Festuca elata seed

LATIN NAME: Festuca elata

COMMON NAME: Tall Fescue

The tall fescue waves the dense clumps of the broad, dark green blades, the tall, wiry stems of the fine, open panicles, and the whole plant carries the sturdy, meadow look of the deep-rooted pasture grass. The leaf blades stay tough and deep green through the summer, the root system runs deep and holds the soil, and the clumps spread into the thick, forgiving sward. It is one of the hardest of the pasture grasses, standing up to the grazing, the drought, and the traffic. It likes the sun, the moisture, and the ordinary, deep soil, and it grows almost anywhere.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The pasture scientists rate the tall fescue as one of the hardest of the forage grasses, and the studies cover the deep roots, the drought resistance and the ability to hold the slopes and the verges. The endophyte fungi living inside the leaf blades draw the particular attention, since they affect the animal performance and the stress tolerance. The breeders have separated the turf types from the pasture types, and the seed is among the easiest of the grasses to raise.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Around the tall fescue, a practical set of uses has grown. The grazing stock do well on it, the turf selections make the tough, low-care lawn for the dry sites, and the deep root mass holds the banks and the ditches through the wet seasons. The seed heads feed the birds, the dense sward gives the cover to the ground-nesting life, and it stands up to the drought, the grazing and the traffic alike. Dependable, low-care ground cover, plain and simple.

The tall fescue seeds germinate easily in a gritty, loamy mix kept moist and warm. The blades come up thick and fast, and the young grass fills the tray with the dense green. It grows on well in the open ground, and it stands up to the dry spells once the roots run deep. Sow it in the rows for the lawn or the pasture, and keep it watered until the sward closes. The clumps spread into the tough, forgiving cover that holds the soil.

To grow the tall fescue from seed, sow the small, narrow seeds thinly into the shallow tray of gritty, loamy mix, press them in lightly, keep the tray in the bright, warm spot and mist gently. The seedlings spring up within a couple of weeks, and they grow on fast. Keep the young sward in the open, sunny ground, and the green clumps will wave through the summer.