Leaves of Grass: Fertilizing Fescue Lawns

Leaves of Grass: Benefits of a Beautiful Green Lawn

A green lawn is a valuable asset to any landscape, framing the architecture and providing a restful green oasis for inhabitants. Landscape plantings, including lawn areas around homes and workplaces, have a positive impact on inhabitants. A healthy, maintained lawn area creates an inviting view for passers-by and provides a pleasing, natural backdrop for other landscape elements.

Even the uniform lawn surface provides a sense of coherence and harmony to the entire landscape scene. This peaceful setting contributes to a feeling of well being and a decrease in emotional tension

Did you know? Restful green lawn areas can reduce:

+ noise levels

+ hot summer temperatures (evapo-transpiration of moisture through the leaves)

+ Carbon dioxide (while increasing Oxygen levels)

+ air conditioning costs

+ glare and light reflection

+ particulate pollution in the air  

Of the two major categories of turf available in Georgia (warm season and cool season) Fescue grass is a cool season grass that remains green all year and looks best in the fall, winter and spring. Fescue becomes stressed during hot weather. Crabapple LandscapExperts maintain a detailed calendar to ensure that our clients with Fescue lawns receive the best possible service precisely when needed.  Best practices include an application of fertilizer in early Spring (February or March) that continues Fescue’s strong growth up to the hot days of summer. 

Crabapple LandscapExperts recommend improved turf-type Fescue varieties with finer blades and deeper, more vigorous root systems. As a rule, they are more disease and drought resistant, tolerating shade and temperature extremes better than some of the older Fescue varieties.

We carefully select fertilizer to best enhance foliar growth, creating a strong, lush, green Fescue lawn. The LandscapExperts determine the amount of fertilizer by careful soil testing. When indicated, lime is added on a late summer schedule to balance the acid/basic soil reaction and make sure the Fescue turf efficiently uses recommended fertilizer. 

Photo credits Crabapple LandscapExperts and CAES.UGA.edu