Dandelions and tall fescue don’t mix. Literally. (Dr. Doug Soldat)

Below is a re-post from Dr. Doug Soldat at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.  We are recommending tall fescue more and more for use in home lawn situations. This may be another added benefit:

Check out the two pictures below. The one one the left shows a strip of perennial ryegrass infested with dandelions, but the surrounding tall fescue is dandelion free. The p. rye and t. fescue were planted at the same time and have been managed identically for the past five years. The picture on the right is of a stand of Kentucky bluegrass (left side of picture) next to a stand of tall fescue (on the right). While the effect is less dramatic, it’s clear that the left side has dandelions while the right side does not. I’ve also noticed this effect in my tall fescue lawn – my neighbors have dandelions and I don’t. But I do have plenty of clover, which also has infested the tall fescue in the pictures below.

http://turf.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/AqTx8PdCAAIXipj.jpg

For turfgrass information and resources from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, visit: http://turf.wisc.edu/