RESEARCH: Fineleaf fescue performance with recycled irrigation water

Fineleaf fescue species have been available for turf use since the 1930s. Until a few years ago, however, improved cultivars were not available in large volumes. Recently, due to the low-input, low-maintenance nature of this versatile grass, many new cultivars of fineleaf fescue species have found their way to the turfgrass market and have become popular for a variety of uses.

Since 2006, production of fineleaf fescue sod has increased, with individual sod companies blending their own mixtures of species/cultivars.

The following report is intended for those selecting fineleaf fescue cultivars, particularly for marketing to landscape sites irrigated with recycled water where demand may be for either mowed or non-mowed fineleaf fescue sods.

Categorizing fineleaf fescues
The most common botanical categorization of fineleaf fescues, all of which are perennial, cool-season grasses, includes four distinct species: creeping red fescue

Of these four, creeping red fescue, a native of Europe, is the most widely used for turf purposes. It encompasses two distinct types. The first group is made up of fine-leaved, low-growing grasses with short, thin rhizomes. These grasses are weak creepers and are slow to fill in bare areas. They are commonly known as slender creeping red fescue. The second type of creeping red fescue is a strong creeper.

Both types of creeping red fescue are adapted to well-drained, dry and moderately shaded sites. They are especially intolerant of wet conditions. Most require minimal levels of nitrogen and a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Cutting heights of one to 2.5 inches are common. Higher heights are preferred under shady conditions.

Chewings fescue, also native to Europe, is low-growing and does not have rhizomes. It is a bunch-type grass that spreads very slowly, even under mowing, by basal tillering. It tolerates mowing as close as one to 1.5 inches where summers are cool. In warmer areas, mowing heights of two to three inches are best. Chewings fescue forms a denser turf than creeping red fescue, especially under close mowing. It does not tolerate extremes in temperature but does tolerate shade and drought well. It is adapted to well-drained, coarse-textured and acidic soils.

Sheep fescue, a non-creeping bunch-type grass with tufted, stiff and bluish-green leaves, is indigenous to North America and Eurasia. It forms a relatively low-quality turf and has not been widely used for turfgrass purposes. Its main use is stabilization of well-drained, droughty, coarse-textured and acid soils of low fertility. It is not adapted to either close mowing or intensive culture. Hard fescue, a native of Europe, is also a non-creeping bunch-type grass similar to sheep fescue but with tougher, wider and greener leaves. Its drought tolerance is less than that of sheep fescue but better than that of creeping red fescue. It is quite deep rooted and has a high root-to-shoot ratio, a major reason for its drought tolerance.

Hard fescue is shade tolerant but does not adapt to close mowing. Hard fescues that are not mowed are attractive groundcovers and are often used for soil stabilization on roadsides and ditch banks and for minimum-maintenance and non-use areas.

Fine fescues are used as monostands (i.e., not in a mixture with other turf species) in much of the northern U.S., but are often unsuccessful as monostands in California and much of the Southwest. Shade tolerant, they are often used in seed mixtures (with bluegrass and ryegrass) in shady or semi-shady sites. As mowed monostands, with the exception of the mountainous regions, they do not produce a quality stand year-round in most parts of California and Southwest, especially in full sun.

A 1988 study in the San Francisco Bay area revealed superior performance by several cultivars of fineleaf fescue. Several hard fescue cultivars performed so well, in fact, that we recommended them as non-mowed, low-maintenance turfgrass groundcovers for northern California. Since then, large acreages of hard and other fineleaf fescues have been planted throughout the region.

Our post-1988 studies in the San Francisco Bay area revealed that fineleaf fescues could be grown and transplanted successfully as sod. As a result, in addition to seed, several mixtures of fineleaf fescues are currently available in sod form and are marketed under various brand names for "non-mow" lawns.

Due to their popularity, many new and improved fineleaf fescues have come to market in the past few years. To learn more about these low-maintenance, drought-tolerant grasses and to determine their suitability and performance under California’s Central Coast climate, we began a comprehensive trial in 2003 that concluded in 2007. The following summary refers to combined data from this four-year study.

Festuca rubra); Chewings fescue [F. rubra L ssp. commutata (Thuill Nyman)]; sheep fescue [F. ovina L. ssp. hirtula (Hackel ex Travis)]; and hard fescue [F. trachyphylla (Hackel) Krajina].Festuca rubra L ssp. littoralis (G. F. W. Meyer) Auquier].Festuca rubra L ssp. (Gaudin) rubra] with long, spreading rhizomes and wider leaves. This type is not as tolerant of close mowing and grows less densely than the slender type. However, excellent seedling vigor makes strong creeping red fescues particularly valuable as companion grasses during turf establishment.
fineleaf fescue trials

Fifty-three fineleaf fescue cultivars supplied by the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) (Table 2) were planted in October 2003 and were rated monthly through 2007 for overall quality (turf score) under mowed and non-mowed conditions. The study included several cultivars each of creeping red fescue, Chewings fescue, hard fescue and one cultivar of sheep fescue.

Plots were established at a dedicated spot at the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course in full sun.

All cultivars were planted on native soil at the rate of 4.4 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Seed was broadcast by hand, then raked in. Plot soil chemical and physical characteristics are summarized in Table 1. A starter fertilizer was applied at the time of seeding to provide one pound each of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) per 1,000 square feet.

Cultivars were planted in a randomized, complete-block design, on 3-foot-by-8-foot plots with three replications. Half of each 24-square-foot plot was mowed at 2 inches weekly while the other half was left non-mowed for the entire trial period. Turf quality ratings were recorded separately for each plot, for both the mowed and non-mowed turf.

Plots were irrigated as needed with a 50/50 blend of domestic and recycled water (Table 3) for the entire course of the study.

Due to environmental restrictions at the golf course, no pesticide of any kind was applied to the plot. Weed control was limited to occasional hand pulling of weeds. Seasonal application of fertilizer provided approximately 2 pounds of N, 1 pound of P and 1 pound of K per 1,000 square feet per year.

Table 2 presents overall results at the end of the fourth year. Ratings are the averages of four year’s monthly ratings (2004-2007). Ratings fall on a scale of 1-9, with 9 representing the superior cultivars for overall quality. Cultivars are ranked from highest overall quality score to lowest.

Results
Our data revealed the following about the use of fineleaf fescues as monostand, mowed or nonmowed turf grown in full sun in Central Coastal California and irrigated with municipal recycled water:

• All cultivars remained green throughout the year. None experienced dormancy at any time during the year.
• Collectively, non-mowed fineleaf fescue cultivars received higher turf scores (6.1 to 8.1) than when they were mowed (5.5- 7.3). Generally, a turf stand receiving a turf score of below 6.0 is considered unacceptable.
• In our past trials, hard fescue cultivars were top performers among the fineleaf fescues. This trial modified that trend, as many strong creeping red fescues appear at the top of the performance list, under both mowed and non-mowed regimes. Hard fescue cultivars (plus the lone sheep fescue) received the lowest turf score under both mowing regimes.
• No disease activity was evident on any of the cultivars during the course of the study. No fungicides were used during this trial, either preventively or curatively.
• Although these fineleaf fescue cultivars were planted on clay soil and irrigated with a moderately saline recycled water (EC of 1,573 micromhos/cm), they generally performed well. With the exception of a few mowed hard fescue cultivars and the sheep fescue, all entries produced an acceptable turf score of 6.0 or higher.

Surprisingly, although the recycled irrigation water was moderately saline and sodic (SAR of 5) and had high levels of sodium (197 ppm) and chloride (307 ppm), the soil test results at the conclusion of the study (Table 1) indicate only moderate soil salinity (ECe of 1.43) and sodicity (SAR of 3).

It appears that the leaching requirement on this site was met by annual precipitation and perhaps additional irrigation. In a dry year, when natural precipitation and irrigation frequency may be limited and recycled water contains elevated salts, some of these cultivars may not perform as well as they did in this study.

In conclusion, it appears that the turf and landscape industries now have many high-performing fineleaf fescues for use in landscapes to be irrigated with moderately saline water, especially if the grasses are left non-mowed.

M. Ali Harivandi, Ph.D., is an environmental horticulturalist with the University of California’s Cooperative Extension in Alameda, Calif. Kevin N. Morris is executive director of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program in Beltsville, Md.

This study was supported financially by the Northern California Turf and Landscape Council, Golf Course Superintendents Association of Northern California, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), Palo Alto Golf Course and University of California Cooperative Extension.

The authors also would like to acknowledge the assistance of Joe Vallaire, superintendent at Palo Alto Golf Course.

 This article originally appeared in the September/October 2009 issue of Turf News. Reprinted with permission.