← All looks
Difficulty
The low-input fescue lawn
Green in August when the neighbors are brown. Less water, less feeding, slightly coarser.
Cut height
3.5 to 4 in
Mows per week
1, fewer in heat
Hours per week
0.75
Extra cost per year
$0
How the course does it
Course roughs are often tall fescue for the same reason: it survives on less.
Mower
Any rotary mower
How you do it
- Overseed heavily with turf-type tall fescue two Septembers in a row, 6 lb per 1,000 sq ft
- Mow at 4 inches
- Feed twice: Labor Day and Halloween
- Water only when footprints stay in the grass
Works with
Straight talk
The lowest-effort good-looking lawn. It will not stripe like bluegrass.