Grass Seed for Lawns With Sandy, Acid Soils in New England

Sandy Soil

• Sandy soil is not inherently problematic for most plants. On the contrary, sandy soil is desirable in many ways -- it is well drained, well aerated, less susceptible to crusting and easy to cultivate. Sandy soil becomes a concern because the large, coarse soil particles do not hold nutrients or water, so sandy soils tend be dry and infertile. This means that when considering grass options, look for species that are tolerant of drought and low soil fertility.

Fine Fescues

• This group of grasses includes creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra), chewings fescue (Festuca rubra var. commutata) and hard fescue (Festuca longifolia). Fine fescues tolerate drought, acidity and infertility, so they are an excellent match for the possible problems posed by many New England soils. They are also hardy, surviving as far north as U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone 3. Red fescue is the most desirable species because the other fine fescues are bunch-type grasses that take longer to spread into a uniform lawn.

Tall Fescue

• Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is perhaps the best choice for acid soil -- it tolerates pH as low as 4.7, while fine fescue prefers a pH of at least 5.5. The trade-off is that tall fescue is less tolerant of drought and low fertility, so in sandy soil, this grass might benefit from irrigation and fertilization. Though it can survive into USDA hardiness zone 3, tall fescue tends to gradually thin out in the far north, so you might need to re-seed after harsh winters.

Grass Mixes

• A mixture of grasses is usually better than a single species because lawns often have numerous small areas subject to significant differences in such conditions as sunlight, fertilization, irrigation, drainage and foot traffic. A combination of red fescue and tall fescue ensures a good stand in the areas of low pH and low fertility, and the addition of some Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) seed provides wear-resistant, winter-hardy turf -- it is reliable even in USDA hardiness zone 2 -- that would thrive in the moister, sunnier areas of your lawn.