New grass seed!

[Barefoot James]

Not divulging my source as I'm embarrassed to say how much I paid for 5 lbs - ($44) with shipping - so I will be your pig. I'm going to test this stuff as the claims are totally incredible and that's how I am - a sucker! But IF it works - you have to buy it from me - if not you can ridicule me forever - LOL:laugh::laugh::laugh:

This is what sold me -

Question - Weeds are growing in my new grass seed.

Answer – This seed will out compete weeds as it becomes established due to the dense root system it makes and because fine fescues, of which this seed is comprised, are allelopathic. This means that the grass itself exudes a natural, broad-spectrum herbicide, which is an amino acid called meta-tyrosine. This natural herbicide inhibits other plants (weeds) from growing in it naturally and this allelopathic quality is, at the same time, non-harmful to humans or pets.

WOW - if this is true................

Doesn't’t certain rye grasses do this too??

They claim it grows in pure shade - which I will test, clay (test) and full and partial sun (test). Plus i does not need ferts - from Canada (of course) - Said they found it in the forest and expeimented with it until they came up with the 7 varieties of fescue - makes sense I have often wondered about the super grasses of nature - like crab - LOL

Please let me know your thoughts and/or experiences.

[Kiril]

With respect to the allelopathic compound, the only variety that I could find on a quick search directly referenced to that compound is red fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. commutata aka Chewing's fescue). I suppose it would then follow that any closely related species/variety might also exhibit this allelopathic effect.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=FERU2

BTW, the above info came from this publication, pg. 81

http://www.research.cornell.edu/CURB/images/pdfs/2007_Proceedings.pdf

[dishboy]

Not divulging my source as I'm embarrassed to say how much I paid for 5 lbs - ($44) with shipping - so I will be your pig. I'm going to test this stuff as the claims are totally incredible and that's how I am - a sucker! But IF it works - you have to buy it from me - if not you can ridicule me forever - LOL:laugh::laugh::laugh:

This is what sold me -

Question - Weeds are growing in my new grass seed.

Answer – This seed will out compete weeds as it becomes established due to the dense root system it makes and because fine fescues, of which this seed is comprised, are allelopathic. This means that the grass itself exudes a natural, broad-spectrum herbicide, which is an amino acid called meta-tyrosine. This natural herbicide inhibits other plants (weeds) from growing in it naturally and this allelopathic quality is, at the same time, non-harmful to humans or pets.

WOW - if this is true................

Doesn't’t certain rye grasses do this too??

They claim it grows in pure shade - which I will test, clay (test) and full and partial sun (test). Plus i does not need ferts - from Canada (of course) - Said they found it in the forest and expeimented with it until they came up with the 7 varieties of fescue - makes sense I have often wondered about the super grasses of nature - like crab - LOL

Please let me know your thoughts and/or experiences.





http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=PS

[Smallaxe]

This statement here - from the ad --

2) Water daily to a depth of one inch (2.5 cm) until germination has occurred. A simple way to determine how long it takes to put one inch (2.5 cm) of water on your new lawn is to put an empty cat food or tuna can on the area, turn on the sprinkler and time how long it takes to fill the can.

It takes around 45 minutes per zone for most of my systems to get 1" of water.
I need only 7 minutes to moisten the ground enough for germination.

Can you imagine the condition of the soil, recieving 1" of water everyday for 14 days?
I think they meant 1" depth in the soil. But their experiment for the average Joe was to fill up a tuna can. :)

Anyways I think that would be a good project for gene splicing. This quality is all throughout the plant kingdom. In no time we could turn even the harmless non spreading fescue into an invasive weed. :)

[bicmudpuppy]

"Watering to a depth of one inch" means just that to me. They are concerned with the top one inch of soil. For most soils, the rule of thumb should be 1" of water hydrates 1' of soil, so if your watering just the top one inch, your applying 1/12" of water.

[Barefoot James]

So does anyone have ideas about what the 7 types of fine fescues might be used in this seed - assuming two are a red fescue and chewings fescue?

[Barefoot James]

So if your looking for a great shade fescue blend try this -

Sheeps Fescue, 15%
Dawson Slender Red Fescue, 20%
SR5210 Creeping Red Fescue, 20%
SR 5100 Chewings Fescue, 15%
Jasper Creeping Red Fescue, 10%
Scaldis Hard Fescue, 10%
SR 3150 Hard Fescue, 10%

[DUSTYCEDAR]

james where is mine

[Barefoot James]

I got it yesterday about $10 a pound - LOL - LOL but seriously it was. I'm just a sucker but hey if it works where I planted it today it will be well worth it. We did a seed job today under a tree on the north side of a house. covered it wih compost and will hit it in a few weeks with some myco. I also blended in some of my feg tall fescue mix - just for insurance. I will post pics in a few months or sooner if it does something - if it doesn't then I will just :hammerhead: myself and let you all know. One way or another I will keep you all posted.

[dishboy]

I got it yesterday about $10 a pound - LOL - LOL but seriously it was. I'm just a sucker but hey if it works where I planted it today it will be well worth it. We did a seed job today under a tree on the north side of a house. covered it wih compost and will hit it in a few weeks with some myco. I also blended in some of my feg tall fescue mix - just for insurance. I will post pics in a few months or sooner if it does something - if it doesn't then I will just :hammerhead: myself and let you all know. One way or another I will keep you all posted.



Tall fescue mixed with fine fescues? Not a mix I would plant.........

[Barefoot James]

Why????????????

[dishboy]

Why????????????

Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) A course textured, bunch type grass that is considered a good lawn and utility turfgrass; It is also a weed when it occurs in finer textured turfs. Turgeon

[Prolawnservice]

If it's homogeneous it will not matter, plus I'm sure James is using a turf type tall fescue which blend better and do not have as course a texture.

[Kiril]

Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) A course textured, bunch type grass that is considered a good lawn and utility turfgrass; It is also a weed when it occurs in finer textured turfs. Turgeon

Not following you DB. There are fine texture tall fescues varieties you know

Rebel Sentry (http://www.turfconnection.com/seeds/turf-type-tall-fescue/RebelSentry.pdf)

Grande II (http://www.sroseed.com/Products/PDF/Grande_II_TS.pdf)

Aztec II (http://www.turfmerchants.com/pdf/TMI_AztecII.pdf)

This one has a medium-fine texture.

Tar Heel II (http://auroragold.net/img/pdf/Tarheel2.pdf)


Also, why not mix course fescue with a fine fescue? Is there some rule that the blade needs to be a consistent size? As long as they both grow at the same rate, what is the problem with mixing them?

[bicmudpuppy]

Not following you DB. There are fine texture tall fescues varieties you know

Rebel Sentry (http://www.turfconnection.com/seeds/turf-type-tall-fescue/RebelSentry.pdf)

Grande II (http://www.sroseed.com/Products/PDF/Grande_II_TS.pdf)

Aztec II (http://www.turfmerchants.com/pdf/TMI_AztecII.pdf)

This one has a medium-fine texture.

Tar Heel II (http://auroragold.net/img/pdf/Tarheel2.pdf)


Also, why not mix course fescue with a fine fescue? Is there some rule that the blade needs to be a consistent size? As long as they both grow at the same rate, what is the problem with mixing them?

Turf type tall fescue, even the thinnest bladed varieties are going to be coarse compared to red or creeping fescue varieties. I would concur that they would not be a good mix. Fine fescues (red or creeping) are often much finer than KB.

Yes, Turf type tall fescues are finer that K31, but they are not near as fine as what we are talking about.

[Kiril]

Turf type tall fescue, even the thinnest bladed varieties are going to be coarse compared to red or creeping fescue varieties. I would concur that they would not be a good mix. Fine fescues (red or creeping) are often much finer than KB.

Yes, Turf type tall fescues are finer that K31, but they are not near as fine as what we are talking about.

Most of those varieties I listed are rated as fine to medium fine (~ 6 on a scale of 9, 9 being very fine). How fine is fine in your book?

I have over seeded a course tall fescue sod with a fine tall fescue and it looks fine.

[Marcos]

Turf type tall fescue, even the thinnest bladed varieties are going to be coarse compared to red or creeping fescue varieties. I would concur that they would not be a good mix. Fine fescues (red or creeping) are often much finer than KB.

Yes, Turf type tall fescues are finer that K31, but they are not near as fine as what we are talking about.

The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Research Facility near OSU has a number of experimental plots of turf planted in the shade under a grove of black locusts, in addition to the bucco amount of test acreage planted in full sun.

The annual OTF Field Day and luncheon is always the 2nd or 3rd week of August.
And surprisingly, but almost without exception, the best performing shade plot, year after year, always seems to be a turf type tall fescue.