What's eating my intense blue fescue?

Intense Blue Fescue shares the pest profile of other Festuca glauca cultivars — generally resistant but not immune. Aphids can visit new growth, rust is possible in humid weather, and slugs may feed on blades in damp, shadier spots. Overwatering and poor drainage cause far more damage than any pest this grass faces.

Colonies on emerging tips producing honeydew and slight leaf distortion; seldom builds to damaging levels on fescues. Knock off with water spray; treat with insecticidal soap if needed. Natural predators usually check populations without intervention.

Reddish-orange spore pustules on leaf surfaces during prolonged damp or humid spells; leaves turn yellow and brown. Site in full sun with good airflow. Remove and discard infected blades. Apply sulfur or copper fungicide preventively if rust recurs each season.

Ragged feeding on fine leaf blades at clump level; silvery mucus trails visible in morning, most damaging in heavy, clay, or shaded soils. Apply iron phosphate pellets around clumps; encourage ground beetles and hedgehogs. Improve drainage; avoid dense mulching right at the crown.