best time to plant fescue seed Celestial Strong Creeping Red Fescue (Cool Season Zones 1-3)

best time to plant fescue seed Celestial Strong Creeping Red Fescue (Cool Season Zones 1-3)Strong Creeping Red Fescue is a perennial cool season grass native to Europe that is widely distributed throughout the cool humid regions of North America. It is called Creeping due to the fact that it spreads slowly by underground runners or rhizomes. It is superior to other cool season grasses (Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue) for shade tolerance which makes it an ideal component in turfgrass mixtures with Kentucky Bluegrass and

Strong Creeping Red Fescue is a perennial cool-season grass native to Europe that is widely distributed throughout the cool-humid regions of North America. It is called “Creeping” due to the fact that it spreads slowly by underground runners or rhizomes.  It is superior to other cool season grasses (Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue) for shade tolerance which makes it an ideal component in turfgrass mixtures with Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass for sun and shade conditions.

It can be mowed or left unmowed to produce a very appealing ground cover or meadow.  When left unmowed, it exhibits better heat tolerance and will grow to a full mature height of 12-15 inches.  It does not do well under warm, humid conditions, but will persist in arid climates with irrigation.  Creeping Red Fescue does not do well under high traffic conditions.

Celestial Strong Creeping Red Fescue is an improved cultivar that exhibits improved drought and disease tolerance with excellent winter color and blends well with other grasses.  Celestial was highly rated in turfgrass NTEP trials and is a certified “TWCA” product meaning that it has been bred and tested to show improved drought tolerance.

 CLICK HERE to download Celestial Strong Creeping Red Fescue technical data sheet as seen below.

CELESTIAL Strong Creeping Red Fescue

• Very good shade tolerance
• Improved drought tolerance
• Rhizomatous, creeping growth habit for better turf density
• Improved disease resistance
• Use as a turf grass or unmowed ground cover

 Uses:
Lawn Seed Mixtures, Shade Areas, Ground Cover, Slopes, Medians, Golf Course Roughs, Erosion Control, Roadsides, Winter overseeding of Bermudagrass

Seeding Rates:
3-5 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 130 to 215 pounds per acre.
Rates are determined by the use, density of stand desired and whether the application is new or overseed.
Best times for seeding are early spring and early fall.

Establishment:
Emergence:  7-14 days under optimum temperature range between 59-77 degrees, longer under cooler temperatures.
Under normal conditions establishment can be expected in 14-21 days.

For instructions on seeding and care:  Establishment and Care of Turfgrasses 

Specifications: CELESTIAL Strong Creeping Red Fescue*    
98% Minimum purity
90% Minimum germination
500,000 seeds per pound

*Celestial is a protected variety under the US Plant Variety Protection Act. 

Turfgrass Testing Programs Listed:
NTEP: National Turfgrass Evaluation Program  www.ntep.org
TWCA: Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance  www.tgwca.org