fescue with rhizomes

[rwinter]

I have seen a couple of grass seed companies sell new varieties of tall fescue with rhizomes that faciliate the spreading so the grass does not just grow in clumps. Gimmick or legit?

T.L.C. Tall Fescue Blend Featuring Titan Limited Tall Fescue with self-repairing rhizomes

Defiance XRE Tall Fescue Grass|Turf Type Tall Fescue Grass Seed|Fescue.com


Anyone have an experience with any of these? Some seem to suggest that they do not work as well as advertised

 

[EE_Bota]

I can't say for sure, but I am hopeful. I overseeded with it this past fall, so it is too soon to tell.
At the time, I researched the actual seed varieties in the TLC, and it had pictures of the rhizomes presumably filling in bald spots. Have you looked at the studies of the actual seed varieties?

I did not have to pay a premium for the TLC (at least I didn't think I paid a premium) so I thought that even if it didn't pan out, nothing was lost.

But the individual seed varieties in the TLC are recommended for sports fields, so I thought that was promising.

 

[CosmoAU]

I maintain the grounds of a country club in AL. so I see all kinds of things on all the new grasses that come out. Yes, these do spread by the rhizomes. However, if you are expecting it to fill in bare spots like bermudagrass does you are going to be disappointed. Better than nothing though.

 

[thatguy]

Interesting.. Id like to hear more about it from a independent third party..

brian

 

[CosmoAU]

Interesting.. Id like to hear more about it from a independent third party..

brian

I'm not sure if you were asking for more of my opinion or if you were wanting another. If you were asking me, what would you like to know? I will answer anything I can. I'm full of all kinds of useless (to most folks) information.

 

[thatguy]

I'm not sure if you were asking for more of my opinion or if you were wanting another. If you were asking me, what would you like to know? I will answer anything I can. I'm full of all kinds of useless (to most folks) information.

I wasnt doubting YOUR commentary - sorry for the confusion.. I meant Id like to see more ppl LIKE you tell us more about it (not the website propaganda)..

I have always used Kentucky 31 or a fescue blend for our yard here in VA and have had good results.. Do you know heat tolerant/drought resistant this new 'breed' of grass is?

You mentioned we would be disappointed if we thought it would spread in and fill in bare spots.. If it doesnt do that, why is it better than KY31/Fescue?

thanks

Brian

 

[CosmoAU]

It will spread, just not as rapidly as bermudagrass will. Bermuda is the gold standard for growth though in turfgrasses. Except Kikuya(sp?), it's like bermuda on steriods. Most sod farms here grow Houndog or one of the Rebels. They're not new but they are proven. One of the best newer coolseason grasses in the past few years has been thermal bluegrass. The only drawback is it is hard to establish from seed-takes a while to germinate. It will tolerate hotter and drier than most other cool season varieties. I try not to jump on the latest and greatest bandwagon. I worked at a research unit when I was at AU, but there is no substitute for real world use. Over time the varieties will mutate and some mutations will show improved qualities. Plant breeders will then develop these mutations and a new and better grass will be available. Ultimately, my opinion is for yard use, it's tough to beat the time tested turf-type fescues. We have roughly 55 acres of fescue with no irrigation. We used to re-seed it all every year with K-31. about 6-8 years ago we began using turf-type blends and the areas that thin in the summer get smaller every year.

 

[JeffinNE]

I seeded the front 1 1/4 acres (part with the house and lawn) of my acreage almost 5 years ago with the XRE Defiance. Not a bad grass. I've since seeded a couple small areas and overseeded a little with "RTF Water Saver" fescue--an outstanding product.

Both do a OK job of spreading with rhizomes. The RTF is a much nicer appearing grass--almost like a bluegrass. Given the chance to do it all again I would choose only that type. I've found smaller bags in local Ace Hardware stores but here's a link to a seed/sod farm where you can order it.

RTF Turf Saver Seed

 

[EE_Bota]

I am not sure what evidence folks would except besides planting it on you own property, and seeing excellent results. But if you look at this page, and also research all the varieties in TLC, you should be able to find all the evidence you need short of seeing it perform well on your own property.

Prove It!

I planted it last fall, so I can't vouch for it. I am waiting on that critical evidence I did do research on each of the varieties contained within, and was impressed with the mix. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[wupham]

Our turf guys at Kansas State University did a study on RTF (rhizomatous tall fescues) in the last few years and found they did not spread any better than "normal" tall fescues. What is funny is that they did spread better in greenhouse studies. You learn over the years to never trust any result found in the greenhouse until it is confirmed in the field. Following is a short write-up of the results.

Our turfgrass research team has tested these grasses to see how well they would do under Kansas conditions. Tall fescues evaluated were Grande II, Regiment II, Barlexus, Water Saver RTF tall fescue blend (39.84 Labarinth; 29.93 Barlexus II; 29.86 Barrington), and Kentucky-31. SR2284 Kentucky bluegrass was also included. Grande II, Regiment II, and the Water Saver RTF blend (particularly the Labarinth cultivar in the blend) are purported to be more prolific rhizome producers. The Barlexus and K-31 are non-RTF types that provided a check to evaluate how much more quickly the RTF types can spread. Kentucky bluegrass was included because it produces long rhizomes and made a good comparison to the spreading ability of these new tall fescue varieties. So, in summary, we had Kentucky bluegrass, which spreads quickly, non-RTF tall fescues, which should spread very slowly, and RTF tall fescues, which were purported to be intermediate in spreading ability.

Our study was established in 2006 and was composed of two parts. In one part, we placed 4-inch diameter plugs of each turfgrass variety in bare ground and then measured how many rhizomes were produced. We also measured the diameter of the clump as it spread. In the second part, we removed all the turf in a 12" diameter circle in the middle of established plots of each variety. We then measured how much the size of the bare area decreased over time.

In short we found that Kentucky bluegrass produced more rhizomes and covered the bare areas more quickly than any tall fescue variety. Also, no tall fescue variety produced more rhizomes or spread more quickly than any other. Therefore, we cannot recommend RTF varieties over non-RTF varieties due to their spreading potential.