# New lawn enthusiast -- Issues with tall fescue and Tenacity



## x78240 (Jun 15, 2020)

Hello everyone. I'm a new member, recently ripped up from entire front yard (about 2500-3500 sf) which was all moss, old zoysia, and some other stuff. I am super excited about having a nice looking lawn. I apologize for another Tenacity question, but I scoured the forum and couldn't find anything too similar.

I ripped up all the old grass, pretty much "skimming" it with shovel, used starter fertilizer, Scotts tall fescue blend, and covered with peat moss. It has grown well (though with various types of weeds and clover), and I've cut it 4-5 times.

To treat the weeds, I used Tenacity in the recommended dose from this video (https://youtu.be/3RYe2HeOcQI?t=258), 
but I cut it in half to make one gallon. In some section of the yeard, the grass turned white as expected and I'm waiting for its color to come back. Here is an example. https://i.imgur.com/ORcSWFn.jpg

However, in many other sections, the grass has died. It turned white and then completely died. Here is an example. https://i.imgur.com/sECadX2.jpg 
I suppose I'm going to rip it up and reseed.

I would like to continue using Tenacity but I'm not sure what I did wrong here. Was the grass too young? Did I spray too heavily? I think no to both of those because other sections are perfectly fine with the same age and same amount applied. The only thing I can think of is that the dead section receives somewhat more sun that the non-dead sections in general, so maybe I didn't water enough over the next week or two after applications and that led to the death is sunnier spots?

Any insight anyone has would be great so I can continue to use Tenacity and have a great weed-free yard. Thanks!


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

It's possible that the Tenacity stressed it and then the heat zapped it. This can definitely happen when it's hot. Honestly, I'd check those areas for buried rocks. It can retain heat and limit rooting.


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## x78240 (Jun 15, 2020)

Thanks for your thoughts. I have a fairly rock free yard I found out when ripping out a lot of the old grass, moss, and weeds. But definitely possible rocks under where I dug it up.


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## MiloSmilo (May 17, 2020)

I got no wisdom for you. 
Only condolences. Truly.

If you've mowed it several times, she should be hardened off to survive the summer heat, you would think?
I don't know. I've only overseeded in the fall. I've also had Tenacity working in 86 temps (only 1-4 days). So I don't think it's that.... and the rate in that video is safe. 
Unless..... the tttf wasn't hardened off (but she was growing tall cause that's what it likes to do) and the T+heat fried it?

Also... I think moss is a world unto itself with underlying problems (not sure). Maybe those conditions/issues returned to destroy the turf.

Condolences


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## x78240 (Jun 15, 2020)

Exactly, hence my post. Spent an hour googling it and couldn't find anything about Tenacity killing tttf.


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## Bigdrumnc (Mar 28, 2019)

I really wish meso did not get so much press. It's not a go to "fix all herbicide". At best it's a good pre emergent at seeding. Trimec, speed zone , ortho cco and round up for lawns are better suited for most applications for a home owner. For weed control tennacity really shines when mixed with another product. That is really beyond what most home owners need to do.


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## halby (Jun 8, 2020)

Are you sure that was good grass there? Something doesn't sense.


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## x78240 (Jun 15, 2020)

I don't know what you mean by good grass exactly. I suppose you mean as opposed to weeds that were properly killed off. The grass looked absolutely perfect and looked like the rest of the tttf in the yard, with the exception of some weeds here and there throughout.


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## x78240 (Jun 15, 2020)

And that's what confused me so much. In other areas that I seeded in the exact same manner, had the same # of cuts, etc and it did fine with tenacity. That's what was so confusing. The other minor difference is that the dead areas get a bit more sun.


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## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

Did you blanket spray or spot spray the Tenacity?
My guess would be you may have gone a little heavy handed on these areas.

What @halby means by good grass is turf type. Not weedy grasses: quack, Johnson, orchard, poa a, poa t, KY-31 junk like that.

Was it 100% tttf seed you used? 
Or was there some ff in it as well?


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## Glen_Cove_5511 (Jun 13, 2020)

If you had some zoysia previously, you should expect it to come back if you just skimmed it off with a shovel.


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## x78240 (Jun 15, 2020)

Definitely expecting the zoysia to come back somewhat.

And the seed I used was Scott's tall fescue mix. So maybe that's part of the problem?


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## Bimmerdan (May 6, 2020)

Tenacity does say on the label it will kill some fine fescues. To me it looks like it was heavy in some areas


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## x78240 (Jun 15, 2020)

Ok, probably heavy spraying. Noted. Just trying to avoid doing the same thing in the future.


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