It’s time to reseed your fescue lawns.

Oftentimes your will hear fescue being called a “shade” grass but the reality is that all grass needs the sun to grow. Fescue is actually a cool season grass, meaning that the further north you travel, the more fescue lawns you will see. Fescue lawns in full sun here are possible, but you will definitely pay the price with your water bill trying to keep it properly hydrated during an Oklahoma summer. This is why Bermuda works well as a turf grass here. It doesn’t need as much water to survive.

Fescue lawns can be seeded or reseeded in the fall or spring with fall being the best time of the year. Here’s why fall is the best.

First of all, as a cool season grass, fescue will do the best here between September and May. When we seed or reseed in September, fescue will have the fall, winter, and spring to grow and establish a root system. Plus, the leaves will be dropping before too long giving it access to full sun for the most part.

The main challenge for fescue here is July, August, and September. As a cool season grass, it tends to take a beating which is the reason we need to re-seed each fall to help re-establish the turf. If you miss the window of opportunity in the fall, you can re-seed fescue in the spring, but water will be critical since it wasn’t able to establish a robust root system before the cooking hot days of summer.

Another thing to remember if you plan on reseeding fescue is to not apply a pre-emergent for weeds when you plan on re-seeding. Many a homeowner has dutifully applied a weed pre-emergent and then shortly thereafter re-seeded fescue and wondered why the fescue didn’t germinate. The reason is the weed pre-emergent kept the seeds from germinating. So, if you are going to re-seed, don’t apply a pre-emergent.

When it comes to purchasing your fescue seed, we recommend you purchase a seed mix containing at least three different types of fescue seeds instead of a bag that contains just one cultivar. Essentially, seed blends perform better than a single variety of seed because odds are, somewhere in the mix of those varieties you’re going to get one that does well in your particular growing conditions. A variety also helps minimize the chance for disease since, you will have different varieties that likely vary in their susceptibility to various turf diseases. Cost is also a determining factor when purchasing grass seed, but as is true in most things, purchase the best you can afford. You’ll likely get better results than with a bargain.

When overseeding, apply the seed at a rate of 3 to 6 pounds per 1000 square feet. If filling in blank spots or seeding bare ground, up that rate to between 6 to 8 pounds per 1000 square feet.

Drop spreaders work well but so do broadcast spreaders. The main difference is that broadcast spreaders will let you cover more ground faster but drop spreaders will give you more precise control concerning where the seed ends up.

And last but definitely not least, you’ll need to keep the seed moist during this germination period. You won’t need a lot of water, just enough to keep it moist. This might mean you need to water a couple of times a day. After germination you can back off on watering. Good luck.

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Tom Ingram