When you buy sod from Tvetene Turf, the lawn seed formulations are compilated with a variety of Fescue, Kentucky Blue Grass, and Rye grass, with each species having multiple kinds of seed that offer different benefits to your lawn. This formulation can and does change.
As a result, there are benefits to allowing a landscaper to formulate a custom blend of grasses that are ideal for your situation. Since most landscapers do not grow and cut sod, typically the best option is to hydroseed.
There are unseen benefits to these custom formulations. For example, we maintain landscapes that we put in new using sod. In some such landscapes, we struggle to keep grass out of the landscaped beds because the blend of grasses used by the turf supplier that year has a large amount of stolons. Stolons are horizontal roots that run on top of the ground and spread. While this genetic feature helps turf growers in that the lawn spreads faster, it often complicates efforts to maintain a landscape.
Cool-season grasses like tall and fine fescues are an excellent solution for turf areas in Montana. Tall Fescue has a deep growing upright root system that does not propagate through stolons. The deep roots make it drought tolerant and easier to keep within designated lawn areas. Turf-type tall fescue is best planted in late summer to early fall. The cool air temperatures combined with warm soil temperatures enhance seed germination, speed establishment, and aid quick recovery.
Proper watering is critical to maintaining a healthy, vibrant fescue lawn in Montana. Depending on soil type, watering practices can encourage roots to stay close to surface moisture, making them more vulnerable to heat and drought. Deeper, less frequent watering can encourage deeper root growth and strengthen your lawn’s resilience to stress. We have both situations in Billings Montana depending on your exact location and site.
Proper watering is a major key to a healthy lawn in Montana. During normal growing conditions, you can estimate 1 inch of water needed per week. This information can be used to calculate your expected water use. If your water bill seems high or changes, then you might have an irrigation issue. Note that watering requirements change throughout the season. From mid-June thru August in Montana, you may need double the amount of watering. Always adjust your watering regimen based on your local weather, from heavy rainfall to extended drought, to ensure your fescue lawn retains healthy color and growth.
The dense, deep root growth of tall fescue varieties improves your lawn’s ability to take up naturally available soil nutrients and those you add through fertilizers and enzyme treatments in Montana. Enzyme treatments are a soil engineers tool for treating the problem as opposed to the symptoms when it comes to lawn health.
Tall fescue adapts well to various soil types and growing conditions and typically requires less fertilizer than other cool-season grasses in similar soils. Most professionals recommend testing your soil and formulating a fertilizer to help maintain soil pH roughly between 5.5 and 7.5, and to maximize nutrient availability. Enzyme treatments do this naturally by feeding the soil. Enzyme treatments take longer to work because you are working with nature to create a healthy biology in the soil itself. However, when needed enzymes are the ultimate path to a healthy disease free lawn. Since most land being developed in the Billings area is nutrient deficient farm land and open plains, nearly everyone will benefit from a custom formulation of enzymes engineered to make your soil healthy.
Improved turf-type tall fescue varieties produce a darker, greener, denser lawn than older tall fescue types, such as Kentucky 31, in Montana. Their lower, more uniform growth simplifies mowing as well. Local seed suppliers are a great resource for what formulations perform the best in our local area. The ideal mowing height for turf-type tall fescues is between 3 and 4 inches. Taller heights during times of heat and drought encourage deeper root growth, help shade soil, reduce weed competition, and help grass withstand stress. As a result, its okay to skip a mow, especially if you arent watering as much as you maybe should. Maintain grass height so you never remove more than one-third of the blade length in a single mowing. This helps keep your tall fescue lawn in Montana at optimal strength and health. With improved turf-type tall fescue grasses, you can enjoy a thick, beautiful, durable lawn that withstands the most challenging conditions in Montana.
Billings Landscaping is dedicated to providing you with the best lawn seed formulations of seed blends and growing advice, so that you can grow the best tall fescue lawn possible in Montana.
Turf-type tall fescues are a great option for creating a finely textured, shade-tolerant lawn in Montana. If you are looking for other cool-season grasses that do not use grass species with stolons, which can grow into landscaped beds, then you can consider grass species with root systems similar to tall fescue. For example, Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass have fibrous roots that make them well suited to lawns, while chewings fescue and hard fescue offer benefits such as shade tolerance, drought tolerance, and visual appeal. When selecting lawn seed formulations such as grass varieties, consider factors such as soil type, sun exposure, and the amount of traffic the lawn will receive to ensure you choose the best grass for your needs. Proper care and maintenance of your lawn, regardless of the grass species, is essential to keeping it healthy and beautiful.