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Lawn grass guide · Cool-season grass

Sheep fescue

Festuca ovina

Cool-season
Fine fescue
Bunch-type
Very low nitrogen
Drought tolerant
No-mow

Sheep fescue is a small, blue-green bunch grass for dry ground and minimal care. It needs the least fertilizer of the fine fescues and is mostly used for no-mow areas and erosion control.

Mowing & care All lawn grasses

Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina) lawn grass — identification photo — Photo: AnRo0002 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sheep fescue at a glance

Type: Cool-season · Bunch-type
Mow at: 2.5 to 4 in. for fine fescue lawns (Purdue), never under 2 in. Purdue rates its close-mowing tolerance fair.
Shade: Fair to good (Purdue); NRCS calls it moderately shade tolerant.
Drought: Excellent (Purdue). NRCS says it is more drought tolerant than Idaho fescue and hard fescue.
Plant by: Seed. Purdue rates its sod potential poor.

Quick ID

Powdery blue-green color
Very thin, stiff leaves that roll inward
Short, dense tufts about a foot tall if left unmowed
Folded in the bud; no auricles
Narrow, almost spike-like seedhead about 4 in. long

Fact sheet

Scientific name: Festuca ovina
Also called: Festuca ovina ssp. hirtula
Season: Cool-season
Native to the US?: Non-native (Europe). USDA NRCS says it was introduced to North America and planted from Alaska to North Dakota, south to Arizona and New Mexico, and in many eastern areas.
Growth habit: Bunch-type
Leaf texture: Fine; narrow, stiff leaves that roll inward
Color: Powdery blue-green (Purdue).
Mowing height: 2.5 to 4 in. for fine fescue lawns (Purdue), never under 2 in. Purdue rates its close-mowing tolerance fair.
Shade: Fair to good (Purdue); NRCS calls it moderately shade tolerant.
Drought: Excellent (Purdue). NRCS says it is more drought tolerant than Idaho fescue and hard fescue.
Heat: Not stated for sheep fescue alone. Penn State says fine fescues as a group are poorly suited to hot, humid weather.
Cold: Excellent (NRCS).
Foot traffic: Poor to fair for lawn use (Purdue). NRCS says it withstands moderate equipment traffic.
Recovery from damage: Slow. It is a bunch grass that spreads mainly by seed (NRCS).
Salt: Fair (Purdue). NRCS says it tolerates weakly saline to alkaline soils and acidic soils.
Ways to plant: Seed. Purdue rates its sod potential poor.
Seeding rate: 3 to 6 lb per 1,000 sq ft for lawns (Purdue). NRCS conservation seedings use 4 lb pure live seed per acre drilled, or 8 lb broadcast.
Germination: 7 to 14 days (Purdue). NRCS says stands develop slowly and seedlings can be hard to find in the first year.
When to plant: For lawns, late July to early September is best; mid-March to mid-April is second best (Purdue). For western conservation seedings, NRCS prefers very early spring on heavy to medium soils or late fall on medium to light soils, and advises against late summer seeding without irrigation.
Nitrogen per year: Under 1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per year (Purdue); Purdue calls its need very low.
Thatch: Lower thatch potential than the creeping red fescues because it is a bunch grass (Purdue).

What is sheep fescue?

Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina) is a fine fescue native to Europe. USDA NRCS describes it as a densely tufted, dwarf bunch grass about 12 in. tall when left alone. It greens up in March to early April and grows mostly in spring and fall.

Sheep fescue grass is the low-input end of the fine fescue group. Purdue rates its drought resistance excellent and its nitrogen need very low, and NRCS says that once it is well established it keeps out most weeds and resists common turf diseases.

It is a poor pick for a busy family lawn. Purdue rates its wear tolerance poor to fair, it fills in slowly, and it is hard to find in lawn seed. It also does not tolerate high water tables or flooding (NRCS).

How to identify sheep fescue

Pull up a few shoots and look closely where the leaf blade meets the stem. Here is what to check on sheep fescue:

Vernation: Folded in the bud.
Ligule: Thin membrane, very short (fine fescue group).
Auricles: None.
Leaf blade: Narrow, stiff and rolled inward; basal leaves about 4 to 8 in. long when unmowed (NRCS).
Sheath: Overlapping on young shoots, not fused (Purdue).
Seedhead: Narrow, dense, almost spike-like panicle about 4 in. long; 4 to 5 flowers per spikelet; awns 1/8 to 1/4 in. (NRCS).
Growth habit: Densely tufted dwarf bunch grass, about 12 in. tall unmowed (NRCS).

Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina) — lawn grass photo — Photo: Photo by David J. Stang · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where sheep fescue is grown in the US

Sheep fescue is the least-used turf fine fescue, says Penn State, and is mainly for low-care settings. Purdue's 2018 survey of 232 retail lawn seed products in Indiana and Minnesota found it in none of them. Purdue lists home lawns, shaded sites, golf course tall rough, parks, roadsides and no-mow areas as uses.

In the West, USDA NRCS uses it mostly for erosion control and as a low-care ground cover. Its list includes roadsides, airport strips, ditch and canal banks, ski hills, campsites, orchards and vineyards, and says it is best suited to areas with 12 in. or more of yearly precipitation. The NRCS release brochure for the 'Covar' variety also lists dryland turf and waste areas as uses.

Penn State's seed guide says it suits low-maintenance sites, not highly kept turf. Purdue says it prefers well-drained, droughty, sandy soil with very little fertilizer.

Sheep fescue pros and cons

Pros

Lowest nitrogen need of the fine fescues
Excellent drought resistance
Excellent cold tolerance
Keeps out most weeds once well established (NRCS)
Resists common turf diseases (NRCS)
Good for erosion control and no-mow areas

Cons

Hard to find in retail lawn seed
Slow to establish
Poor to fair wear tolerance
Poor summer patch resistance (Purdue)
Does not tolerate flooding or high water tables
Grasshoppers can damage new stands (NRCS)

Grasses that look like sheep fescue

Grass	How to tell it apart
Hard fescue Festuca brevipila	Hard fescue is darker gray-green to blue-green and rates better in shade. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science says its blades are wider and tougher than sheep fescue's, and that it needs a bit more nitrogen and tolerates wetter soil.
Blue fescue Festuca glauca	Purdue says blue fescue shares the fine leaves but is mostly used as an ornamental grass in landscape beds, not in turf.

How and when to plant sheep fescue

Ways to plant: Seed. Purdue rates its sod potential poor.

Seeding rate: 3 to 6 lb per 1,000 sq ft for lawns (Purdue). NRCS conservation seedings use 4 lb pure live seed per acre drilled, or 8 lb broadcast.

Germination: 7 to 14 days (Purdue). NRCS says stands develop slowly and seedlings can be hard to find in the first year.

When to plant: For lawns, late July to early September is best; mid-March to mid-April is second best (Purdue). For western conservation seedings, NRCS prefers very early spring on heavy to medium soils or late fall on medium to light soils, and advises against late summer seeding without irrigation.

Seeding dates change from state to state. See when to plant grass seed by state, or our Pennsylvania grass seed guide if you are in PA.

How to care for sheep fescue

Mowing: For lawns, keep it at 2.5 to 4 in. and never take more than one-third of the blade (Purdue). For new seedings with weeds, NRCS suggests mowing above the seedlings when weeds start to bloom.

Watering: It prefers droughty, well-drained, sandy soil (Purdue). NRCS says mulch and irrigation in the first year help new stands.

Fertilizing: Keep nitrogen under 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft per year (Purdue). In the first 30 to 90 days, Purdue says hard and sheep fescue gain the most from 0.5 to 1 lb of nitrogen.

Nitrogen per year: Under 1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per year (Purdue); Purdue calls its need very low.

Overseeding: Seed late July to early September at 3 to 6 lb per 1,000 sq ft (Purdue). NRCS says not to plant it with aggressive introduced grasses.

Thatch: Lower thatch potential than the creeping red fescues because it is a bunch grass (Purdue).

Common sheep fescue problems

Type	What to watch for
Insects	grasshoppers · white grubs · billbugs · chinch bugs
Diseases	Summer patch · Dollar spot · Red thread · Snow molds
Weeds	dandelion · summer annual grasses

If a pesticide is needed, use only products labeled for that use; the label is the law. If you hire someone to treat a lawn, make sure they hold your state’s pesticide applicator license; see our pesticide applicator license guide. To put a name to a lawn weed, use our weed identification guide.

Questions we get about sheep fescue

Sheep fescue vs hard fescue: which is better for a lawn?

Both are slow, blue-toned bunch grasses for dry, low-care sites. Hard fescue rates better for shade and wear and shows up more often in seed mixes. Sheep fescue has the lowest nitrogen need and NRCS says it is more drought tolerant than hard fescue.

Is sheep fescue good for a lawn?

Only a low-traffic, low-care one. Purdue rates its wear tolerance poor to fair, and Penn State says it suits low-maintenance sites rather than highly kept turf.

Is sheep fescue the same as blue fescue?

No. Purdue lists blue fescue (Festuca glauca) as a common ornamental grass for landscape beds. It has fine leaves too, but it is not commonly used in turf.

Is sheep fescue native?

NRCS says it is native to Europe and was introduced to North America.

How much fertilizer does sheep fescue need?

Very little: under 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft per year (Purdue).

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