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Hold it a minute:
Endophyte-free tall fescue isn't as drought-tolerant as the
endophyte-infested. One of the benefits that the endophyte provides to the
fescue is drought tolerance. Unless they've finally developed a
drought-tolerant cultivar of endophyte-free tall fescue, you're going
to have problems with any endophyte-free cultivar of Festuca
arundinacea (Shreb.) staying well-established, particularly if you have
heavy grazing pressure or insect problems along with the drought.
It also doesn't do any good to have an endophyte-free pasture if you rotate
animals straight off an infested one. If they've been grazing seed heads
in the infested pasture they can shed viable seed in their manure, and infest
the "clean" pasture, because the endophyte is transmitted in the seed.
Other species of fescue don't have the endophyte associated with fescue
toxicosis.
Fescues are cool season perennials, so if you're looking for a summer
grass, you'll have to go with a Bermuda or some other warm season perennial for
this time of year anyway. Fescues grow between February and June, then go
dormant with the summer heat. They start back up growing in September and
continue into November or December, depending on how far north they're
planted.
Lisa (can still recite passages of fescue articles in her sleep!)
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