For general lawns, mixing Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass is preferred over planting either species singly. The mixture results in a more disease-resistant turfgrass stand offering good color and year round growth. By weight, at least 15 percent perennial ryegrass seed is recommended in the mixture. Tall fescue is well adapted to sunny or partially shady conditions. It is coarse-textured, although newer cultivars are finer textured, but not as fine as perennial ryegrass.
Tall fescue has good disease resistance and excellent tolerance to heat stress.
Unlike bermudagrass or Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue is a bunch-type grass, thus open areas need to be reseeded. The extremely vigorous growth of tall fescue is a deterrent to weed invasion. Fine fescue is a fine-textured, cool season turfgrass that can have either a clumped or creeping type of growth. Fine fescue makes a dense, wear resistant turf when well established. It is usually mixed with other turf species because it tolerates shade well, thus it will fill in shady areas.