I made myself a note of grass type specs below in colored text.
Have a few questions in here maybe someone would copy past this and reply throughout.
Grass Seed Types
- Turf Type Tall Fescue (10-14 days germination 50° - 65° soil temp, sometimes 21 if soil temps not). Is the best for full sun and can usually safely go dormant once established but might need some watering if drought is serious enough. If well-established (rooted from watering for year(s)) and mowed high like 4.5", it will usually avoid dormancy and even stay green all summer without sprinklers. TTF is good for shade (better than KBG but not as good as creeping red). Use creeping red only for dense shade. It's not uncommon for TF to suggest reseeding every few years for patchy areas because it's a clumping grass without rhizomes. I usually use vigoro RTF (rhizome tall fescue) which are new improved strains but they don't rhizome as aggressively as KBG but thus don't need aeration nearly as often to control thatch (although for compaction should core every couple years) and they supposedly only rhizome when left to grow like 10 inches.
-Creeping Red Fescue (10-14 days germination 50° - 65° soil temp, sometimes 21 if soil temps not). Most common of the fine fescues. Barely has a rhizome but does, is more of a clumping grass. Is the best grass for dense shade and requires little fert and watering in shade. Applying more than just moderate fertilizer and watering can cause disease. Doesn't have nearly as deep roots as TF and has very low sun tolerance. Don't plant in full sun because it will die without sprinklers but also can die from moist soil in shade. If in dense shade though, it requires extremely low water and fert amounts - it much prefers dry soil. Can be left unmowed but not sure if that will create fungus under matting affect it has.
If left unmowed and matting, might be difficult to mow if it stays matted and needs blower to fluff up many times while mowing.
-KBG (21-31 days to germinate, soil temp 50° - 65°). Is not as drought or shade tolerant as TTTF (and thus not nearly as shade tolerant as Creeping red fescue). KBG is not recommended for shade areas. KBG will need more water in sun vs TTTF and risky to let go dormant if planted in full sun (and needs more nitrogen than tf) but has rhizomes and fills in thick and has darker color than TTTF and can be cut shorter in cooler months, and TF needs reseeding every few years is recommended if patchy vs KGB rhizomes could fill in small patches.
- Perennial Ryegrass sprouts the fastest of all (5-14 days soil temp 50° - 65°), but generally I suggest not to even use it. PRG is not recommended for full sun says knowledgeables on forums, but others says it does well in full sun, but not nearly as drought tolerant as TTTF. It's well known that it grows so fast at first it can outcompete TTF and KGB in a mix (and then possibly die in full sun if not watered and thus leaving dead spots where TTTF/KBG would have been if not mixed with PRG). "studies have found that putting down 80 percent Kentucky Bluegrass and 20 percent Perennial Rye grass results in a lawn after one year of about 70 percent Rye". It has moderate shade tolerance no where near as good as TTTF or especially creeping red if dense shade. perennial ryegrass has the highest traffic wear-tolerance and can be mowed very short but probably only in cooler Spring and Fall. Worms particularly love eating it and can damage bad.
I read PRG perennial ryegrass grows well in full sun, and very moderate shade. But never should be planted in "shade". But when in full sun or even low shade, it needs water or it will die easy.
TTTF is by far the safest for full sun, especially if not watered. I cut TTTF lawns for years that have no sprinklers, I mulch mow them high like 4.5" and only every 10 days or 2 weeks sometimes and they stay green all summer and don't go dormant, and looks great for the most part. Most are aerated and seeded yearly but still, no sprinklers except for maybe 1/3 of the yard gets a hose and sprinkler after seeding.
PRG is said it must be watered in full sun, so you'd think it'd do okay not watered in partial shade, but even in partial shade is susceptible to shade stress problems (disease and eventually death). And still might die easily if in partial shade with sprinklers.
PRG seems to be the abandoned grass vs TTTF and KGB which scientists are much more focused on creating disease and insect and drought resistant verities with, and making them darker and denser and more uniform, and trying to make a true rhizomatous TTTF, etc - it seems like PRG is not even in the picture.
In other words, should you just never even consider rye unless you happen to want super traffic wear resistance that it has (and have sprinklers to actually keep it alive), and want something that can safely be cut shorter than TTTF and even KBG?
I understand PRG establishes very fast and am enticed to plant it if seeding late in the season like now, but there's no point if it's just going to die without sprinklers.
Also, what kind of adjustments would you make to the specs above? I fact checked everything as best I could by using multiple sources from articles or knowledgeable forum posts.
I also don't understand how it is said that TTTF requires as much water as KBG because TTTF has like 3X the depth of drought resistant roots. Is it only if you're cutting TTTF short at like 2.5" that it needs so much watering? As I mentioned I know of many TTTF lawns that get no sprinklers and are fine and green all year if mowed high.
Have a few questions in here maybe someone would copy past this and reply throughout.
Grass Seed Types
- Turf Type Tall Fescue (10-14 days germination 50° - 65° soil temp, sometimes 21 if soil temps not). Is the best for full sun and can usually safely go dormant once established but might need some watering if drought is serious enough. If well-established (rooted from watering for year(s)) and mowed high like 4.5", it will usually avoid dormancy and even stay green all summer without sprinklers. TTF is good for shade (better than KBG but not as good as creeping red). Use creeping red only for dense shade. It's not uncommon for TF to suggest reseeding every few years for patchy areas because it's a clumping grass without rhizomes. I usually use vigoro RTF (rhizome tall fescue) which are new improved strains but they don't rhizome as aggressively as KBG but thus don't need aeration nearly as often to control thatch (although for compaction should core every couple years) and they supposedly only rhizome when left to grow like 10 inches.
-Creeping Red Fescue (10-14 days germination 50° - 65° soil temp, sometimes 21 if soil temps not). Most common of the fine fescues. Barely has a rhizome but does, is more of a clumping grass. Is the best grass for dense shade and requires little fert and watering in shade. Applying more than just moderate fertilizer and watering can cause disease. Doesn't have nearly as deep roots as TF and has very low sun tolerance. Don't plant in full sun because it will die without sprinklers but also can die from moist soil in shade. If in dense shade though, it requires extremely low water and fert amounts - it much prefers dry soil. Can be left unmowed but not sure if that will create fungus under matting affect it has.
If left unmowed and matting, might be difficult to mow if it stays matted and needs blower to fluff up many times while mowing.
-KBG (21-31 days to germinate, soil temp 50° - 65°). Is not as drought or shade tolerant as TTTF (and thus not nearly as shade tolerant as Creeping red fescue). KBG is not recommended for shade areas. KBG will need more water in sun vs TTTF and risky to let go dormant if planted in full sun (and needs more nitrogen than tf) but has rhizomes and fills in thick and has darker color than TTTF and can be cut shorter in cooler months, and TF needs reseeding every few years is recommended if patchy vs KGB rhizomes could fill in small patches.
- Perennial Ryegrass sprouts the fastest of all (5-14 days soil temp 50° - 65°), but generally I suggest not to even use it. PRG is not recommended for full sun says knowledgeables on forums, but others says it does well in full sun, but not nearly as drought tolerant as TTTF. It's well known that it grows so fast at first it can outcompete TTF and KGB in a mix (and then possibly die in full sun if not watered and thus leaving dead spots where TTTF/KBG would have been if not mixed with PRG). "studies have found that putting down 80 percent Kentucky Bluegrass and 20 percent Perennial Rye grass results in a lawn after one year of about 70 percent Rye". It has moderate shade tolerance no where near as good as TTTF or especially creeping red if dense shade. perennial ryegrass has the highest traffic wear-tolerance and can be mowed very short but probably only in cooler Spring and Fall. Worms particularly love eating it and can damage bad.
I read PRG perennial ryegrass grows well in full sun, and very moderate shade. But never should be planted in "shade". But when in full sun or even low shade, it needs water or it will die easy.
TTTF is by far the safest for full sun, especially if not watered. I cut TTTF lawns for years that have no sprinklers, I mulch mow them high like 4.5" and only every 10 days or 2 weeks sometimes and they stay green all summer and don't go dormant, and looks great for the most part. Most are aerated and seeded yearly but still, no sprinklers except for maybe 1/3 of the yard gets a hose and sprinkler after seeding.
PRG is said it must be watered in full sun, so you'd think it'd do okay not watered in partial shade, but even in partial shade is susceptible to shade stress problems (disease and eventually death). And still might die easily if in partial shade with sprinklers.
PRG seems to be the abandoned grass vs TTTF and KGB which scientists are much more focused on creating disease and insect and drought resistant verities with, and making them darker and denser and more uniform, and trying to make a true rhizomatous TTTF, etc - it seems like PRG is not even in the picture.
In other words, should you just never even consider rye unless you happen to want super traffic wear resistance that it has (and have sprinklers to actually keep it alive), and want something that can safely be cut shorter than TTTF and even KBG?
I understand PRG establishes very fast and am enticed to plant it if seeding late in the season like now, but there's no point if it's just going to die without sprinklers.
Also, what kind of adjustments would you make to the specs above? I fact checked everything as best I could by using multiple sources from articles or knowledgeable forum posts.
I also don't understand how it is said that TTTF requires as much water as KBG because TTTF has like 3X the depth of drought resistant roots. Is it only if you're cutting TTTF short at like 2.5" that it needs so much watering? As I mentioned I know of many TTTF lawns that get no sprinklers and are fine and green all year if mowed high.
