On average, tall fescue is the best adapted cool season turfgrass for year-round lawn use in Kansas. Traditionally, the variety of choice has been K-31 tall fescue, and it still tends to be the cheapest and easiest to find.

"Some people like it and swear by K-31's drought-tolerance," said Chip Miller, Salina-based horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension. "K-State still recommends it for really large areas."

As it handles weather stress, however, K-31 does tend to get "clumpy and bumpy," Miller added. That characteristic alone is a big reason K- 31 owners overseed - sometimes with an improved variety.

"K-31 also is the fescue most likely to come with weed seeds. It's particularly prone to be contaminated with perennial orchardgrass, which is common where K-31 seed stock is grown," he warned. "Compared to K-31, orchardgrass is coarser, faster growing and taller. It sticks out like a sore thumb. And, once it gets established in a lawn, you rarely can get rid of it without killing the fescue, too."

By law, seed bags must list their weed and "other" seed contents, the horticulturist said. Although it's a weed in tall fescue, orchardgrass is among the "other" (grasses). As a result, just 0.5 percent "other" can easily translate into a lawn owner's planting 12 to 16 orchardgrass seeds per square foot.

"Reading seed bags can be a good investment of time. You can save years of frustration, as well as future herbicide and seed costs," Miller said. "In my area of Kansas, for example, weedy K-31 costs only $35 for a 50-pound bag this year. The cleaner seed was $50 - and well worth the difference."