Fine Fescue
A group of cool-season grasses known for their very fine, needle-like blades and excellent shade tolerance. Fine fescues include creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, and hard fescue. They are commonly blended with Kentucky Bluegrass for shaded and low-maintenance lawns.
- Season
- Cool-season
- Mow height
- 2.5–3.5 inches
- Spreads by
- Bunch-forming
- Blade width
- Fine
- Drought tolerance
- Medium
- Shade tolerance
- High
- Regions
- Northern US, Pacific Northwest
Fine fescue is actually a group of several grass species — creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra), chewings fescue (F. rubra commutata), hard fescue (F. trachyphylla), and sheep fescue (F. ovina). They share very fine, thread-like blades and are prized for shade and low-fertilizer situations.
Best use: Shaded lawns, low-maintenance areas, northern blends with Kentucky Bluegrass.
Mowing: Keep at 2.5–3.5 inches. Tolerates lower mowing than tall fescue but doesn't need it.
Fertilizer: Light feeder — 1–2 lbs nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft per year. Over-fertilizing leads to disease.
Watering: Good drought tolerance once established for a cool-season grass.
More on Grass Types
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