Fescue is a popular lawn grass across the United States, and tall fescue is the most common lawn grass variety in the state of California, according to the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Maintaining a beautiful and healthy fescue lawn might involve fertilizing and periodic overseeding, to refresh tired, worn-out areas or to fill in bare patches.
Weed and Feed
Your current fertilizing schedule can affect overseeding success, particularly if you've recently applied a fertilizer and pre-emergent combination. The weed seed suppressant can't distinguish between weed seeds and fescue seeds. All your work of overseeding will be for naught, if the pre-emergent prevents your fescue seeds from germinating. A general rule of thumb is to wait at least four weeks after application of a pre-emergent before overseeding your lawn, according to the Georgia Gardener website.
Fertilizing and overseeding your yard with fescue won't do much to rejuvenate a tired, worn-out lawn if you don't correct the problems that caused your lawn to need overseeding in the first place. Check for poor soil condition, excess thatch, improper drainage, soil compaction and the presence of pests before applying either grass seed or fertilizer.
If you have recently fertilized your lawn without a pre-emergent additive, there should be no need to apply additional fertilizer to your lawn when you overseed. If you haven't fertilized your lawn, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension recommends applying a high phosphorus, starter-type fertilizer at time of overseeding. The seeds need to remain moist in order to germinate, so lightly watering the seeded area several times a day is a must.
If you didn't apply fertilizer at the time you overseeded your lawn, you can apply a high phosphorus fertilizer once the fescue is up and after the first mowing. After that, maintain your regular fertilization schedule. It's worthwhile to have your soil tested to determine whether you need to fertilize, so you can apply only the nutrients your lawn needs. If soil testing is impractical, the University of North Carolina Cooperative Extension recommends a fall feeding with a complete fertilizer containing a 3-1-2 nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratio, followed by a winter feeding with a nitrogen fertilizer.
- The Georgia Gardener: Fescue – Planting Seed – New Lawn
- Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning: Overseeding Your Lawn
- Schiller Grounds Care: Lawn Renovation: Why Overseed?
- Fairway Lawns: How to Seed Fescue Grass
- North Carolina University Extension: Tall Fescue Lawn Maintenance Calendar
- University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension: Tall Fescue
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