Turf Comparison: Perennial Ryegrass vs Tall Fescue

Perennial ryegrass and tall fescue are both common types of lawn grasses. They each have similar needs, methods of spreading, and may even be found together in the same lawn for a time. However, there are several key differences between perennial ryegrass and tall fescue such as how well they hold up to traffic, how much light they need to thrive, and what temperatures they do best at.

Comparing Perennial Ryegrass vs Tall Fescue

Do you happen to have a very shady yard and are finding it a struggle to keep your perennial ryegrass alive? Or do you have tall fescue and want a softer lawn but aren’t sure whether to stick with fescue or try perennial ryegrass? In either case, this comparison should show you the strengths and weaknesses of each of these grass types as well as how they stack up against each other.

Appearance

Perennial ryegrass is a finer grass than tall fescue. When healthy, each blade is fine, straight, and bright green. Perennial ryegrass grows very well from seed, having some of the highest germination and growth rates around. Perennial ryegrass spreads by sending shoots called “tillers” into nearby sections of lawn and creating a new clump of grass. These tillers can be severed once this clump is established without harming the original clump of grass.

Tall fescue, on the other hand, is a coarse grass. It’s meant to hold up to plenty of traffic and even digging with a deep and complex root system. Tall fescue also spreads by sending out tillers and will grow in tight-knit clumps.

Best Uses for Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue

Perennial ryegrass is a bit on the delicate side when used for a lawn. Pets can easily damage this grass type and any urine should be well diluted to prevent “stains” or dead patches. This is also a grass type that needs plenty of sun. If you want to have a pristine lawn that requires little maintenance (if you don’t have pets) this could be the ideal grass type for your needs.

Tall fescue is a tough grass type. You’ll see this grass planted around baseball fields, tracks, and in parking lot medians. Tall fescue not only holds up well to high traffic, but it can also stand a lot more contamination than perennial rye. The one thing to remember here is that tall fescue also likes shade. To mitigate this need in areas with direct sunlight or lots of heat, tall fescue is often left long.

Soil Types and pH Needs of Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue

Perennial ryegrass likes soil that is dry and well-drained. It has a delicate root system that avoids compacted areas in the soil and establishes itself close to the surface of the soil. The ideal pH for perennial ryegrass is 5.5 to 7.5.

Tall fescue prefers soil that is rich and high in clay. The roots and stolons put out by tall fescue are thick and hearty. Tall fescue has a high tolerance for soil compaction. This is part of what makes tall fescue such a great variety for high traffic areas. The ideal pH for tall fescue is 5.5 to 7.5.

Water Needs for Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue

Both perennial ryegrass and tall fescue require an average amount of water, about 1″ per week during the growing season. This includes rainfall and can average over a month as neither of these varieties is sensitive to short periods of drought.

Sun, Shade, and Temperature Requirements for Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue

Perennial ryegrass prefers mostly sun while tall fescue prefers mostly shade. This is reflected in their ideal temperature ranges. Perennial ryegrass goes dormant at 55F and grows best at around 75F. Tall fescue, on the other hand, goes dormant at 50F and grows best at and around 70F.

Durability of Perennial Ryegrass vs Tall Fescue Lawns

Perennial ryegrass, as mentioned above, has a delicate root system. This makes it susceptible to being dug up as well as being sensitive to compaction. This is reflected in the fine, soft blades of grass as well. Perennial ryegrass is slow to recover from cutting or digging and clumps may even completely die back before being regrown from nearby clumps and stolons.

Tall fescue has a robust root system and thick, coarse blades. This makes it more difficult to harm. The roots and stolons produced by tall fescue break through even moderate to severe levels of compaction and are some of the best at breaking through thick, clay soil. It is also quick to recover after cutting or digging. Tall fescue has a clear advantage in terms of durability.

Common Pests and Diseases for Perennial Ryegrass Lawns and Tall Fescue Lawns

Perennial ryegrass is highly susceptible to the diseases most types of grass can get if the moisture level of a lawn is kept too high. This includes slime mold, powdery mildew, and algae overgrowth. Perennial ryegrass is no more susceptible than average to any type of insect. Grubs, webworms, ants, and thrips are all something to watch out for. Digging animals can easily cause massive damage due to the slow recovery rate of perennial ryegrass.

Tall fescue is good at handling excess moisture and the conditions and diseases that could come with it. While mold, mildew, and algae are unlikely to spring up with a tall fescue lawn, these lawns are great places for mushrooms and toadstools to grow unimpeded. The insects mentioned above are equally as unlikely to cause major problems for a tall fescue lawn. Due to the fast recovery rate and robust nature of tall fescue, digging animals are unlikely to cause lasting damage.

Mowing Needs of Perennial Ryegrass vs Tall Fescue Lawns

Perennial ryegrass is meant to be mown about once a week in the cooler seasons and as little as twice a month at the height of summer. It should be kept at a height of about 2″.

Tall fescue is similar as it also grows quickest in the cool weather of Spring and Fall. However, it will need varying heights for the best appearance. In the cooler seasons, tall fescue can be cut as short as 2 inches. In summer or anytime the average temperature is above 80F, tall fescue should be kept at 3″ or taller to prevent the ends from “rusting” or “burning”.

Types of Grass Related to Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is the long-term version of annual ryegrass. Annual ryegrass has almost all of the same qualities as perennial ryegrass with one big difference- it’s an annual in any location that has a winter with temperatures below 50F. Annual ryegrass is often used in places where a fast-growing grass is needed to cover an area in preparation for something being permanently planted the following year.

Types of Grass Related to Tall Fescue

Like ryegrass, fescue also comes in several varieties. The counterpart to tall fescue is fine fescue. Fine fescue, including creeping red fescue and pasture fescues like sheep and chewing fescue, have similar requirements to tall fescue. They all like cool weather and shade and have almost identical nutrient needs.

The biggest difference between tall fescue and fine fescue is that fine fescue needs less water than tall fescue. Beyond that, fine fescue, being a softer grass type, also can’t take the same kind of traffic that tall fescue can.

The Best-Case-Scenario for a Perennial Ryegrass or Tall Fescue Lawn

Tall fescue is best used in an area with high traffic, pets that dig, lots of shade, and cool weather. The standout quality of tall fescue is how tough it is and how quickly it can retake an area where it was uprooted. While this does mean that any decorative gardening done around your lawn will need strong borders to keep the grass out, it also means that any pets or animals that dig around your lawn will, ultimately, do little damage.

On the other hand, perennial ryegrass likes sunny, cool weather and has high germination rates and fast growth. This makes it an excellent grass type for any yard where there are no trees and the lawn takes center stage. However, with a shallow root system, perennial ryegrass is unlikely to take more than light to moderate traffic and is slow to recover from damage.

Quick Summary of Perennial Ryegrass vs Tall Fescue

Here’s a quick snapshot of all of the key information you need to know when comparing Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue.