How to Remove Tall Fescue

Overview

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), a clump grass popular for pastures, thrives in a variety of growing conditions and soils and is drought-tolerant. But fescue can crowd out both native grass species and more preferred ornamental lawn species such as Kentucky bluegrass, making it a pest in some areas. Tall fescue grows long, strong roots, so getting rid of it can be a challenge. You may need to try several different approaches to successfully remove all tall fescue from an area.

Lawns

Step 1

Dig up clumps of fescue with a sharp spade. Dig deep enough to get rid of all the roots. Fill in the holes with soil and reseed or re-sod bare areas.

Step 2

Spray emerging fescue in the spring with glyphosate. Choose a calm day and saturate the fescue clump, avoiding any other grasses or plants around it.

Step 3

Spray the entire lawn in the fall with Tall Fescue Control, a herbicide designed to kill tall fescue while not harming other grasses. In some areas, TFC must be applied by a lawn service.

Pastures or acreage

Step 1

Till under all the grass in the pasture, or burn it in a controlled burn, in late summer.

Step 2

Apply glyphosate to emerging grass in early September.

Step 3

Re-seed the pasture with desirable species four weeks after application of the glyphosate.