Tall Fescue Seed

It comes down to when they grow. Summer-active, or temperate, types grow vigorously in spring, summer and autumn following rain, so they rely on summer moisture. Mediterranean types are winter active and go dormant over summer, which gives them greater tolerance of summer drought and suits winter-rainfall regions. In WA, DPIRD notes summer-active types are best suited to areas with at least a seven-month growing season, while Mediterranean types need more than six months.

It's rare in Australia today. Fescue foot is caused by ergovaline, a toxin produced by a wild-type fungal endophyte in some tall fescue plants. Signs include severe lameness, heat stress, reduced feed intake and poor weight gain. Current cultivars are either free of endophyte, very low in it, or carry safe novel endophytes; the risk lies mainly with old varieties. Check the endophyte status on the seed label, and call your vet if stock go lame on a fescue-dominant pasture.

A novel endophyte is a selected fungal strain carried in tall fescue seed that helps protect the plant against insect attack and may improve its tolerance of environmental stress, without the toxicity of wild-type endophyte. MaxP is one example used in Australia. NSW DPI describes these endophytes as free of livestock toxicity, and MaxP is described as safe for dairy cows, without staggers or heat-stress problems. Before grazing horses on any endophyte fescue, check the seed company's advice and talk to your vet.

Bring it back to leaf. From September to November tall fescue grows fast and tries to run to seed, and stemmy fescue loses palatability. In spring, graze harder and more often, to around 3–10 cm, shortening rotations to about 12–14 days once the pasture reaches 2–3 t DM/ha. If it has already gone reproductive, top it or graze it with high numbers of dry stock to push it back to leafy growth. Through autumn and winter, grazing within 5–15 cm suits it.

It can, if you keep it leafy. Tall fescue has high nutritive value, with digestibility of 60–80% and crude protein of 7.5–25%, and it suits growing and finishing stock when kept vegetative with plenty of clover in the sward. In DPIRD research, summer-active tall fescue gave the greatest improvement in out-of-season steer performance of the temperate grasses compared, thanks to its green summer feed. That relies on summer moisture or irrigation.

Tall fescue handles waterlogging well but only slight to moderate salinity. It tolerates soil salinity up to about 8 dS/m (ECe), and in Victorian trials some varieties lost up to half their productivity at that level. That makes it a fit for wet, mildly saline margins rather than true saltland. On more saline, winter-wet ground, sow Tyrrell Tall Wheatgrass instead, and on the saltiest scalds that dry out in summer, Puccinellia.

Tall fescue seedlings are weak competitors, so vigorous grasses like ryegrass easily crowd them out during the first six months. DPIRD advises against sowing tall fescue with other grasses. If you do include perennial ryegrass, keep it light, under about 2 kg/ha. A companion legume such as sub clover, strawberry clover or lotus makes a better partner, and good weed control before sowing gives the fescue room to establish.

Sow tall fescue in autumn to early winter, March to June, when soil moisture is adequate, and aim early while soils are still warm, as establishment slows as temperatures and day length fall. Place seed about 10 mm deep, no deeper, into a firm, moist seedbed. A starter fertiliser with nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur helps, but keep nitrogen to no more than 20 kg N/ha with the seed. Autumn sowings are typically ready for first grazing in late winter to mid-spring.

Probably, if there isn't enough legume in the sward. Tall fescue responds well to nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur, and a well-fertilised companion legume will usually supply enough nitrogen; without a legume, plan on nitrogen fertiliser. In WA, DPIRD lists sub clover, serradella, lucerne, strawberry clover and perennial lotus as suitable companions. Also correct any molybdenum or other trace element deficiencies, and soil test to see what is actually limiting.

Usually not reliably. Summer-active tall fescue needs about 650 mm or more of rain, preferably with some summer rain, or irrigation, to keep growing through the warm months. In WA, DPIRD notes it often performs well in high-rainfall areas of the south coast with more than 600 mm. On a 500 mm farm with dry summers, a Mediterranean type that rests over summer and regrows after the autumn break is the safer choice.