Choosing the Right Fescue Variety for Your Lawn

Variety Categories

• Kentucky 31: Pasture grass origin; marginally acceptable lawn, becomes thin/clumpy over years.
• Improved turf-type hybrids: Rebel, Plantation, Tribute, Triumph—better performance.
• Blends: Smart Seed, Pennington, Rebel Supreme, Atlanta Blend—common at garden centers.

Key Insight

All improved varieties generally outperform Kentucky 31. Differences among improved types are slight; all perform acceptably with proper care (tilling, timely fertilization, correct mowing, adequate watering). None solve existing management problems—overseed in fall to thicken.

UGA's Dr. Clint Waltz on Cultivar Selection

• Availability: Top performers may not be commercially available or in sufficient supply.
• Blends vary: Seed companies use proprietary blends; trademark names (e.g., Water Saver) may change cultivars yearly.
• Gap narrowed: Good/better/best cultivars have converged in last 10 years—fine texture, density, dark green color, drought/heat tolerance, disease resistance. Hard to tell apart unless side-by-side.
• Most blends satisfactory to superb for Georgia. No need to obsess over "best" cultivar.