# Eliminating Coarse Tall Fescue



## Wakedog (Sep 3, 2021)

I've been doing some reading on Tall Fescue (sometimes referred to as Coarse Fescue or Coarse Tall Fescue) and Turf Type Tall Fescue ("TTTF"), and it looks like I have a fair amount of Coarse Tall Fescue (e.g., "bad" fescue) in my lawn. For the most part I have a KBG/TTTF lawn, and I've been over-seeding with a mix of KBG/FF/PRG since the sod was first laid about 15 months ago.

I have a couple of questions:

Anyone know where Coarse Tall Fescue comes from in an example like mine? Is it just like any other weed or crabgrass where a couple of seeds float over from the neighbors' lawns and then they start invading the space?

Most importantly to me, does anyone have a strategy for how to get rid of Coarse Tall Fescue? It looks like anything that would kill Coarse Tall Fescue would also kill good turf, and I don't want to nuke my yard. It seems like hand-pulling + continuously over-seeding with good turf seeds is the best way to get rid of it, but that will obviously take a lot of time and effort. Does anyone have a better way to eradicate the bad fescue?

I can post pictures if helpful but it's likely not necessary. The bad fescue just looks...bad, and I'd like to get rid of it. Hoping there's a faster way than crawling across the entire yard...TIA

Edit: Adding photos. Zoomed out (Pic 1) it's hard to see it, but when you look closely you start seeing some of the clumps, and the blade, coarse veins, and purple bottom (Pic 3) have led me to conclude its Coarse Tall Fescue. There's some on the edges where the plant beds are (Pic 4) which is easy enough to just gut out, but the bunches interspersed with good turf (Pic 2), and that's the stuff that I'm not sure how to get rid of. I've got some young kids and my wife has asked me not to use chems for the time being, so I think it's hand pulling for the time being.


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## situman (Nov 3, 2020)

Spot spray glyph or hand pull. Either way good luck.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Please post pics.


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

This stuff is often referred to as tall clumping fescue. As has previously been noted, roundup is your best bet. I struggled mightily with the stuff a number of years ago, and ultimately nuked each plant one year and then just nuked everything the year after.

With it interspersed with good sod, you could just nuke the plant only. Take a 5 gallon pail and cut the bottom off. Put it over the individual plant and spray it with roundup. Our you can paint each plant for less aggressive elimination, but it will take longer. It will look ugly, but with KBG the spots will fill in with time and can be repaired with seed in the fall..

Good Luck.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Similar to what Stu said above, I used a cardboard box on my clumping fescue areas. See link below and scroll down on page 1. You will see my process from 2018.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5474


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## Wakedog (Sep 3, 2021)

Harts said:


> Similar to what Stu said above, I used a cardboard box on my clumping fescue areas. See link below and scroll down on page 1. You will see my process from 2018.
> 
> https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5474


Per your request I added some pics. Unfortunately it seems to be pretty consistently woven through my turf, so I don't think your approach (which is brilliant) would work for me.

Checked out your diary, very cool. Would love to see what it looked like when you were done with that project in front and the quack grass spots in the back.


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## Wakedog (Sep 3, 2021)

situman said:


> Spot spray glyph or hand pull. Either way good luck.


I think I need to hand-pull due to having little kids who will be on the lawn. Question for you (or anyone else) - if I hand pull and don't get the entirety of the root, will it just grow back? In some cases I've hand pulled and due to the strength of the roots I've only gotten the above-ground portion, and I'm wondering if I need to be more aggressive and get out the trowel and start removing serious chunks of earth.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Wakedog said:


> Harts said:
> 
> 
> > Similar to what Stu said above, I used a cardboard box on my clumping fescue areas. See link below and scroll down on page 1. You will see my process from 2018.
> ...


If you scroll through my 2018 journal, you'll see photos from the end of that season.

You can also see the results in my 2019 and 2020 journals when I transitioned to reel mowing.

The front reno ended up looking really bad post 2018. That strip always gave me issues.


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## emsguy630 (Aug 8, 2021)

Hand pull.. I am in the same boat. I did a complete lawn renovation last year. I had a mixture of Kentucky 31 tall fescue, fine fescue, and PRG. I used glyphosate to kill everything in the front yard. I used TTTF/KBG to reseed. I have that super coarse Kentucky 31 popping up in random spots all over my yard now. Been pulling as much as I can.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

The "coarse fescue" you mention is K-31 which was developed in the 1930's for seeding roadsides. Just about any tall fescue you buy now will be TTTF with thinner blades than K-31. Some TTTF cultivars have thinner blades than others, but all are aesthetically nicer than K-31.

Barenbrug RTF (rhizomatous tall fescue) is a very good quality TTTF:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/barenbrug-water-saver-lawn-seed-10-lb-11110

https://www.idealturf.com/store


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## Wakedog (Sep 3, 2021)

Wakedog said:


>


As an update, I sent a bunch of pictures of this to the local company that makes the seed that i used to overseed last fall. For reference, that seed bag said it had Creeping Red Fescue, PRG, and KBG (so no Tall Fescue). Given how evenly this grass variety is woven into my lawn, i believe it has to be from that bag of seed. The local company said that it was likely PRG. When comparing the blades of PRG and Coarse Tall Fescue online, I can't really tell the difference, and both are supposed to have the red at the base of the root.

So, I can only conclude that it's a PRG which looks quite similar to a Coarse Tall Fescue; going to jettison the rest of this seed bag and start a spring speeding program with a new seed bag that i hope will be more consistent.


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## Coleman2084 (Aug 7, 2019)

Is this the K-31 you mention?


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Sure looks like it.


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## 2L8 (Mar 18, 2019)

Wakedog said:


> As an update, I sent a bunch of pictures of this to the local company that makes the seed that i used to overseed last fall. For reference, that seed bag said it had Creeping Red Fescue, PRG, and KBG (so no Tall Fescue). Given how evenly this grass variety is woven into my lawn, i believe it has to be from that bag of seed. The local company said that it was likely PRG. When comparing the blades of PRG and Coarse Tall Fescue online, I can't really tell the difference, and both are supposed to have the red at the base of the root.
> 
> So, I can only conclude that it's a PRG which looks quite similar to a Coarse Tall Fescue; going to jettison the rest of this seed bag and start a spring speeding program with a new seed bag that i hope will be more consistent.


The difference between tall fescue and raygrass is not always clear to me either. What makes things even more difficult is the fact that in addition to perennial raygrass there is also annual raygrass, and in my case both are undesirable grasses.

I have opened a topic on this before (https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=297971#p297971). Maybe you will find useful information there.


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## CDR (Apr 19, 2021)

I have same issues with K31….it's a losing battle in my eyes. I continue to contemplate just trying Certainty on everything and see what happens. If it takes out the *** and Rye then so be it as a complete Reno was next and if it does work then saves me a headache of a Reno.

I want to know even after a Reno, how does everyone avoid this occurring down the line again? Spot spraying Gly is a pain and unless it's a Provista, there is constant repair etc.


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## Coleman2084 (Aug 7, 2019)

@CDR I'm in this boat right now. Just starting my second full season with what id hoped was 100% KBG. I have the pro plugger and gly that I throw at it. You can see the pics I submitted above. When it's all growing I'm the only one who really notices that it's there, but where is the fun in that.


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