Is RTF grass seed a marketing gimmick or does it actuall look like Fescue & work well
Kat
Is RTF grass seed a marketing gimmick or does it actually work (& look good
on a front and back hillside lawn with lots of sun but little water so I
need it to be drought tolerant).
I bought a 25 pound bag from OSH for 60 dollars but before I use it I was
wondering if it works well. The bag contains:
39% Barrera Tall Fescue
29% RTF Barlexas II Tall Fescue
19% TF-66 Tall Fescue
10% RTF Labarinch Tall Fescue
Do you like or dislike the results of RTF Fescue grass seed?
dpb
Useless question; what's needed in minimum to make any response is where
you're located.
--
Kat Rabun
>> Do you like or dislike the results of RTF Fescue grass seed?
>
> what's needed in minimum to make any response is where
> you're located.
Napa, California
I called the RTF "Rhizomatous Tall Fescue" hotline at 800-547-4101
advertised at http://www.aboutrtf.com/main.html and they gave me the spiel.
They kept saying "it's a new patented" species and "normal fescue isn't
patented" and that it grows under any conditions and "repairs itself".
All these are good things 'if' it actually works. I absolutely abhor
bermuda grass because the rhizomes will suffocate you given half a chance,
so, that's why I'm a bit worried that they will take over the lawn but they
said it's just the 'right amount' of rhizomes.
Does anyone have any experience with RTF fescue grasses from Barenbrug
Research in the UK (http://www.barenbrug.co.uk/rtf.asp) but grown in
Tangent Oregon?
Is it marketing hype or is it actually miracle grass?
tra...@optonline.net
Address.invalid> wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:27:36 -0600, dpb wrote:
> >> Do you like or dislike the results of RTF Fescue grass seed?
>
> > what's needed in minimum to make any response is where
> > you're located.
>
> Napa, California
>
> I called the RTF "Rhizomatous Tall Fescue" hotline at 800-547-4101
>
> They kept saying "it's a new patented" species and "normal fescue isn't
> patented" and that it grows under any conditions and "repairs itself".
>
> All these are good things 'if' it actually works. I absolutely abhor
> bermuda grass because the rhizomes will suffocate you given half a chance,
> so, that's why I'm a bit worried that they will take over the lawn but they
> said it's just the 'right amount' of rhizomes.
>
> Does anyone have any experience with RTF fescue grasses from Barenbrug
> Research in the UK (http://www.barenbrug.co.uk/rtf.asp) but grown in
> Tangent Oregon?
>
> Is it marketing hype or is it actually miracle grass?
I used RTF to overseed a cemetery plot. I didn't look closely at the
results to establish if and how much it can spread via rhizomes, but
in general it appeared to perform like other tall fescues. The RTF
variety, unlike regular fescues, has some ability to send out
rhizomes, but it isn't going to spread aggressively like Zoysia
grass. I would not worry about it taking over the yard.
I also seriously doubt that it's a miracle grass. Like anything
else, it has tradeoffs. It all depends on what you are looking for:
sun/shade, color, texture, spring green up, growth rate, drought
tolerance, disease resistance, etc. For most applications, I'd also
question whether it's a good idea to have turf consisting of one kind
of grass, ie tall fescue. For example, a better choice might be a mix
of tall fescue and bluegrass.
Phisherman
What is the percentage of weed seeds? I look for fescue seed that is
99.5% weed free. How well it grows will depend on your climate
location and to a lesser extent, when you plant. I use Rebel Supreme
for overseeding, about $100 for a 50# bag. A mix is better than one
kind of seed. Use a "starter" fertilizer which is not quite as harsh
as regular fertilizer on seed/seedlings.
Arnold
>>39% Barrera Tall Fescue
>>29% RTF Barlexas II Tall Fescue
>>19% TF-66 Tall Fescue
>>10% RTF Labarinch Tall Fescue
>>
>>Do you like or dislike the results of RTF Fescue grass seed?
> I look for fescue seed that is 99.5% weed free.
They're lying to you. It's a marketing gimmick. So is the weed percentage.
The advice on the weed is useless because every bag you find at a hardware
store will be 99% weed free anyway, so don't base your decison on useless
criteria.
It's MARKETING BS! None of the grasses listed exist in the grass database
http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db/sppindex.htm#F
The ONLY way to pick grass is to pick known TESTED grass (tested by NTEP)
http://www.ntep.org/
Use NTEP to find a variety for your soil and use a tested variety only!
tra...@optonline.net
> On Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:27:25 -0500, Phisherman wrote:
> >>39% Barrera Tall Fescue
> >>29% RTF Barlexas II Tall Fescue
> >>19% TF-66 Tall Fescue
> >>10% RTF Labarinch Tall Fescue
>
> >>Do you like or dislike the results of RTF Fescue grass seed?
> > I look for fescue seed that is 99.5% weed free.
>
> They're lying to you. It's a marketing gimmick. So is the weed percentage.
>
> The advice on the weed is useless because every bag you find at a hardware
> store will be 99% weed free anyway, so don't base your decison on useless
> criteria.
>
> It's MARKETING BS! None of the grasses listed exist in the grass databasehttp://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db/sppindex.htm#F
The names of the tall fescues that Kat listed are the COMMERCIAL NAMES
of the specific varieties. The link to the Kew grass database that
you gave, does not list individual grass varieties, but only the Latin
names for the species of grass. The database has festuca
arundinacea listed, which covers ALL tall fescues. You won't find
any of the well known tall fescue varieties sold by the other major
seed companies specifically listed in that database either, eg Rebels,
Tar Heel, Kentucky 31, etc. That doesn't mean they don't exist or
are just marketing hype either.
Barenburg is a well know and reputable seed supplier. Before you
hurl wild and potentially libelous accusations, you should check your
facts.
Here's a discussion from the University of Delaware, where they
discuss RTF, and even include some of the varieties Kat is asking
about.
http://kentcoopextension.blogspot.com/2008/04/turf-rhizomatous-tall-fescue.html