International Journal of Horticulture, 2017, Vol.7, No. 11, 82-94
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Advantages of fine fescues
They germinate very quick
They are fine leaf textured
They have high leaf density
They prefer low nitrogen fertility
They can tolerate poor (rocky, sandy, clay) soil conditions
They are drought resistant
They are moderate to very good salt tolerant (6-10 mmhos/cm)
They are good to very good shade tolerant
They are very cold tolerant
They are excellent high elevation/mountain grass
Hard Fescue (
Festuca longifolia
)
Hard fescue is a bunch-type lawngrass, arranged with tough, bluish-green leaves and an extensive root system. It
can develop a dense, somewhat tufted, low maintenance and low quality lawn. Hard fescue sometimes used alone
or in grass and grass-legume mixtures for control of erosion on ditches, banks and along roadsides. Popular
varieties are ‘Aurora’, ‘Aurora Gold’, ‘Chariot’, ‘Discovery’, ‘Ecostar’, ‘Heron’, ‘Rescue 911’, ‘Scaldis’,
‘Warwick’
Chewing Fescue (
Festuca rubra subspp. commutata
)
Chewings fescue is useful in forming a very dense, fine textured and upright lawn. Leaf blades of chewing fescue
are thin, bristle-like and stiff. This non-creeping, bunch-type lawngrass is ideal for acidic and infertile soils.
Popular varieties are ‘Banner –III’, ‘Jamestown-II’, ‘Longfellow-II’, ‘Shadow-II’, ‘Tiffany’, ‘Windward’.
Sheep Fescue (
Festuca ovina
)
Sometimes they are commonly called as “blue sheep fescue”, generally useful in lower maintenance lawns,
growing specially well in infrequently- or un-mowed, naturalized lawn areas. They are long-lived bunch grasses
that can mix up well with wildflowers, without dominating them. Some sheep fescues are exploited for producing
a blue-green or glaucous green color (Azay Blue, SR3200), while others are more powder blue or “flat” blue in
colour (Azay, Quatro). Popular varieties are ‘Azay’, ‘Bighorn’, ‘MX-86’.
Creeping Red Fescue (
Festuca rubra
)
This is a creeping rhizomatous fine fescue and useful in shady lawn seed mixtures for several years. A “common
type”, grown in large amounts in Canada is sold in lower quality, less expensive seed mixes, sometimes called as
‘Boreal’ mixes. Popular varieties are ‘Auruba’, ‘Audubon’, ‘Dawson’, ‘Fenway’, ‘Florentine GT’, ‘Jasper-II’,
‘Shademaster-II’, ‘Silver Lawn’.
Slender Creeping Red Fescue (
Festuca rubra subp. litoralis
)
It is a rhizomatous fine textured grass, tolerant of lower mowing heights, and useful in golf course fairways. It is
generally good to excellent salinity tolerant. This makes them attractive in salt affected areas. Being fine texture
and compatible colour, they can be mixed with alkaligrass (
Puccinellia distans
).
2.7 Kentucky Blue Grass (
Poa pratensis
)
(Holman and Donn, 2005)
Description: This is native to Europe, a perennial, cool-season, sod-forming grass. Seedhead stems are 45 to 60
cm tall, but can be lowered to 10 to 15 cm in height when used for intensive grazing. The seedheads are pyramid
shaped and yield many small seeds. There are approximately 2,177,000 seeds per pound. Leaves are 15 cm to
30cm long and boat-shaped (keeled) at the tips. Leaves are glabrous and soft. The plant remains dormant during
hot summer, but maintains its green colour in fall. Growth initiates early in the spring. Tiller buds grow into stems
or rhizomes. New rhizomes also grow from nodes of older rhizomes.
