Column: TTTF is A-OK!

The Lawn Coach™
FYI, TLC with TTTF is AOK.
By Christopher J. Brown

Q: I read one of your previous columns, which had some recommendations for watering lawns. Well, I thought I would pass along my own experiences as a good lesson for those who are battling drought stress. I have been living in my house for several years, and our lawn was the worst on the street when we first moved in. I wanted a nice lawn, but I also wanted to take an environmentally friendly approach. I decided upon a good variety blend of Turf Type Tall Fescue (TTTF), and over-seeded my lawn with it two years in a row. Now, I have never had to water my lawn, and it is now the best on the block. Perhaps you could pass along my experiences with planting a heartier variety of grass instead of using chemicals and excessive water to maintain weaker, more popular varieties.

A: This is an excellent point, and I thank you for bringing it up. I believe that balancing beauty with responsible land stewardship is an important goal we should all strive for. In fact, I have a recurring nightmare in which Al Gore shows up at my house to show me an impromptu two hour long slide show on environmentally friendly lawn care practices. Before you jump to the wring conclusion though, I want to point out that the environmentally friendly part doesn’t scare me. It’s just that in order to keep me focused throughout the slide show, well… did you ever see “A Clockwork Orange?”

TTTF is a variety of grass that has been bred from Tall Fescue, which is a very hearty but coarse type of grass. The original types were also very patchy, and were often mistaken for crabgrass. Through extensive cross breeding efforts in a laboratory with lots of steaming beakers, scientists were able to create varieties that are less coarse, and grow far more evenly. These are the “Turf Type” varieties. These became very popular for “transition zone” lawns because they bridged the gap between warm season grasses and cool season grasses. In areas like Maryland, Virginia, Tennesee, Kansas, etc., lawn nuts like me are in a bit of a pickle. See, the warm season grasses that are so popular in Florida, Texas, and other southern states will turn straw brown during the cooler winter months. The cool season grasses that we use in Connecticut will simply not tolerate the intense Summer heat. Tall Fescue seems to be one of the few grasses that is well suited to this environment.

Since Summers can often get ugly even up north here, TTTF is a very viable option that can reduce your efforts, water bills, and headaches considerably. It will also withstand wear and tear from weekend soccer games much better than the other, more popular grasses like Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass. If I have learned anything from watching 3:00 am infomercials with a credit card nearby, it is that nothing is actually a miracle product. TTTF is coarser than varieties of grass that you may be used to. It is a bit harder to grow in from seed, and it absolutely will not help you lose 30 pounds in 30 days with only 3 minutes per week of effort.

If you are a) not all-consumed with the notion of having a golf course fairway for a yard, and b) tired of the constant struggle to keep your current lawn alive, then TTTF is a great option that you should strongly consider. To do it, rent a core-aerator and punch a ton of holes throughout your yard. This usually means that you’ll have to go over the lawn twice. Then take a normal fertilizer spreader and spread about 5 lbs of seed to every 1,000 square feet of lawn area. Finally, water daily until the grass grows in fully. I know I already said that TTTF doesn’t need as much water, but the seed does. Once you have a good lawn, you can stop watering. It may go a bit dormant from time to time, but it should withstand most summers far better than the rest.

Plan on over-seeding with TTTF for at least two years in a row. After only one season, the coverage may not be 100%, and the lawn could look a bit patchy. The second aeration and seeding should fill that in nicely. If you feel as though you’d like to give this procedure a try, you have my blessing and utmost support. In the meantime, if you see Al Gore walking around Connecticut with a slide projector, please tell him I’ve moved.