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Fescue is an ornamental herbaceous plant from the Poaceae family. It forms dense spherical turf, similar to hummocks with a mop of thin, hair-like leaves of various shades. The plant prefers cool regions, so it is widespread in temperate and colder climates, as well as in mountainous elevations. Fescue is drought tolerant, grows in poor and salty soils and requires minimal attention. Some varieties are actively used in landscape design. The plant also serves as a forage crop, which is used to sow entire pastures.
Description of the plant
Fescue is a herbaceous perennial with compact or creeping roots. The height of most ornamental varieties is 10-20 cm, but in nature you can find varieties with erect thin stems 1.2-2 m long. The plant grows vegetative side shoots covered with foliage and bare peduncles.
At the nodes of the shoot, as well as at its base, linear vaginal leaves with a rough or hairy surface grow. The width of the sheet does not exceed 1.5 cm. The sheet plate is folded in half along the vertical axis, which makes it even narrower. This bend helps the plant retain precious moisture during dry periods. Parallel veins are visible on the surface of the leaf. The end of the leaf resembles an awl-shaped growth.
In June, fescue begins to bloom, throwing out spreading paniculate inflorescences consisting of several shorter spikelets on a thin peduncle. The length of an individual spike is 0.5-1.5 cm. The bare peduncles themselves grow twice as long as the leaves and rise above the turf. Loose panicles give the plant airiness. They are painted in light yellowish-green tones and sway easily with the slightest breath of wind. Keeled scales of unequal size grow on the spikelets. Under them are hidden 3 stamens and an obovate ovary, on which 2 stigmas are visible.
As a result of pollination, small (2-5 mm in length) oblong grains ripen. There is a tubercle on the back, and a deep groove in the front.
Decorative varieties
In total, more than 660 plant species have been registered in the fescue genus, but no more than twenty are used in landscape design.
The herbaceous perennial grows both straight and lodging stems. The height of the turf is 50-100 cm. Numerous linear foliage grows up to 30 cm long. It is colored bright green or light green. In June, panicles 15-17 cm long bloom. They consist of elongated spikelets on flexible peduncles. The variety is resistant to frost, but sensitive to drought.
The sod consists of bare stems 6-8 cm long and dense lateral shoots of a reddish hue. The shoots are densely covered with narrow foliage 30-40 cm long. The leaves are folded along the central vein. They have a ribbed surface and are colored red-green. During the flowering period, loose panicles about 12 cm long appear. The variety is frost-resistant and prefers flooded or well-moistened soils.
The lush spherical turf most closely resembles a tussock 50-60 cm high. A lot of narrow-linear foliage of silver-green or bluish-blue color grows on it. Dense gray-green panicles become straw-colored after wilting. The plant loves warmth and does not tolerate frost. Varieties:
- blue tussock - lush turf with many narrow greenish-blue leaves;
- lapis lazuli – distinguished by beautiful blue-silver leaves;
- Glacial tit – turf 30-40 cm high, covered with narrow blue-gray leaves.
The plant forms dense spherical cushions 20-30 cm high, consisting of narrow foliage and thin long stems. The shoots are colored bright green. At the beginning of summer, oblong, loose panicles with drooping spikelets bloom on it. The variety is drought-resistant and grows well in poor soils.
Herbaceous vegetation is resistant to saline soils. It has a short rhizome and dense stems up to 1.5 m in height. Hard, narrow leaves grow close to the ground. In June-July, bare peduncles with long (up to 20 cm) drooping panicles appear.
A compact evergreen plant forms bushes up to 10 cm high and up to 60 cm in diameter. It consists of thread-like dark green leaves. At the end of June, gray-green panicles 5-7 cm long bloom above the thickets.
Reproduction methods
Fescue is propagated by seeds and division of the bush. Seed propagation often occurs by self-seeding. If the grass is not cut in a timely manner, the mature seeds spill out of the ears onto the ground on their own. In spring, young shoots appear. After a month, they can be transplanted to a permanent place. If this cereal is not yet found on the site, then the purchased seeds are sown at the end of February in containers for growing seedlings. Before planting, the seed material is soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Crops are planted densely to obtain a dense cushion. To do this, 5-7 seeds are placed at once in holes with a distance of 10-20 cm, to a depth of 5 cm. After 1.5-2 weeks, the first shoots will appear. They develop very quickly and soon a dense turf is formed, ready for transplanting into open ground. To prevent the stems from becoming too elongated, it is important to keep the seedlings in a cool and well-lit place.
A well-grown bush 2-3 years old can be divided into parts. The procedure is carried out in April or September. The sod is completely dug up and divided into several small parts, being careful not to damage the roots. Plants are immediately planted in renewed soil with the addition of compost or humus. Such divisions need time to grow again. You can speed up the process if you transplant a large bush into a flowerpot for the winter and bring it into a cool and well-lit room. Make sure that there is no dampness in the wintering area. In March, the mother plant is divided into parts and planted in containers with prepared soil.
Planting and care
Planting fescue in open ground is planned for mid-May, when the danger of frost has passed and consistently warm weather has established itself. Although mature plants are resistant to cold, young seedlings may suffer. To do this, plants need to choose well-lit areas with light, well-drained soil. Too fertile soil is undesirable, as is close groundwater. The acidity of the soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline.
Before planting, dig up the ground well and remove slaked lime and sand. The bushes develop well and quickly increase in size, so each fescue tussock should be divided and replanted every 2-3 years. Without this, the condition of the leaves and bushes as a whole deteriorates significantly.
The plant is drought-resistant, so it is necessary to water it only during prolonged drought and extreme heat. It is better not to add water than to over-moisten the soil. Even a slight stagnation of water leads to rotting of the roots and the death of part of the vegetation.
Fescue is rarely fed. Even on very poor soils, 1-2 fertilizers per season are sufficient. Use half the dose of the mineral composition for deciduous plants.
In order for the bush to retain its attractiveness, it must be pruned. The first pruning is carried out in early spring, after the snow melts. It is necessary to remove dry shoots and leaves, and also clean the turf using a rake. After the inflorescences dry, if there is no need to harvest seeds, they are cut off.
Most garden fescue species are frost-resistant and retain green foliage even under snow. In anticipation of a harsh and snowless winter, the hummocks are covered with fallen leaves and dry straw. Young individuals tolerate cold better than older ones.
Use in landscape design
A lush mop of narrow leaves of blue, green, bluish or light green shades looks good on the lawn, among rocky masonry, near the border or along the perimeter of the flower garden. Fescue roots effectively strengthen the soil and prevent landslides. On the slopes you can create an unusual panel from bushes of various shades.
Fescue can be accompanied by bluebells, mantle, hostas, tradescantia, speedwell, miscanthus, and lungwort. Plants can also be used like a regular lawn, planted not in groups, but more evenly.
For centuries, a plant called meadow fescue, which belongs to the cereal family, has been cultivated. This is an excellent component for herbal mixtures used in landscape design, as well as an indispensable fodder crop.
External description
This perennial plant can reach a height of up to 100 cm. Its stem is erect, with small vegetative shoots, covered with sparse narrow leaves, the width of which rarely exceeds 0.5 cm, and the length can reach 30 cm. Their jagged tongue is quite short, and the leaf color the plates are mostly bright green with a slight sheen on the underside. The root system is quite powerful, most of it is located in the surface layer of soil, but individual roots go very deep into the ground - up to one and a half meters.
In June, meadow fescue blooms. During this period, the panicles become spreading, and spike-shaped inflorescences appear on them, having an oblong shape and a green color with a purple tint. They consist of 3-10 flowers and are about 1.5 cm long. The plant ripens in early July, forming grain-like fruits.
Places of distribution
As a cultivated plant, fescue is found in Central Asia and Europe. In Russia, it is widespread almost everywhere, with the exception of the Arctic region and southern deserts. In the wild, meadow fescue grass grows in forests, in the steppe zone, and high in the mountains.
This plant prefers moist clay and loamy soils, therefore it predominates in river floodplains and water meadows, tolerating prolonged flooding very well.
Peculiarities
This plant has high winter hardiness, easily tolerating the harsh Siberian cold, as well as spring frosts. Fescue grows well, despite frequent mowing, and can withstand up to 5 haircuts over the summer. It adapts very easily to environmental conditions, thriving on soils of different quality compositions. With good care in combination with sufficient moisture, meadow fescue can serve as a green cover for more than 15 years. This plant reacts negatively to intensive trampling, and during prolonged drought it begins to bush heavily.
Shoots appear early, around mid-May. Rapid development of the plant occurs in the first year of life, generative shoots are formed the next season, and fescue reaches full development only in the third year. As it grows, its bush becomes more loose and powerful. The seeds of meadow fescue fully ripen by mid-July, the stem leaves have already dried out by this time.
Usage
Meadow fescue is irreplaceable as a forage plant. It is one of the most valuable crops included in hay and pasture grass mixtures, and is also indispensable for feeding livestock. Its nutritional value and feeding qualities are significantly superior to the common timothy grass. Hay, in which a large proportion is fescue, is of very high quality. It contains up to 10% protein, 30% fiber and substances without nitrogenous structure up to 44%.
Less commonly, meadow fescue is used for decorative landscaping. As a lawn grass, this is not the best option. Because the shoots grow at a certain distance from each other, which makes it difficult to create a continuous cover. In landscape design, this plant is successfully used in herbal mixtures.
Grass mixtures for urban landscaping
The determining factor in protecting any slopes from erosion and maintaining their stability is the correctly selected mixture for landscaping. Meadow fescue plays an important role here. But a more cohesive and stronger turf is obtained when red fescue and meadow bluegrass are sown together with it. These are widespread species of perennial grasses that thrive in a wide variety of soil types. They are unpretentious and resistant to both severe frosts and prolonged drought. The powerful rhizome allows you to form a strong, cohesive turf on the lawn.
By choosing the right grass mixture for roadside areas, you can not only prevent the development of water erosion, but also preserve the grass for several years, thanks to the plants’ resistance to adverse climatic conditions and man-made impacts.
There are about 300-500 species of fescue, which are distributed mainly in the temperate and cold zones of both hemispheres, as well as in the mountainous regions of the tropics. Within the genus, two groups are distinguished: species with flat leaf blades, 2-15 mm wide, and narrow-leaved ones, with blades folded along them, up to 2.5 mm wide.
Often found in damp forests, alder forests, parks and gardens giant fescue. Occasionally found in shady spruce and spruce-broadleaf forests tall fescue or forest fescue. Common in meadows, clearings, roadsides meadow fescue, it was widely used for creating cultivated pastures and hayfields, as well as lawns. Narrow-leaved fescue is more suitable for establishing lawns, especially sports ones. Among them, it is common in meadows, sparse forests, wastelands, roadsides red fescue.
All types of fescue are valuable pasture and hay plants.
Giant fescue (Festuca gigantea (L.) Vill.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: Panicle 15-40 cm long, drooping. Spikelets 10-12 mm long, 2-8 flowers. The lower lemma is 7-9 mm long, with five faintly visible veins and a long sinuous awn, usually 2-3 times longer than the lemma.
Leaves: Leaf blades 5-15 cm wide, green, shiny, often drooping; sheaths of stem leaves at the transition to the blade with two crescent-shaped stem-enclosing ears; the tongue is short, chopped off.
Height: 60-150 cm.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Giant fescue grows in damp forests, alder forests, bush thickets, gardens and parks, along forest roads and clearings; common in places.
Prevalence: A European-West Asian species, also cultivated in North America. Distributed in Russia throughout the European part, except the Arctic, and in southern Siberia.
Addition: Loose turf grass.
Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: Panicle 8-18 cm long, usually compressed before and after flowering. Spikelets are 8-12 mm long, 3-8-flowered. The lower lemma is 5-7 mm long, awnless. Anthers linear, about 3 mm long.
Leaves: Leaf blades 3-5 mm wide, flat; the tongue is short, up to 1 mm long, serrated; At the base of the plate there are crescent-shaped ears.
Height: 30-100(140) cm.
Stem: Shoots of two types: shortened vegetative and elongated generative, geniculate-ascending, without scale-like leaves.
Root: With a short rhizome.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in June, bears fruit in late June-early July.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Meadow fescue is a common meadow plant, often dominating the grass stand; prefers moderately moist areas. Low resistance to sudden lack of moisture; withstands flooding for up to 30 days. It grows on soils of different quality (up to saline) and mechanical composition, with a slightly acidic and neutral reaction.
Prevalence: A predominantly European meadow species, distributed in addition to Europe in the Caucasus, Western Asia, Northern Kazakhstan, and the mountainous regions of Central Asia. In Russia it is found throughout the European part, except for the extreme Arctic and southern desert territories, and in the south of Siberia, reaching the Baikal region in the east. It is known as an alien species or cultivated plant in many other areas.
Addition: Loose turf grass. It reproduces and spreads, like many other fescue species, by seeds that have a high germination rate that persists for at least three years. Meadow fescue is a valuable forage grain that is resistant to haymaking and grazing. Widely used to create cultivated pastures and hayfields, as well as lawns. In saline meadows in the chernozem zone, and to the north as an alien species, there is a close Eastern fescue (Festuca orientalis (Hack.) V. Krecz. et Bobr.), characterized by the presence of ciliated pubescence on the ears and vagina at the point of its transition into the plate, large upper glumes about 6 mm long and the presence of a point or awn on the lower flower glumes 0.7-2.5 mm long.
Tall fescue or forest fescue (Festuca altissima All.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: Panicle 12-20 cm long, drooping. Spikelets 7-9 mm long, (2) 3-5 flowers. The lower lemma is (4.5)5-6(6.5) mm long, with three noticeable veins, densely covered with thin spines, awnless.
Leaves: Leaf blades (5) 7-15 mm wide, dark green, wintering; the tongue is 2-3 mm long, ciliated or briefly incised along the edge, with upward directed projections on the sides up to 5-7 mm long.
Height: 60-130(150) cm.
Stem: Stems are thickened, at the base with 3-4 scale-like leathery light brown leaves, which are replaced higher up by leaves with a developed blade.
Root: With a short rhizome.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in June-July, bears fruit in July-August.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Tall fescue grows in shady spruce and spruce-broadleaf forests.
Prevalence: Distributed in Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia. In Russia - mainly in the forest zone of the European part and in the south of Siberia. Known in many regions of Central Russia, noticeably more often in the non-chernozem zone.
Addition: Loose turf grass.
Red fescue (Festuca rubra L.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: Panicle 5-10 cm long, usually compressed. Spikelets are 7-10 mm long, 4-6 flowers, with a waxy coating. The lower lemma is glabrous or short-haired, with a narrow membranous margin and an awn 1-4 mm long.
Leaves: Leaf blades with 5-9 relatively underdeveloped sclerenchyma strands; leaves of vegetative shoots in a dry state are folded lengthwise, 0.6-1.2 mm wide, and leaves of generative shoots are flat or folded lengthwise, 2-2.5(3) mm wide; the tongue is bare and short.
Height: 30-80 cm.
Stem: At the base with reddish-brown, usually pubescent sheaths.
Root: With rhizome.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in June-August, bears fruit in July-September.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: It grows in meadows, clearings, on sand, pebbles, and in all kinds of secondary habitats.
Prevalence: Widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. In many extratropical countries it is found as an alien or cultivated plant. Common throughout Russia.
Addition: A polymorphic species, some races of which are considered as independent species. In the Don basin, on chalk outcrops, there is, for example, close Chalk fescue (Festuca cretacea T.Pop. et Proskor.), with rigid leaf blades having well-developed sclerenchyma cords, numbering 3-5.
Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina L.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: Panicle (2)3-6(8) cm long, straight, with rough branches and axis. Spikelets 5-6(8) mm long. The lower lemma is 3.5-4(4.5) mm long, glabrous or pubescent, with an awn 1-1.5 mm long.
Leaves: Leaf blades are almost hair-like, 0.3-0.7 mm in diameter, green; vaginas split almost to the base; the tongue is very short, torn.
Height: 20-40(60) cm.
Stem: Stems are glabrous and smooth, or rough or short-haired under the inflorescence.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in June-July, bears fruit in July.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Sheep fescue grows in forests, meadows, sand and pebbles, clearings, clearings, and fallow lands.
Prevalence: Palaearctic species, possibly found in North America. In Russia it is a common plant throughout almost the entire territory. In the central zone of European Russia it is confined mainly to the non-chernozem zone; further south it is rare.
Addition: Dense turf grass. A fodder grain readily eaten by small livestock.
Polesie fescue (Festuca polesica Zapal.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: Panicle 8-12 cm long, with short-haired, less often rough, branches. Spikelets are 6-7 mm long. The lower lemma is 3.5-4 mm long with an awn 0.6-1.5 mm long.
Leaves: Leaves sticking out; leaf blades are 0.4-0.8 mm in diameter, hard, the mechanical tissue forms a continuous layer (see the cross section of the blade), hairy or with spines on the outside. The lower, closely adjacent vaginas are light brown or yellowish, sometimes shiny.
Height: 20-50(65) cm.
Stem: Usually short-haired under the panicle.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in May-June, bears fruit in June-July.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Polesie fescue grows in sparse forests, unturfed and dune sands, as well as in sandy steppes.
Prevalence: A predominantly European species, on the territory of Russia it is confined mainly to the forest zone in the European part and is found in the south of Western Siberia.
Addition: Dense turf grass.
Wallis fescue (Festuca valesiaca Gaud.)
How does meadow fescue differ for lawns from other lawn grasses? In what cases is it better to use only fescue for the lawn, and when is it better to combine it with other lawn grasses? What advantages of fescue make you choose it when decorating your lawn?
When choosing lawn grass, you should be guided primarily by the purpose of the lawn. Will it be used as a playground for sports, or will it become a lawn that will decorate your dacha. Meadow fescue is a perennial grass that grows very quickly, is not afraid of frequent mowing and has soft shoots. Even after repeated mowing, the fescue does not thicken and its stems do not become prickly.
Meadow fescue can be an excellent choice if:
- The lawn will be used to decorate the site. Fescue covers the soil very tightly in the first year. The bright green vegetation looks like a fluffy carpet. This is a very decorative plant, and most designers use it for landscaping areas and creating lawns in any landscape.
- You need to quickly germinate your lawn. Already in the first year, if you plant it in the spring, by autumn the lawn will delight you with thick greenery and freshness. Ten days after planting, when watered, fescue sprouts well, and in a month you will get a full-fledged, thick and juicy green carpet.
- You want to make a lawn between fruit trees. In order for a garden with trees to have a well-groomed appearance, there is no need to cultivate or dig it up to remove weeds. In this case, only cutting between the trees will be required.
- You plan to have a lawn for more than ten years. If you take care of it correctly: water, mow, rake the mown grass so that the mown grass does not mulch the soil, fertilize - your lawn will delight you for more than fifteen years.
- You rarely appear at the dacha. Fescue easily survives drought. If you need to arrange a lawn in a country house where you are not constantly present, the grass will survive two weeks without watering. But it is better to avoid such breaks, as very bright sun can burn you. In such cases, it is better to form a lawn in the shade - it will be juicier and brighter.
- You don't want to choose plants for the soil that you have on your site. Fescue is not fussy, and if the fertile layer has a sandy base, the grass will still sprout just fine.
Despite all the advantages, the disadvantages of using fescue as a mono sowing are obvious:
- Fescue does not tolerate trampling. If you plan to actively spend time on the lawn, children, animals will play there, you will have picnics - the grass will quickly be trampled and bald spots will appear, which will sharply worsen the appearance.
- It is better to sow in the spring so that the grass has time to take root, germinate and acquire a good root system.
- If you do not mow the lawn during the summer season, the fescue will begin to gather in small hummocks, since the long fallen shoots will mulch the root zone and bald spots will form.
Use of meadow fescue in grass mixtures
Fescue occupies different percentages in grass mixtures. It often serves as the basis for such sets of herbs. Depending on what kind of lawn you want to get, add more or less. If the lawn is planned as a place for active recreation, its composition is less; if the lawn is used as a decoration, in borders, or as a strip separating different zones, its quantity in the mixture is much larger than other seeds. Most often it is mixed with ryegrass and meadow bluegrass. In some cases it is mixed with white clover.
Proper care, which consists of watering, systematic mowing, and fertilizing with special preparations in spring and autumn, will give you the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful green lawn for at least fifteen years.
Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds). Loose bush mid-season plant of winter type of development. It is winter-hardy, easily tolerates frost, can withstand flooding for up to 25 days, and is quite drought-resistant.
It grows in floodplain meadows, dry lands and steppe meadows with loose, fairly moist soils, as well as in drained swamps. It is well eaten by livestock (especially large ones) in hay and on pasture, and is characterized by high mortality. Widely used to create cultivated hayfields and pastures in forest and forest-steppe zones. It is distinguished by a higher content of water-soluble carbohydrates compared to other types (up to 10-12%), which ensures a sugar-protein ratio favorable for animals.
Meadow fescue moisture-loving, although it is superior to meadow timothy in drought resistance, it can withstand flooding by hollow spring waters. Winter hardiness is high, although slightly lower than that of timothy grass, therefore, there is a need to increase its winter hardiness through selection, which is especially important for the northern regions of the forest zone and Siberia.
The beginning of the growing season in the central zone of the European part of Russia usually occurs in the third ten days of April, in the forest-steppe - in the second ten days and in some years in the first ten days of April. The period from the beginning of the growing season to the emergence of inflorescences is, depending on soil and climatic conditions and the variety, 39-67 (on average 53) days, until flowering - 54-77 (on average 62).
Meadow fescue- a typical winter cereal. When sown in spring without cover in the first year of life, as a rule, it does not form generative stems. However, in subsequent years, especially in the second to fourth years, it bears fruit abundantly. It blooms in the forest zone in the third ten days of June - early July, in the forest-steppe - in the second ten days of June. Mass flowering occurs in the morning (5-8 hours) and lasts 6-8 days. Seed stands are prone to lodging. This occurs more often in years with cold and wet springs. Lodging of grass before flowering is very dangerous - it greatly reduces the seed yield. In addition, the seeds fall off very much. Therefore, in breeding work with meadow fescue you need to pay attention to this sign.
According to the pace of development fescue refers to mid-season species. Approximately 2 weeks after flowering, the seeds ripen. In the middle zone this occurs in mid-July, in the forest-steppe - early July.
Seeds elongated, with a longitudinal groove at the top, 6-7 mm long, 1.25 mm wide, light gray or yellowish-straw color. Meadow fescue widely used in grass mixtures for creating hayfields and long-term pastures on different types of soil (except sandy) in forest and forest-steppe zones, as well as in other areas of the country. Grows well on loose, moderately moist, fertile, loamy, clayey, marly soils, cultivated peat bogs, lowland and floodplain meadows. In terms of longevity, it is close to the timothy grass. When used for forage, its grass stands last on average 7-8 years, but they are most productive on dry meadows and field lands for 4-5 years. Seeds are used for 3-4 years. The maximum yield of forage and seeds (with clean sowing) is achieved in the second or third years of life. In terms of productivity on dry meadows and field lands, it is inferior to tall fescue. Existing varieties provide mainly two cuttings. They therefore require further improvement.
Feed quality is high. The plant is rich in crude protein content.
Is a highly productive component in the composition feed grass mixtures: Green Deer Agro "Combi","Mowing", "Grazing", "Haymaking" And "Protein+"
