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Creeping Red Fescue Seed
Creeping Red Fescue is a lovely, soft, dark green cool-season lawn type with a hint of red at the base which is part of the family of Fescue grasses known as Fine Fescues. It has a refined fine leaf blade making it a perfect grass type for an easy, low-maintenance ground cover.
Creeping Red Fescue gets its name from the ability to ‘creep’ into other areas due to the rhizomes with which this grass spreads, not the color. This makes it a superb choice to companion plant with other grasses to fill in where they lack. For example, a Ryegrass companion will give the lawn far greater durability to traffic and pets, while a Kentucky Bluegrass mix will deepen and darken the color of the lawn nicely.
Creeping Red Fescue is a great choice for landscaping, as it grows quickly and covers lots of ground. Because it grows well in sandy soil, it is also great for landscaping in tough spots.
Creeping Red Fescue is a shade-tolerant, eco-friendly grass that is easy to grow from seed. Creeping Red Fescue is easy on the environment due to low water, mowing, and fertilization requirements. Even though it is one of the most shade-tolerant varieties, it will also tolerate full sun conditions although more water may be required.
A cool climate grass, Creeping Red Fescue is not suitable for the warmer regions of Australia but is suited to the more temperate climates of Victoria and Tasmania.
Sowing Rate:
- New Lawns: 30 grams per square meter (3kg/100m2).
- Overseeding: 20 grams per square meter (2kg/100m2).
For more information see below for Description and Features to see if this grass suits you!
Description
Creeping Red Fescue performs best in well-drained soils with a pH of 5.5 to 8.0 and tolerates more shade than most other cool-climate grasses (2-4 hours sun/day).
Sowing Tips: Broadcast the seed at, or very near, the soil surface and incorporate lightly with raking into the top 6-10mm of soil. To ensure the best coverage and avoid seed wastage we recommend using an appropriate seed spreader for the size of your area. The soil must remain damp throughout the germination period of both seeds and must be maintained for at least 1-2 weeks after sowing, through irrigation or natural rainfall. Adequate water supplies need to be maintained until the grass is fully established.
Optimal Planting Time: As a cool-season lawn, it is usually best planted in very early Spring or Autumn when temperatures are 15 Degrees and climbing, avoiding any risk of hot days during the establishment period of the lawn.
A new Creeping Red Fescue lawn should be fully established and healthy prior to the onset of Summer or a very cold Winter.
Germination: Approximately 14 – 21 days (climate dependent).
Water: As Creeping Red Fescue has good drought tolerance, a low to moderate amount of irrigation is required. Water 1-2 times a week during the warm season as Creeping Red Fescue can go dormant in the summer months if watered too little. Also, adjust irrigation frequency if Creeping Red Fescue is in full sunlight. Monitor the water needs of Creeping Red Fescue in shady areas as trees may soak up available water.
Fertilizing: Fertilising requirements of Creeping Red Fescue are on the low end of the scale. It needs very little fertilizer during the active growth period. Often if the lawn is receiving frequent fertilizing and is not looking healthy the best option is usually to stop fertilizing altogether and monitor how the grass recovers over the following months.
First Mowing: 14-21 days after emergence.
Mowing Frequency: Can be mowed between heights of 2.5cm to 7.5cm.
It must be remembered by homeowners who are using Creeping Red Fescue into shaded areas, that lawn mowing heights will need to be increased for these areas. The longer green leaf blade is necessary for the lawn to power more photosynthesis under diminished light levels.
Disadvantages of Creeping Red Fescue:
- As a Cool Season grass type, it is not suitable for use as a home lawn in most of the warmer regions in the country, but it can be a perfect lawn for many of our cooler areas.
- Creeping Red Fescue does not handle heavy traffic overly well, and is best suited to low to medium traffic areas. For lawns that would be subjected to heavy wear and tear from dogs or other pets, or from children constantly playing, then another grass type may be worth considering.
Seed and Package Details: 100% Creeping Red Fescue.
Independently Tested: 85% Min Germination, 98% purity. A seed testing Certificate is available upon request.
Ideal Usage: Residential Lawns, Commercial Landscapes, Parks, Playgrounds, Airports, Roadsides, Erosion Control, Heavily Shaded Areas.
Where can I sow this grass in Australia? Areas 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
Shade Tolerance: Excellent
Daily Sunlight Required: 4+ hours
Drought Tolerance: Good
Frost Resistance: Excellent
Traffic Tolerance: Moderate
Locations
Season
Warm season grasses thrive during the warmer months in Spring and Summer and may go dormant in cooler climates through winter.
Cool season grasses thrive during the cooler months in Winter
Seed information
Shade tolerance (Weather)
- Full Sun
- Part Shade
- Heavy Shade
- Full Shade
Drought tolerance (Weather)
- Moderate
- Good
- Excellent
Traffic tolerance (Weather)
- Moderate
- Good
- Excellent
Frost tolerance
- Poor
- Moderate
- Good
- Excellent
Average days to germination
- 2-3 Weeks
- 2-4 Weeks
- 3-4 Weeks
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Australia Wide (except Western Australia), at cost from Australia Post.
Orders are dispatched within 24 hours via regular Australia Post (3-5 business days).
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If you are shopping for delivery to WA, please view our WA site here
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Thank you for the Elitebackyard blend and the creeping red fescue both blends have taken growth after 1wk and are progressing very well .Thanks for the wonderfull advice on what to use
Still waiting to see their heads pop up out of the soul. Send review agsing in a couple of weeks.
Great germination rate.
Exactly as described/pictured, fast delivery
I haven't used the seeds yet but they were delved promptly
I used Creeping Red Fescue initially but found it to be a very soft and gentle grass. I then adopted a greyhound and realised that I would need a stronger grass to combine with the Creeping Red. RTF Tall Fescue was recommended by McKays and I really like the combination of grasses. I have three garden beds to plant and the first one was planted two and a half weeks ago. It is looking really good. I love the contrasting colours of the two grasses. McKays offered wonderful support along the way.
Ordered red creeping fescue for northern Victoria. Waiting for season to change before sowing... no mains or bore water to manage germination.
McKays seeds processed order rapidly. Very good postage price and speedy delivery via Auspost to our local PO.