By Eric Watkins and Yinjie Qiu, University of Minnesota
Fine fescue research has progressed rapidly in recent years, spurred by greater interest in low-input turf and the availability of funding for improving these grasses. While giving talks to various groups about lawn grasses for Minnesota, we often follow the introduction of fine fescues with a refrain similar to “they all look very similar”: translation “don’t ask me how to tell the fine fescues apart!”.
By Jing Luo and Ning Zhang, Rutgers University
Summer patch is a damaging disease of turfgrasses that is most common in warm weather. It is caused by fungal pathogens that attack and colonize plant roots. Besides fine fescues, many types of turfgrasses, including bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and annual bluegrass, are susceptible to this disease (Smiley et al. 2005).
By Nicole Anderson and Brian Donovan, Oregon State University
Previous blog posts provided by Purdue University (Braun and Patton) and Oregon State University (Kowalewski et. al.) turf personnel have done an excellent job of describing fine fescue taxonomy and providing an overview of the characteristics associated with the five kinds of fine fescues, respectively. Discussions about fine fescues are often associated with their uses as low-input turfgrasses in homeowner lawns, public green spaces, and golf course fairways. As fine fescues draw more attention because of their low-input turf attributes, it is critical that a reliable and consistent supply of seed is available in the consumer marketplace.
By Alec Kowalewski, Emily Braithwaite and Brian McDonald, Oregon State University
Generally, fine fescues are described as low input turfgrasses because as a group these plants tolerate shade and low fertility, and can persist with minimal irrigation. However, each of these fine fescues has a unique set of functional components. This blog post will provide an overview of the characteristics associated with each of the five fine fescues.