Kentucky 31 vs Turf Type Tall Fescue: What's The Difference & Which is Best?
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
- Both Kentucky 31 and Turf Type Tall Fescue are similar but there are differences between the two types and reasons why you would choose to buy and plant one grass type over the other. In this article I wanted to explain exactly what the main differences were between the two types so that you could better plan out your next lawn project.
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Thank You for your informative comparisons. They are the most thorough and best illustrated primers I’ve seen.
Your welcome Ty, it means a lot to me to get feedback like that, thank you 😊 I hope I can continue to deliver quality info helpful to my viewers.
excellent comparison - thanks very much! I'll stay with TTTF for my north Alabama lawn
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Very informative and helpful.
Thank you for making this video. It answered many of my questions. I subscribed as a result. 👍
Thanks so much Dan! I'm glad I could help out. I publish often on this channel; took the last week off though for a family trip so I hope you enjoy my content this season! Don't be a stranger to the comments section; I love the interaction :D
Great video man packed with useful info! Can't wait to see how the bermuda one turns out. I thought I was already subbed to you. Just mashed that sub button. Keep up the good work!
Really helpful practical comparison, thank you
new sub here, thanks so much. Fortunately I can buy premium fescue for the price of KY31. And it has 3 lateral spreaders in the mix. First year for it so I hope it performs well.
Awesome! Just the info I was looking for.
Fine fescue is a great mix in seed, it does better laying up against a sturdy blade and being shaded out by those taller standing bigger growing blades. They are so fine that that actually works in terms of blending, it is harder to notice.
Great review! Thank you!
Great video really helpful man!
Thanks a lot Vinnie! I'm glad it is helping so many people out understanding the differences. :)
Great explanation, I was trying to choose between. Since I live in central CA with heat and like a softer feel; easy choice now
What did you go with and how has it held up? Looking to renovate my lawn and also I’m cen cal!
@@eduardopacheco1450 I chose REBEL, a tall fescue grass sold at amazon or tractor supply. Came in strong starting at a week and full at a month. Sensitive to heat so a dry area burned so I reseeded that part and it is thick this year. Very soft to walk on with bare feet. watered 3x a day, 4 mins each, for 3 weeks.
Going to aerate overseed and fertilize the heck out of my one acre in the fall with tall fescue!
I think your lawn is going to love you for it too! 😊
Great info thanks for sharing. Our local farm store really likes to push K31 but I lean towards TTTF. What do you recommend for us Kansas folks? PRO TIP: Turn off auto focus LOL. thanks for your time.
Very informative and thorough. Would love to see a comparison of Rye, Fescue and KBG. Future video? 😀
You know it! Just need a couple 2 to 3 months to grow them! Lol
KBG requires more watering and very ruff to grow in shade as to thin fecsue and 31 Ken also more subject to fungus cause by humidity. Love Blue Grass color and finer blades of grass. One favorite is Midnight Blue Kentucky. But remember drought very hard on KBG.
Really helpful. Many thanks.
Thanks for watching! Glad you found this one to be worth your time :D
New subscriber and I love your highly knowledgeable videos. Do you know of any grasses (or other ground cover) that can crowd out, or out-compete K-31? Also, could core aerating or mulch mowing be spreading K-31? I mow weekly, rarely see seed heads.
For everyone just learning about K-31, let me tell you, it is a lawn enthusiasts worst nightmare haha! My story: I labored hard to sod in a pristine, smooth, soft bladed lawn when I bought my house 7 years ago. I started to notice a few of these clumps popping up about 3 years later and naively spot treated them with selective herbicides (thinking they were just some type of crab grass) and didn’t pay too much attention.
A year later, the clumps were multiplying exponentially, despite me learning that non-selective herbicides/full removal are required. I’ve aggressively removed clumps, re-seeded spots and and overseeded the lawn for the past 3 years, but it’s not enough, and the stuff has now consumed 40%-50% of my lawn!
We love playing with our little kids in the yard, but with bare feet, this stuff feels like walking through a rubbish pile of pokey sticks/twigs/shrubbery (okay slightly softer than that, but just slightly). From a distance, it looks like an okay green lawn and thrives with low maintenance, so it’s good for areas too large to maintain as a pristine lawn; and good for those who only have a lawn to appease the neighbors and for their dogs to have a place to relieve themselves. It’s hideous otherwise, in comparison with a well manicured lawn.
For those who actually use their lawn, who love feeling cool grass beneath their feet and lying down on their own little luscious piece of paradise-this stuff is GROTESQUE, like the cancer, black mold, or Satan of turf haha.
What started my lawn journey was accidentally over seeding k31 thinking it was kgb. Looked like grassy weeds in my lawn.
I purchased a turf type tall fescue mix this spring from my local grass seed company. It consists of Houndog 8 Turf Type Tall Fescue and Chantilly Creeping Red Fescue. It is recommended the mowing height to be max 2” but most people leave it around 3”. What is your recommendations? Thanks!
Thanks for you great information
I'm happy to add value to the web, thanks for commenting Wilvert!
Turf Mechanic thank you so much I’m you subscriber now
Hi, Can you make a video on how to prevent clump fescue?
I use K31 in my pasture I measured a blade 26 inches long.
Wow! Thats nuts! Lol 😆
K31=field grass. TTF=lawn. TTF cuts my water bill in about 1/3-1/2 compared to neighbors with all Blue Grass. Also when dry it does not turn grey like Blue Grass. I recommend Grass Pad Heatwave.
You must work at the grasspad
They do normally have good seed...Heatwave is kickass
90% of homes in Indiana ky and Tennessee is ky 31 9% is buermuta and 1% blue grass nice video built a new home 2 years old now in Tennessee my dirt is so bad I can't get ky 31 to grow it's about 300 different types of weeds I've tryed everything
I have a pretty small yard with two dogs. I know I have to keep them off for a while. Which grass seed would you recommend between the two? Also in the TN area.
Cool so K31 is better for drought! Here in SoCal. temps in the day is 90-105F. And at night 76F.
I know Kentucky 31 has somewhat fallen out of favor but I still love it and have a great lawn based on it with some other varieties mixed in. A great tough low maintenance lawn.
I concur. My parent’s modest yard was planted in the early 60’s. It is K-31. It has never been over-seeded; it was allowed to grow tall and produce seed heads from time to time. They never added fertilizer or applied weed killers. My father hand pulled the weeds since the lawn was smallish. That grass has been the most resilient performer for decades. I had to dig in the yard and was amazed how deep the topsoil layer was (easily 9 inches) and how long the grass roots were.
Agree, my k31 lawn is more drought resistant and perfect.
But it's an ugly old fashioned variety, with a wide course leaf, a poor lime green color, doesn't hold up well to the southern heat, looks like a wild pasture grass and fungus prone, so why plant it?
@@tycox8704...But it's an awful-looking leaf blade for a residential lawn.
Would you plant the grass from your pots directly into a bare spot in your lawn?
If I recall wasn’t Ky31 fescue developed to be a hardy grass for use alone roadways where heat and salt and heavy wear was expected. Needed to be thick and dense to assist in chocking our weeds as well.
I wouldn't say it was developed for that but that doesn't mean that its not used for that around parts of the country.
@@TurfMechanic K31 is great for high wear areas.
Thoughts on Black Beauty Ultra from Jonathan Green? I’ve had good luck over the last four years of overseeing. However, I am still fighting the monster clumps of what seems to be KY31. Big thick blades, and very dense clumps.
Johnathan Green Black Beaty grass leave is not as big as K31 and and it looks good.
Great video buddy.
How long of time do you see turf type tall fescue roots getting down 3" into the soil of your pots, compared to Perinnial rye grass seed?
That's something I didn't compare but both went to the bottom of my 5-6 inch pot pretty quickly. It's potted so the soil is very loose. In a lawn where soil in the 6-12" range can be rocky and compacted, thats where fescue roots can out perform and push deeper than PR. Also, if you can promote the development of michoriza in the root zone of your lawn then all grass roots will have greater reach. I'll be talking more about this in an upcoming video. Hope you catch that when it's released.
Where did you get the tttf seed from?
I’m putting down 60lbs of coated k31 and 20lbs of turf mix on my 64’x64’ back yard.
Well dang! I wish I would have looked into this more before overseeding with KY31🤦♂️
Perfect emogi 🤦♂️its not that bad though. Unless you want to kill it all and start over just plant a very dense bit of k31 and it will most likely keep itself in check. I put it willingly on my hill yard, its got some redeeming qualities.
@@TurfMechanic kentucky 31 is way more reliable ...less problems way lower water and nutrition needs with 31...thia video is good...but i dont agree with alot of it.
What kind of tttf? Did u plant ? There hundreds of them ?
@@wayiamstarr I overseeded with the exact K31 that was in this video
Ky 31 is field grass like for cattles. Its a pain in the a to mow
@turf mechanic I am curious what your thoughts are on RTF (Rhizomatous tall fescue) by Barenbrug?
I get this question from time to time. My response hasn't changed either. First off I've never seen this grass type with my own eyes let alone grown it...but with that understanding I think the concept is interesting but not exciting to me. The rhizomatic spread of this grass will probably be so slight that few would notice; even KBG and Creeping Red spread slowly; I can't imagine this spreading even that fast-it's still a tall fescue. Like P Rye fescue can be seeded so easily and quickly that I'd rather spend my money on a normal TTTF, even a boutique variety that had special traits like drought tolerance, heat tolerance, extra color, something else and then overseed once every few years and spot repair when necessary. I'm not saying the RTF is bad; it's just not something that excites me. Who knows though, this is an opinion I have that could change in the future with more experience.
How much seed of the 31 should be good enough for 1 acre pasture
I recently planted this seed in Mass, I did it more because the weather was very hot and killed my grass this past summer. Now that I have seen this video I wish had planted Kentucky bluegrass like I wanted. Do you recommend that particular grass, because my kids, dog, and me use our the yard very much.
I know this is a year old but fescue is much more heat and drought resistant than bluegrass.
What type is best for hot dry central California? ( rental property so, I'm not trying to spend a small fortune on grass seed) I've tried several different kinds. I usually go to lowes or home depot. about 1500 square feet
My family lives near Fresno so I know the hot dry you're talking about. If I were putting grass in the central valley I'd go for go for warm season grass every time, both bermuda and zoysia are drought tolerant due to really deep root systems and very high heat tolerance. This isn't the best time to seed them though, this is a decent time to sod but it is more expensive to sod. Id recommend seeing my zoysia vs bermuda video from a couple weeks ago. If you were set on tttf then you should expect summer dormancy in highbsummer heat but good color in the winter if it doesn't die off, lol. Hope that helps.
nice video
Thanks a bunch for the kind words!
I'm getting ready to plant about 10,000 sq. ft. of Kentucky 31...its an area that just needs 'something'...and inexpensive is better for me. My issue is covering it with straw...is that totally necessary? I intend on watering it until its fully grown, but the straw would end up costing way more than the seed. What are your thoughts on straw over seed?
This is a rough time of year to start KBG from seed. If it were me I'd put down an annual rye, something that will germinate ultra fast and establish quickly. Get a lawn roller and roll the seed into your soil so it stays put - straw is probably not nessesary because your seed should germinate so quickly. In 5 days or so you will have baby grass, kbg will take weeks and may not make it through the summer if started now. Then at the end of August overseed the area with kbg so it establishes in the fall while the rye dies off. If you do this make sure to use a rye seed that won't reseed your lawn in the fall so that you have a monostand of kbg by next Spring. Good luck!
planted kbg here in n.ireland, 9 days germinated! in pot that is outside. im shocked
IM INTERESTED IN KNOWING ABOUT TT RHIZOMATOUS FESCUE FOR A VERY LARGE YARD MOSTLY SUNNY IN MID MI.
I use a seen called Rhizing Moon. It’s a RTF TTTF and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s not cheap but it’s worth every penny.
Hearne seed sells it. Can’t recommend it enough
how soon after over-seeding with tall fescue can you mow the lawn? Tomorrow will be three weeks since I over-seeded and its growing in quite nicely though in some spots its just starting to grow but in most areas growing and filling in those bare spots.
You are safe to mow this far along but I always advise waiting a few more days and then mowing on the highest setting possible while those baby blades keep maturing. Fescue will be fairly mature in the 6 to 8 week range but even after 2-3 months the blades are still widening and maturing. At some point you just start cutting regularly even if the grass isn't all the way mature.
@@TurfMechanic Thanks. This week is supposed to be nice up here in the New York City area, pretty much everyday will be in the 70's though towards the end of the week it will be in the 60's. The grass where it did grow in is tall at this point and its time to mow but I will wait until Wednesday then this way I'm giving it more time. I have to say, I do like what i am seeing so far with how its growing in....I still have some bare spots but I have extra seed to us so I will get to those areas after I mow.
One lawn expert insists you should mow sooner rather than later. Cutting grass releases an enzyme that stimulates growth. It causes those weak needle blades to thicken. Otherwise, it grows longer but thin and lays down. Use a manual scissor reel mower or string trimmer if your mower’s suction pulls the seedlings out of the ground.
I hoped for a closer shot, especially from above.
I wish I could edit the video to provide that shot. If I made the video today you can be sure I'd have included it. This video stuff is a learning process for me as a creator and I'm trying my best to improve. Thanks for watching anyway and I hope you took something valuable from the vid.
Is Ky 31 the same as “bluegrass”? A lot of builders put down sod in our area (SWOh) & we’re told it’s bluegrass. Starts turning brown with of lack of rain.
No, poa annua is an annual bluegrass, considered a weed and it grows in the spring mostly and dies off by summer when things get hot. You are probably not talking about that though. Kentucky Bluegrass also referred to as KBG is a turf grass that is seeded in new lawns and laid as sod. It can perform in slightly higher heat like k31 but requires a lot more water to stay green through the hottest parts of summer, it frequently goes dormant (turning brown) in summer unless measures are taken to keep it green. Tttf will perform best in higher heat in the transition zone with fewer inputs but its still not a warm season grass either.
Free K31 for a lawn
Refuse to take!
Is it just me or is ky31 making a resurgence lately? Even though I don’t care for it personally lol. Good video man, learn something new every day!
Its good for certain settings for sure. Im putting it in patches on my hill yard... but id probably never consider putting it in the main yard, I like softer grass feel and I don't want it so tall. Id lose too many toys in 5-inch tall grass blades. Lol 😆
Soooo what if some one spread 8k sg ft bag on a 1500ish sg ft lawn
does one stripe when mowing better than the other?
good
Thanks Terry :)
What's the cut height for turf type fescue?
It will perform it'd best cut on the tallest setting on your mower around 4 inches but some people like it shorter, I wouldn't go below 2 1/2
Love u for this lol
I love your presentation & am learning a lot I wanted to know. However I am struggling due to: 1) no LEGIBLE LABEL on each pot, 2) being unsure whether the pots are in the same order as the video title which appears just below, 3) your frequent pointing to a pot saying “this v that”...instead of “Kentucky” v “Turf” and finally 4) it doesn’t help that I have a R-L Dyslexia disorder.
I am taking notes (making myself a chart) & every time I look down, I risk missing your pointing cue.
I will watch this video multiple times before I master the information.
Thanks so much, Brian! I will keep watching! Jane
Which turf type tall fescue would you recommend??
I'm going to try the Black Beauty fescue mixes this fall.
MrTwinsrule cool. I just purchased my house. I knew nothing about grass , I was able to revive what ever lawn is there. I’ll do some research into the one u mentioned.
@@five_star_images3019
Man congrats!
I remember my 1st home.
It was a great time!
I would say a good fall contractor mix is pretty good to boost the established lawn you have .
MrTwinsrule thank you. Will try it out. There’s 3 different types of grass there. Eventually I want to go with one type of grass.
What type of tttf seed did you plant? There is bad ones and good....and hundreds to choose from?
I planted a blend of three different turf types, DaVinci, Rodin, and Leonardo, each with about a 33% consistency. It was uncoated seed from Greenview labeled as a sun and shade blend... although I don't see this as being a shade grass. Imo its full sun since there's no fine fescue mixed in. You can see the seed i used here on Amazon, its the exact one I bought. www.amazon.com/dp/B07SM15154/?tag=turfmechanicyt-20
Mine is Marathon III, which is apparently a dwarf TTTF. The variety is called Shortcut II. I like it a lot. Less frequent mowing needed than regular TTTF.
@@drbobbybones do you keep it high or is it cut lower also?
@@TurfMechanic I mow at around 2.25 to 2.5. It looks better short, but it's more work
@@drbobbybones was it sod ? i bought some last season and it got completely torched this summer . 😞
I need to grow that for my cats on the catio
If they are anything like mine they'll love it! Not sure if it's the best cat grass but my cats are always snacking on my grass pots. 🤣
If my yard is k31, can I overseed with tttf or should I just stick with my k31?
You'd probably be better served overseeding with tttf, in the long run your turf will be better as the k31 slowly thins year after year and the tttf takes more and more prevelance. Of course killing it all and starting over is an option too if you want to get the k31 out. Its not that big of a job but its not that small either.
Turf Mechanic I’ll go with overseeding tttf lol
Probably a good call 😁
I've been reseeding my lawn the last 3 years and the TTTF is taking over the K31. It's not going to happen in one over seeding it'll take a few years.
Please tell me, what is the minimum height to cut this grass?
The seed bag I used for this experiment says to cut and maintain at 2.5" minimum but I wouldn't recommend you ever cut it below 3.5". If I were keeping a full lawn of tttf I would personally never go below the highest setting on my lawn mower, 4" min would be great IMO.
@@TurfMechanic So you can't walk on it? It will be hard for him to get up.
i have hard time to find a place to buy Turf Type Tall Fescue
GCI Turf has it.
@@Longenecker1776 I'm not going to pay close to $200 for a bag
Mozart Norris I had no idea what the cost was or the size of the bag it was just a suggestion.
The tttf i bought was and still is on a
Amazon, its the Greenview Fairway Blend of three different cultivars. Aff link: www.amazon.com/dp/B07SM15154/?tag=turfmechanicyt-20
I overseeded 50#s of Kentucky 31, not a single bit of it germinated, guess I'll try again in the spring.
Did you water it every 4-6 hours 15 minutes at a time?
@@icawn once a day same as the rest of the grass ive seeded with the cool temps we had then the ground never dryed
@@bigbird8960 i nuked 6000 sqft and reseeded fescue 2 weeks ago. heavy aeration and slit seeding but no additional ground cover. had to water a lot to combat 75-85 degree sun. working great so far. also overseeded elsewhere with same watering plan and new growth is coming through. even though the nights get cool with dew there is no way my grass would have grown with only 1 watering per day. it is dry clay composition though too. where are you located?
@@icawn central indiana highs were 60-70
Kentucky 31 is cheap. I run Falcon V but for the cost, I would have just gone rye or k31 doing it again. If I lived in a suburb and people actually saw my lawn I could see why you'd want to spend the extra money.
I’m kinda wishing I did Kentucky 31, I’m poor and can’t afford to water like I need too.
Nice explanation. I thought K-31 was for horses 🐎.
Thanks a lot Grace, you're right that it's frequently used in pasture settings these days. You can use it for a lawn but with TTTF being so much better suited for lawns there's not a lot of reason to not go with TTTF.
too many endophytes
Can't imagine the amount of buyers purchasing K31 thinking it was KBG without reading the label. "Look honey, this must be bluegrass with 31 flavors like Baskin Robbins. Lets buy a big ole bag and spread this multi variety bluegrass. Well have the best looking yard in the hood. Wee dogie!" Post germination. "WTH is THIS?" :/
Hehe, honey this is a cinnamon roll... I asked you for ice cream! Uhh whats the difference babe?
guilty
DO NOT PUT K31 IN YOUR LAWN!
Unless you keep cows or goats in your yard.
Pay the money for quality grass seed. It will save you money over time.
Probably sound advise for most people. Thumbs up.
I reseeded my lawn last year with K31. It’s worked well for us. People marvel at the beauty.
I will have to disagree. I have a Ky-31 lawn here in SE MI and it has done great. I do overseed every other year when I can get a 50lb sack on sale at Tractor Supply.
Kentucky 31 is for animals forging. Goats,cows,horses etc.
Yes, many pastures use KY-31 however the original fescues in the US were introduced sometime in the 1800s but Kentucky 31 was a strain that was discovered growing on a property in Kentucky back in 1931, it was more turf like than the original pasture fescues. Although it's frequently used as foraging grass it's a step up from the really rough stuff from a couple hundred years ago. These days if you plant K31 super dense it can look and feel more like lawn-turf than some people realize... of course TTTF which was bred into existence during the 70s is much better suited for lawns in both the north and the transition zones.
pastures should be endophyte free, not k31
Kentucky 31 has always been, in my opinion, a good tough grass pasture grass, but for lawns? 👎
It's probably not the best choice for a lawn when TTTF is available.