# Creeping Red Fescue



## pschultz85 (Mar 16, 2019)

I think the following images are creeping red fescue in my lawn. They are the light green grass and it grows more sideways then it does up. It also rips out like a carpet. Then once the area dries out it goes dormant very quickly. I have numerous patches in my yard that seem to get bigger every year. Mainly on the shaded parts of my yard.

If not creeping red fescue, any other suggestions. Thanks.

Has anyone used tenacity on it with success?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T_LthpSv9sCP-MtHlSQmlWKly8gDiuUw/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XojZu2AvSMp2tSs70RHC1zC8rZi-t0gP/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pyto9KWyhWxl5obR5AQ026eat2i4AYNR/view?usp=sharing


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Your photos are not coming up for me but what you describe sounds more like creeping bentgrass


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## CPA Nerd (May 8, 2018)

I have it too. I thought I had grubs because it ripped out so easily. It is mostly under my trees, so I guess whoever lived in the house before me bought it for shady areas, but I hate it. Currently, it's a faded green color with brown blades mixed in.

It is very annoying because if we walk on it or my kid plays on it, it gets matted down and hard to mow. I mow at 3.25 inches and sometimes the mower goes right over it without even cutting. I find myself using my blower or raking it to stand it up a bit before mowing.


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## desirous (Dec 15, 2017)

Sounds like Bentgrass. Tenacity takes care of it.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

In the first picture, I see KBG and/or Poa Triv. Maybe it's Poa Triv...?


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

Green said:


> In the first picture, I see KBG and/or Poa Triv. Maybe it's Poa Triv...?


Great call. It probably is. Shade, light green, growing sideways, pulls up like a carpet, brown when soil dries, etc.

OP, See if this video helps you ID it


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

CPA Nerd said:


> I have it too. I thought I had grubs because it ripped out so easily. It is mostly under my trees, so I guess whoever lived in the house before me bought it for shady areas, but I hate it. Currently, it's a faded green color with brown blades mixed in.
> 
> It is very annoying because if we walk on it or my kid plays on it, it gets matted down and hard to mow. I mow at 3.25 inches and sometimes the mower goes right over it without even cutting. I find myself using my blower or raking it to stand it up a bit before mowing.


Sounds like poa triv. Take a look at link above. I used to do this same thing, try to blow the grass up because it was like a foot long but growing sideways.


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## CPA Nerd (May 8, 2018)

tgreen said:


> CPA Nerd said:
> 
> 
> > I have it too. I thought I had grubs because it ripped out so easily. It is mostly under my trees, so I guess whoever lived in the house before me bought it for shady areas, but I hate it. Currently, it's a faded green color with brown blades mixed in.
> ...


That is absolutely what I have, 100%. I always thought fine fescue. It's in my shady areas. In spring it is very nice looking, but now it it a faded green with lots of brown.

Will it come back each spring or is it dead now? I notice the roots are extremely shallow and I can rip it out, but then I can just pat it back in place and it seems to be okay.

Part of me doesn't mind it, but it is just annoying to try to mow.

Is there a possibility of overseeding in some TTTF in with it this fall to thicken it up in summers?


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

CPA Nerd said:


> That is absolutely what I have, 100%. I always thought fine fescue. It's in my shady areas. In spring it is very nice looking, but now it it a faded green with lots of brown.
> 
> Will it come back each spring or is it dead now? I notice the roots are extremely shallow and I can rip it out, but then I can just pat it back in place and it seems to be okay.
> 
> ...


Fine Fescue tends to be even thinner, and often is a darker green. I was just out investigating my front lawn, and noticed some very fine grass. I was expecting fine fescue, but it turned out to be Ryegrass that was growing very fine textured. I also found some Fine Fescue, but the two looked similar at first glance. Moral: Unless you look really closely, it can be hard to tell what's what sometimes.

The Triv may even come back strong in the Fall. It can spread really quickly, so it's not out of the question.

Sure you can overseed TTTF into it. I'd hit it with Tenacity at the same time to knock it back a bit and help give the TTTF seed a chance.

Also, try not to spread this stuff around...sometimes the stolons can adhere to a mower and get deposited elsewhere.

If it's a small, heavily shaded area, I'd kill it starting now with several rounds of glyphosate and then reseed with a Tall/Fine Fescue mixture. Unless it's heavily shaded, you probably won't get a complete kill this time of year. Even so, it'll likely take 3 applications spaced a week or so apart.


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## CPA Nerd (May 8, 2018)

Green said:


> CPA Nerd said:
> 
> 
> > That is absolutely what I have, 100%. I always thought fine fescue. It's in my shady areas. In spring it is very nice looking, but now it it a faded green with lots of brown.
> ...


Thanks a lot! I have some pictures that I will try to get posted here tomorrow.


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

CPA Nerd said:


> tgreen said:
> 
> 
> > CPA Nerd said:
> ...


Triv is a real menace. I would not bother overseeding TF into it. Waste of time and money. It sounds like it doesn't bother you that much which is a great answer. At least you know what it is now. Trying to eliminate it is nearly impossible. I did a bunch of youtube vids on this or you can look through a hundred posts on this forum for discussion of poa triv. Bottom line, try to live with it. Otherwise, roundup and reseed and expect it to come back next year.


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## CPA Nerd (May 8, 2018)

tgreen said:


> CPA Nerd said:
> 
> 
> > tgreen said:
> ...


Yeah, it's not in a very conspicuous area, and it's in a shady area where other grasses may die. So at least it's green and looks decent, really. I'm actually hoping it comes back nice and thick in the fall. It looked awesome in spring.


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

CPA Nerd said:


> tgreen said:
> 
> 
> > I'm actually hoping it comes back nice and thick in the fall. It looked awesome in spring.
> ...


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## pschultz85 (Mar 16, 2019)

So, I actually did some looking into this. I always get my grass seed from my local feed store. Never really looked at the grass label till now ( oops) but 19% of seed on there sun / shade mix is creeping red rescue.

Now I'll try tenacity on it because I have it. Or just i just kill it for sure with glyphosate ?


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

pschultz85 said:


> So, I actually did some looking into this. I always get my grass seed from my local feed store. Never really looked at the grass label till now ( oops) but 19% of seed on there sun / shade mix is creeping red rescue.
> 
> Now I'll try tenacity on it because I have it. Or just i just kill it for sure with glyphosate ?


Are you saying we mis-identified it from the photos, and you don't have any Triv? Or do you have both CRF and Triv in your lawn?


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## pschultz85 (Mar 16, 2019)

I am not certain what it is. I do know that on the label that it says creeping red fescue. Not sure what one would be better to deal with. Probably both need to be killed because it looks awful in the summer.


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

pschultz85 said:


> I am not certain what it is. I do know that on the label that it says creeping red fescue. Not sure what one would be better to deal with. Probably both need to be killed because it looks awful in the summer.


Fescues do not have stolons. When you lift this turf from the ground and turn it over, does it look like spaghetti? Like in the video? If so, then it's probably triv and definitely not a fescue.


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