Calendar · Fargo ND · Duluth MN

Tall Fescue care calendar for zone 3

Long, severe winter with reliable snow cover; short cool growing season May–September. Cool-season grasses only: Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, and buffalo grass are the realistic options. Fall fertilization is the single most important task; the lawn is dormant six months a year.

Tall fescue is the cool-season grass of the transition zone, deep-rooted, heat-tolerant for a cool-season species, and shade-tolerant. Modern turf-type tall fescue (TTTF) cultivars look much finer than the old K-31 pasture grass and dominate new lawn installs from Virginia to Kansas.