# RTTTF in potting soil - a test



## johnklein25 (Apr 22, 2021)

As I've posted in different threads, I'm planning to reno my front yard this fall, and plant all Barenbrug RTTTF. I decided to plant a little seed in some potting soil to see if it will spread across the container. Much to my delight, I got seedlings in about 5 days, and they were about an 1" tall 7 days later. Here is a photo of the "babies". My sales rep said that RTTTF would not start spreading by rhizomes right away, but I'm just super curious to see what happens in the "ideal" conditions in the container.

I'll try to post an update pick next weekend.


----------



## moedank (Sep 10, 2019)

Nice. Curious about the eventual results.


----------



## Glen_Cove_5511 (Jun 13, 2020)

Definitely following this, thanks!


----------



## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

following! look forward to ur updates!


----------



## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

I plant Lesco Athletic Seed Mix (TTTF) in pots, to not only test when it's good enough weather to put seed in the lawn but also for my guinea pigs to eat.

I have noticed how it looks better after trimming it a few times a week to stimulate growth. Here is a picture I took on June 30th, maybe 4 weeks after it germinated.


----------



## thin_concrete (Sep 11, 2020)

^ the Lesco mix looks great.


----------



## Carmelmatt317 (Aug 20, 2020)

You might look up and see if endophytes are safe for guineas and if the lesco has any, I know typically they say don't allow grazing on endophyte enhanced grass


----------



## Carmelmatt317 (Aug 20, 2020)

Jeff_MI84 said:


> I plant Lesco Athletic Seed Mix (TTTF) in pots, to not only test when it's good enough weather to put seed in the lawn but also for my guinea pigs to eat.
> 
> I have noticed how it looks better after trimming it a few times a week to stimulate growth. Here is a picture I took on June 30th, maybe 4 weeks after it germinated.


You might check and see if endophytes are safe for guineas and if the lesco has any, I know typically they say don't allow grazing on endophyte enhanced grass


----------



## sheepfescue (Jul 29, 2019)

Jeff_MI84 said:


> I plant Lesco Athletic Seed Mix (TTTF) in pots, to not only test when it's good enough weather to put seed in the lawn but also for my guinea pigs to eat.
> 
> I have noticed how it looks better after trimming it a few times a week to stimulate growth. Here is a picture I took on June 30th, maybe 4 weeks after it germinated.


That grass looks great! If you can, can you post the label and/or cultivars and/or link to the product? On SiteOne, it says the Lesco Athletic Mix is 70% KBG and 30% PRG.


----------



## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

I haven't seen if my particular variety of seed has endophytes. To my knowledge some varieties of rye or creeping red fescue are not okay for them to eat. Not only that, but a bag of Scott's KBG I was going to use, said not for eating. Either way, grass is probably less than 10% of their diets, unlike cattle or horses it is not as big of a concern. Thanks for looking out though.


----------



## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

sheepfescue said:


> Jeff_MI84 said:
> 
> 
> > I plant Lesco Athletic Seed Mix (TTTF) in pots, to not only test when it's good enough weather to put seed in the lawn but also for my guinea pigs to eat.
> ...


My mistake. The bag says Lesco Athletic, but it's actually Tuf Turf Athletic (90/10 tttf and kbg). Here is the cultivars label from this years seed. The seed in the pot is from last years variety, to which I no longer have the bag or label for.


----------



## johnklein25 (Apr 22, 2021)

Jeff_MI84 said:


> I plant Lesco Athletic Seed Mix (TTTF) in pots, to not only test when it's good enough weather to put seed in the lawn but also for my guinea pigs to eat.
> 
> I have noticed how it looks better after trimming it a few times a week to stimulate growth. Here is a picture I took on June 30th, maybe 4 weeks after it germinated.


You're a good Guinea pig owner - very considerate to give them fresh snacks! We had a pet Guinea when I was a kid that would go bonkers and squeal really loud for lettuce scraps. Porky was a good little guy (at least I thought of him as a guy). 
I'm going to keep the RTTTF scissor cut around 2.5" tall. I might start a 2nd test container that is a little deeper. Current test container is only about 3" deep and I think the roots will hit the bottom of that container pretty quickly, which might lead to quicker rhizome development. I really have no idea what I'm talking about but I am very interested to see what happens.


----------



## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

It is pretty interesting to watch the container fill up and thicken in no time.


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Great test!

As previously mentioned, be careful with the endophytes for the Guinea pigs. There is non-endophyte fescue seed available.


----------



## johnklein25 (Apr 22, 2021)

Here are a couple of new pics for everyone. No surprises yet, this just looks like really nice fescue about a week after seedling stage. I'm watching everyday to see when/if the crowns start to form. I'm sure we'll not see any rhizomes until crowns are looking mature. I've left about 5 inches to the enge of the pot... maybe not quite enough space but I can always transplant into a bigger pot later to keep the experiment going. I did give the grass a nice little scissor cut yesterday as well to help stimulate growth.


----------



## LawnNut01833 (Jul 22, 2020)

Bump to keep an eye on this.


----------



## johnklein25 (Apr 22, 2021)

Another week has passed and the RTTTF is starting to thicken up a bit. Not really tillering out yet, and no sign of rhizomes. I'm watching this spot where I have red arrow to see how quickly it fills in. My "real" TTTF in the BY started looking pretty rough (dog damage + fungus). I've hit it with Propiconazole and I'm lowering mow height to 2.5", mowing every 2 to 3 days and watering more... If I can limp into September without losing any more live turf, I''ll be happy.


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

A clear container would be great for this.


----------

