Our Turf Type Tall Fescue cultivars are selected for top turf quality and color in at least one region. Stock cultivars include: Firenze II, Bladerunner 3, Bonfire, Avenger 3, Symphony & Xanadu.

NTEP is the gold standard of grass seed testing.  See images (full-sized screen recommended) to view our National Turfgrass Evaluation Program performance summaries in images.

TTTF CULTIVARS FOR THE SOUTHEAST AND HARDER TRANSITION ZONE

* * Note: to get the 3 best cultivars for the harder transition zone all in the same bag, check out Vengeance™ Blend. * *

FIRENZA II

Firenza II recorded top 10% turf quality or better in 4 out of 5 of the fertilized NTEP locations with the highest available disease pressure (Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, & Oklahoma) and it scored top 25% turf quality in the 5th location.  Out of the 132 cultivars tested for 5 years, no other cultivar scored top 10% turf quality in more than 2 of these 5 locations!  This means Firenza II is the most reliably and most elite turf type tall fescue cultivar on the market specific to climates like: Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma & Arkansas.

Firenza II ranked #1 on NTEP for turf quality in the 5 most demanding fertilized NTEP locations previously mentioned and it also ranked #1 based on 70% turf quality + 30% color (our preferred calculation to ensure competitive color).  

Drought & Shade Performance: average drought performance and shade performance compared to other TTTF cultivars.

BONFIRE    (A-LIST APPROVED)

Bonfire is our 2nd favorite cultivar in the Southeast and in the most demanding high disease pressure areas in the transition zone.  It ranked 2nd on NTEP on the most recently concluded NTEP trial for average turf quality in the most demanding fertilized locations and it also placed 2nd overall based on 70% turf quality + 30% color in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi & Oklahoma collectively (ICV weighted average).

Drought & Shade Performance: Mixed data on drought performance... elite 2-year A-LIST approval, but  average performance for 5-year Utah drought testing on NTEP.  Average shade performance.

BLADERUNNER 3

Bladerunner 3 placed 4th for turf quality and it ranked 3rd overall based on 70% turf quality & 30% color for Tennessee+Georgia+North Carolina+Mississippi+Oklahoma NTEP.  Our 3rd favorite cultivar for the highest disease pressure locations in the harder transition zone.  Average drought performance.  Average shade performance.

TTTF CULTIVARS FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE IN THE NORTHWEST AND NORTHEAST

AVENGER 3    (A-LIST APPROVED)

Avenger 3 scored top 5% turf quality and top 6% color for the Pacific Northwest on NTEP.  Only an average performer in the Northeast. Our #1 tall fescue cultivar for the Pacific NW... especially if there's shade.  Avenger 3 has mixed data for drought performance... it carries elite A-LIST status (drought testing and lower nitrogen), but only scored as average for 5-year drought testing on NTEP.  Elite shade performance.

SYMPHONY

Symphony is an elite performer in the north.  In the Pacific Northwest if placed in the top 10% for turf quality and top 10% for color per Oregon NTEP).  Symphony is also a top choice in the Northeast region and the northern transition zone landing in the top 5% based on 70% turf quality and 30% color in 6 fertilized NTEP locations with moderately high disease pressure (NE, KY, MD, VA, IN & MA).  Mixed drought data... Symphony scored top 10% for 5-year drought testing on NTEP, but did not make the cut for A-LIST approval.  Above average shade performance.

XANADU    (A-LIST APPROVED)

Xanadu

A consistent top 10% performer almost everywhere and often scores very slightly better for color than other premium TTTF cultivars.  Elite shade performance and drought performance.

See spreadsheets (per images) for our more user friendly color-coded (by percentile performance) NTEP performance summaries.

Disclaimer: Seed-Boss makes no guarantee of performance in your climate or under your management practices.  If the grass seed does not germinate the buyer acknowledges improper seed to soil contact, improper soil moisture during germination phase, and/or inappropriate soil temperatures and agrees to not blame the seed (since seed was tested as good).

If you notice anything inaccurate or that could be improved for accuracy, please email us at support@seed-boss.com.  Our aim is the highest degree of accuracy possible and that process includes peer review.