If you’re in Wells Brothers and ask “what grass does well in the shade?” The conversation goes to fescue. Fescue is a shade-tolerant turf grass that is available in seed and sod, although sod can be difficult to find around our part of Texas. Shade means the area receives sunlight from 1.5 to 4 hours a day. Wells Brothers sells 2 varieties of seed that are considered “Tall Turf Type” by bag and bulk (by the pound). Our number 1 seller is called “5 Star” followed by “Extreme Shade 5 Star”. 5 Star is sold in 25#, 50# and by the pound. Extreme Shade is sold in a 50# and by the pound.

From the end of September to the end of April is the planting time for fescue. Application rates vary but the rule of thumb is 10 pounds per thousand square feet on bare soil and 5 pounds per thousand for overseeding existing Fescue lawns. You should be overseeded once a year to keep it looking like a lawn and not a pasture. Fertilizer and mowing requirements for St. Augustine can be used for fescue. Water requirements for fescue in the summer are enormous and some will die regardless of our efforts. It will require mowing in the winter and it is some of the best-looking grass in the spring and fall.

Fescue must be covered for it to germinate in any reasonable time (7 – 14 days). Seed cover can be dried leaves, dried grass clipping, raking it in or a light covering of compost. I am a follower of the compost cover. My goal is a 2 cubic foot bag per 150 square feet. When overseeding, cut the grass and spread the seeds. Don’t mow for 14 days. Water the seed lightly every morning until it starts to look like a lawn. Then you can reduce the watering to every other day until it needs mowing. This process will take between 2 and 4 weeks. You can apply fertilizer after its first mowing. I recommend all-natural fertilizer for the first application.

5 Star is a mix of 5 different varieties of fescue. The theory behind this is if 1 fails (for whatever reason) you have 4 other varieties not failing. The Extreme Shade 5 Star follows the same theory but with a different variety of seeds. Several years ago some folks were using Fescue in the place of Rye Grass for over-seeding Bermuda lawns. This is a major mistake. Use Rye Grass to over seed Bermuda lawns.

The first of September is the time to apply fall pre-emergent herbicides, so start thinking about it now. These herbicides do one thing and one thing only, they keep seeds from establishing root systems. We apply this in the spring and fall because that’s when we get the best bang for our buck. The big question is when is the best time? The rule of thumb is from the first of September to the first of November. I try for some time in the first two weeks of September. The kicker is that seeds don’t care what month it is. All they care about is the presence of soil, soil temperature, moisture, and a specific amount of sunlight. When the conditions are met, the seed will sprout. You should not apply pre-emergent herbicides in the garden when planting seeds. Do you know how big your lawn is? This is an important number and will be needed to apply the proper amount of pre-emergent (or any other product).

Pre-emergent herbicides are available in both synthetic and all-natural forms. On the synthetic side is “Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper”. That won’t fit on our receipts so we call it “Dimension”. Dimension targets the grassy weeds and is available in a 12lb bag that covers 3,500 square feet and a 30lb bag that covers 10,000 square feet. “Gallery” zeros in on the broadleaf weeds and it’s available in a 10lb bag that will cover 2,000 square feet.

The all-natural is “corn gluten meal”. It’s available in powder and granulated in a 40lb bag. The powder activates faster but is a mess to apply. The granulated is slower to activate but is considerably less of a mess. Each bag will cover 2,000 square feet. As always read and follow the label directions. This link will help.