Tall fescue: identification & types of Festuca arundinacea
Find out everything you need to know about tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) including characteristics and varieties as well as the benefits of sowing tall fescue seeds in your lawn.
Many plants are true survival artists, but tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) takes it to the next level: its tenacity allows it to develop in the face of adversity in its habitat. Discover everything there is to know about the outstanding benefits and minor drawbacks of this unique lawn grass, as well as how to use tall fescue seeds, for example, in drought-resistant lawns.
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Festuca arundinacea: origin and description
Tall fescue is very tolerant as its natural distribution reflects: the grass calls North Africa and Europe home, as well as regions of north-west China and the Himalayas. Like Lolium perenne, Poa pratensis, Poa trivialis and its close relative Festuca rubra, it belongs to the grass family (Poaceae). As it is perennial, it regrows year after year for a long time. Tall fescue mainly grows in clumps as well as with short rhizomes to spread itself. In comparison to other grasses, tall fescue leaves are very broad and coarse. It grows very long roots that allow it to access moisture deep in the soil, making it more drought-tolerant than other cool-season grasses. Festuca arundinacea also tolerates moist environments and waterlogging very well and can be found growing in wetlands, on embankments, along roadsides, and in meadows. It thrives on both slightly acidic and slightly alkaline soils and does not mind sandy or loamy substrates.
Tip: Tall fescue’s toughness and adaptability can come in handy if you want to sow a lawn in a dry location. Tall fescue is also included in our Plantura Drought-Resistant Lawn Seed, which protects the lawn from heat and drying out in summer.
Premium lawn seed: particularly drought-resistant & heat-tolerant, for regions with hot & dry summers
Tall fescue facts and uses
Here is a quick summary of everything you need to know about Festuca arundinacea:
| Characteristics | Loose clumps; strong roots; leaf: broad, matt upper side, shiny underside |
| Demands | Low requirements for environmental conditions |
| Hardiness | Very hardy |
| Use | Drought-resistant lawns, hard-wearing sports turf, and various other uses |
| Germination period and development | 9 - 16 days, fast but less competitive growth |
| Minimum cutting height | 30-40 mm |
| Special features | Particularly resistant to drought and heat, wide tolerance to all environments, low susceptibility to lawn diseases |
Festuca arundinacea forms loose clumps with its broad, matt leaves. Its roots are strong, multibranched and reach deeply into the soil. It has few requirements for its environment and can successfully grow in a variety of soils and climates. Tall fescue is a hard-wearing grass that tolerates being walked on and regular mowing well. It germinates and grows quickly but is not highly competitive with other grasses. Tall fescue is resistant to the vast majority of lawn diseases, with only a few varieties being susceptible to fusarium fungus.
Grazing animals dislike tall fescue, which is why it is unsuitable as a forage grass. As a result, it excels primarily as a lawn grass in specialised seed mixtures for drought-resistant lawns.
Tip: Tall fescue has many advantages, but it also has two disadvantages: it has rather coarse, broad leaves that can give a lawn a somewhat uneven, rough look. It also has a hard time competing with other lawn grasses. We use Festuca arundinacea ‘Debussy 1’ in our Plantura Drought-Resistant Lawn Seed, a beautiful, dark green variety of tall fescue that grows very densely. We compensate for its low competitiveness by using a high seed density: 70% of our mixture consists of tall fescue seeds. We have also made sure to include tried-and-true grass companions such like Poa pratensis.
Festuca arundinacea varieties
Tall fescue has been improved by man despite its already good natural characteristics. The aim of breeding tall fescue has always been to maintain its high tolerance to its environment while increasing its competitiveness against other lawn grasses and weeds, as well as to improve its appearance.
A good example of successful breeding is the variety ‘Debussy 1’, which is why this tall fescue variety is in our Plantura Drought-Resistant Lawn Seed.
Premium lawn seed: particularly drought-resistant & heat-tolerant, for regions with hot & dry summers
Festuca arundinacea ‘Barcesar’:
Rather fast growing; only slightly green in winter; fine leaf (compared to other cultivars of the species); good turf density; good competitiveness against weeds; hard-wearing; high resistance to many lawn diseases; equally well suited for play and sports lawns, hard-wearing lawns and drought-resistant lawns.
Festuca arundinacea ‘SC1’:
Medium to fast growth; maintains green colouring throughout winter; fine leaf (compared to other cultivars of the species); nice turf density; sufficient competitiveness against weeds; quite hard-wearing; high resistance to many lawn diseases; well suited to play and sports turf, drought-resistant lawns and hard-wearing lawns.
Festuca arundinacea ′Debussy 1′:
Medium-fast growth; still green in winter; coarse leaf; nice turf density; good competitiveness against weeds; very hard-wearing; resistant to all important lawn diseases, suitable as an all-purpose lawn, sports and play lawn and hard-wearing lawn. This variety is used in our Plantura Drought-Resistant Lawn Seed due to its good properties.
Festuca arundinacea ‘Divyna’:
Fast-growing; only slightly green in winter; extremely coarse leaves; acceptable turf density and competitiveness against weeds; not very hard-wearing; resistant to all important lawn diseases; suitable for drought-resistant lawns, hard-wearing lawns, sports pitches and play and sports turf.
Festuca arundinacea ‘Eyecandy’:
Fast growth; only slightly green in winter; extremely coarse leaf; good turf density; good competitiveness against weeds; less hard-wearing; sufficient resistance to all lawn diseases; moderately suitable for sports pitches, drought-resistant lawns in dry locations as well as play and sports lawns.
Are you looking to buy lawn seed? We offer a wide range of lawn seed mixes for creating new lawns or restoring existing ones in our Plantura Shop.
