Fescue- Lower water use turf

When most homeowners think of a garden, they often visualize a lush green lawn surrounded by a variety of foliage. In California, the image of this lawn may also conjure up thoughts about high water usage and a great deal of regular maintenance. In fact, many locals have given up their lawns entirely, believing that it is an inefficient means of filling up a garden area.

Until recently, this was true because Bluegrass was the standard ingredient of sod. Bluegrass, which is plentiful in southern states where precipitation is high, is valued for its thin blades and dark green color. It is a beautiful sod and richly accents any garden. But, here in California, Bluegrass does not make a lot of sense.

Luckily, there is an alternative. Turf growers are constantly breeding new grass mixtures which provide the beauty of Bluegrass, but that are also able to thrive in our drought-infected climate. Fescue is the sod of the 90's, and most California sod is now a Fescue blend. Fescue is tougher than Bluegrass, and requires less water and maintenance in order to thrive.

Fescue's 3-6 foot roots enable it to access water which has sunk deep down in the soil from previous rains; Bluegrass roots only grow up to one foot long. Fescues will still require a good overall watering every 3-5 days, depending upon climate conditions. How-ever, during a drought, this grass is bred to survive a long time.

In addition to being drought-tolerant, Fescue grasses are tougher and wear better than other locally grown grasses. Fescues use less water (25-40% less water than does Bluegrass), are disease resistant, and require less overall maintenance than most other grasses.