Fescue – Keeping It Alive Over Summer

Q: How do I keep a fescue lawn alive during the summer if I seeded in April? I tilled the soil beforehand and added topsoil, lime, starter fertilizer.

A: You’re off to a good start by having tilled before planting. In my experience, fescue that has a 6″ deep root system can survive summer pretty well if it is watered a few times in July and August. Planting seed on untilled clay soil in April is an exercise in futility. Keep an eye on rainfall amounts and give your lawn 1″ of water per week when Nature doesn’t provide equivalent rainfall. Don’t be tempted to fertilize in summer: it only increases disease risk. If the grass looks yellow in July, apply Ironite Plus to give it an iron/nitrogen tonic.