Tall fescue was introduced into the United States from Europe in the early 1800's. The grass can be found growing in low, damp pastures and wet meadowlands throughout Europe, North Africa and North America.

Tall fescue is a vigorous, perennial, bunch grass which may have short slowly spreading rhizomes. Under good management, tall fescue is deep-rooted and forms a dense sod. Tall fescue tolerates wet soils and short periods of flooding, but is also drought tolerant. It is tolerant to low soil pH but is most productive when the soil pH is 5.8 to 6.5, phosphorus and potassium are medium to high, and soil nitrogen is readily available. Because of its wide range of site adaptation and its vigorous seedling growth, tall fescue is often used to seed roadsides and disturbed areas.

In the United States, tall fescue is found from the Pacific Northwest to the southern states in low-lying pastures. Although it grows best in moist environments, tall fescue has good drought tolerance and will survive during dry periods in a dormant state. Tall fescue is adapted to a wide range of soils, but does best on clay soils high in organic matter. Tall fescue is well adapted to the "transition zone" of the United States where summers are too hot and humid for cool season grasses and winters too cold for warm season grasses. In the South, tall fescue is best adapted to those states in the transition zone - Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and northern parts of North Carolina, Georgia and Texas.

Stockpiling tall fescue for winter grazing has to be planned. Due to low light intensity and cool temperatures, little forage growth occurs after mid-October. For high yield and quality, stockpiling of tall fescue should start between mid-July and mid-August. The earlier stockpiling starts, the greater the late fall and winter yield will be. If fescue is stockpiled before July, quality will be lower but yield will be about the same. Research shows that stockpiled tall fescue yield is determined by the number of days the stand is allowed to stockpile (Days) and the product of the days and the rate of nitrogen fertilizer applied (Nrate). The dry matter yield will vary due to differences in fall weather, soil conditions, and management before stockpiling and at harvest. The following equation predicts the effect of days regrowth and nitrogen rate on December dry matter yield per acre (prediction error over three years was ±500 lb/a).

Description. The fescues (Festuca spp.) compose a large genus of about 100 species of grasses. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is a deep rooted, cool season perennial grass. The plant produces vigorous growth in the spring and fall and its extensive root system helps it withstand drought conditions. Tall fescue does produce short rhizomes but has a bunch-type growth habit - it spreads primarily by erect tillers. Individual tillers, or stems, terminate in an inflorescence, reach 3 to 4 feet in height, and have broad, dark green basal leaves. Leaf blades are glossy on the underside and serrated on the margins. The leaf sheath is smooth and the ligule is a short membrane. The inflorescence is a compact panicle, 3 to 4 inches long with lanceolate spikelets one-half inch or more long. The grass flowers in the spring and seed mature in early summer. Seed are 4 to 7 mm long, elliptic and awned.

Tall fescue is a productive, well-adapted, persistent, soil-conserving, cool-season perennial grass grown on approximately two million acres in Arkansas. Fescue is used for both pasture and hay. Tall fescue and bermudagrass are the main forages grown for most beef cattle operations in the state.

Tall fescue is a good source of forage from mid-September through June but should not be relied upon exclusively for the year-round forage supply. Approximately two-thirds of the annual growth of tall fescue occurs during spring and about one-third occurs during the fall. Warm season forage species are better sources for feed during the hot summer months. Most tall fescue varieties show considerable winter dormancy. This has the beneficial effect of reducing cold damage to the plants. A few varieties exhibit less winter dormancy and produce more winter forage than Kentucky 31. When new fields are established in the fall, plant all varieties early enough to allow excellent establishment before winter.

Tall fescue, a perennial, forms clumps with upright leaves. Leaf blades are wide, coarse with rasplike margins and prominent veins, and radiate from a central clump. Flower stalks lie flat during mowing, resulting in ragged-looking turf. Used for turf when planted thickly in many areas. Meadow fescue (Festuca elatior) has similar clumping characteristics; it is included in some seed mixtures. Both fescues can be differentiated from dallisgrass, which forms loose bunches instead of clumps when mature and has flatter broader leaves and seed stalks.

Much of the tall fescue grown in Arkansas is infected with an internal fungus (endophyte) that can cause decreased weight gains in growing ruminants, lower pregnancy rates in breeding stock and reduce milk production in lactating cows, especially in hot weather. These symptoms can be especially severe for breeding horses. Endophyte-free or low-endophyte fescue varieties on the market reduce this potential negative effect on cattle and horses; however, stand persistence has been a concern with many of these new fescue varieties. New “friendly” endophyte varieties should be on the market in the next few years that should be more persistent than endophyte-free varieties and provide better animal performance.

Finesse Tall Fescue (TSD) has very dark green color, brown patch resistance, a leafy, lower turf-type growth habit and finer leaves which product exceptional turf density. From the same Internationally Acclaimed Breeding Program that brought you Millennium Tall Fescue, Finesse also has improved resistance to leaf spot, tolerance to heat and drought, and shows excellent seedling vigor. It has a high level of beneficial endophytes which can enhance its turf performance especially under stressful conditions.

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