nice foundation and a pace of learning and work better suited to someone without a lot of free time. You can always transition to a higher tier of lawn care at some point down the road.

And if you have questions along the way, just ask. This forum is full of friendly and knowledgeable folks :thumbup:


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Aforementioned sticky
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1595


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Drjoeshomoe, could you describe your typical weather in the summer and winter?


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

@g-man maybe this will make it easier and more accurate

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/bakersfield/california/united-states/usca0062


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

drjoeshmoe said:


> I have an older Truecut with the white briggs 3hp motor....first thing I did was pay the $80 for full service and sharpening before scalping for the winter rye.
> 
> @Jconnelly6b Maybe you can help me be lazy and not pull out the manual,...could you tell me the approx. height on the tallest setting for the 500Z?@Jconnelly6b
> 
> You'll get somewhere between 3.5 and 3.75". It's not the highest cutter.


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

@Jconnelly6b That still gets me high enough for the recommended height I was given on this forum for Tall Fescue...Thanks, Appreciate that.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Tall fescue might be a challenge when your average high temp is 97F. 1500sqft since it is small enough to manage the watering. Bermuda might be easier to maintain.


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

I probably should have gotten the mix the garden supply store has, which I believe is tall fescue and purenial rye....I guess they are suppose to support each other's weaknesses. I had planned on overseeding with the mix later.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I wasn't clear. A warm season lawn (bermuda, zoysia) will be easier than a cool season (tall fescue, KBG, ryegrass). Bermuda/zoysia are normally grown from sod instead of seed. Warm season grasses thrive on full sun heat while cool season ones struggle in high heat (above 90F).


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## drjoeshmoe (Apr 20, 2018)

1 more question if I may,
I have the lawn aerated, tall fescue and fert down. Being that I did not scalp the grass but only cut short, I only have a few semi-bald spots. Is it necessary to put down some top soil, or will I be ok? We are getting 90-95 degree weather for the next few days, then it cools back to the mid to high 70's.
thanks again,


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Wow, that was quick.
For bare soil, many of us use a light layer of peat moss over the seed to help retain moisture. It sounds like you are doing something closer to a reseed. Most people I know don't use peat when overseeding, but that is when the existing turf is already thick and temps aren't above 85.

I really don't have enough info to advise, but i am assuming that the existing turf is thin. If so, peat may help. Others may have better ideas here.

You will need to do frequent, brief waterings. Keep the seed moist but not drenched.

Seeding fescue in the spring is usually not the best plan. You may need to seed again this fall, but also see g-man's suggestion re cool season vs warm season grass based on your summer temps.


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