If you have fescue in your lawn, now is the perfect time to reseed your fescue. There are two times of the year when you can reseed fescue. You can put fescue seed down in the spring before the warm weather arrives or you can reseed now. This is actually the best time for several reasons. One is that you will get to enjoy a nice green lawn during the winter, and seeding now will allow the fescue to develop a better root system over the winter so it will be better prepared for our Oklahoma summers.

The question often comes up, why do I need to reseed my fescue every year? Here’s why. Fescue is a cool season grass. As a cool season grass, it is going to struggle during the summer here. It is possible to keep your fescue grass alive and thriving in the summer, but it takes a lot more water that many people’s pocketbook will allow. Because of that, the fescue takes a beating over the summer and then needs to be reseeded in the fall.

We like to call fescue a shade tolerant grass, but the reality is, all turf grasses need sun. Fescue gets this sun during the fall after the leaves have fallen, during the winter, and into the spring until the tree’s leaf out again. So, it thrives when there are no leaves blocking out the sun.

If you are planning on reseeding fescue, don’t lay down a pre-emergent and tell your lawn service, not to apply a weed pre-emergent. Pre-emergent weed protection prevents the seeds of weeds from germinating, thus minimizing the number of seasonal weeds in your lawn. However, it will also prevent the fescue seeds from germinating, so no pre-emergent before reseeding fescue.

When shopping for fescue seeds, it good to purchase a seed mix rather than a product that is all the same type of seed. You want to do this because a seed mix will have a better chance of giving you that lush, lawn you want since it’s hard to predict which seed is going to do best in your particular growing conditions. A mix will also help to minimize the risk of losing your grass to turf disease.

Cost is definitely a determining factor, but the general rule is to purchase the highest quality seed you can afford.

If you are overseeding, you want to apply the seed at a rate of 3 to 6 pounds per 1000 square feet. For bare ground, use a rate of between 6 to 8 pounds per square foot. To get this application rate right, you can weigh out a pound of seed, lay it down with your spreader, and measure how much ground it covered. Then, it’s just math to figure out how you need to adjust to meet your application goals.

Drop spreaders allow for a little more accuracy in seed delivery, but broadcast spreaders help make the work go a little faster.

Last but not least, you’ll need to plan on keeping that seed moist until it germinates. It won’t take a lot of water; you will just need to water 2 or 3 times a day to keep it moist. After the seeds germinate, you can back off on watering a bit. Just don’t let it dry out until it gets established. Follow these steps and you have a beautiful lawn in no time. Good luck.

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Tom Ingram