Mixing Fescue and Rye – Good or Bad?

Q: How do you feel about seeding a lawn with a mix of rye and fescue? Will ryegrass impact the fescue?

A: I don’t like the idea. Ryegrass dies in summer heat and it competes with fescue when both are germinating. Turf specialist Clint Waltz says “Ryegrass will typically out-germinate tall fescue but the effect is usually insignificant. Under ideal conditions ryegrass germinates in 5 – 10 days and fescue in 7 – 14 days. In few situations would a couple of days deviation make a real difference.”