I've done a search to try to keep from re-posting, but I feel like my questions weren't very well answered because I'm not *at all* knowledgable about TYPES of grass, as it seems lawn care is very specific to type of grass you are growing. Makes senses, of course.

However, I do not know what kind of grass I have, and I'm not really wanting to put in sod just yet. To be honest, I can't afford it...

Anyway, I'm looking for ways to a beautiful yard without sod. I don't mind watering frequently, and I don't mind mowing twice a week (but not more.)

I live in Central Texas (Zone 8A), and I have a pool in the back yard and a dog. Some of the yard is relatively shaded in the front, and in the back it isn't shaded at all. It is relatively "lumpy," too and I'd like to fix that but I don't know the best way to do it.

I have a pretty big mixture of weeds (dandilions, sticker burrs) and last year I used Weed-B-Gone which had amazing results.

I do have bare spots that would require ?overseeding? and I'm not sure what to really do.

Any tips to a better yard?? Thanks in advance!

Since you are willing to water, then St Augustine is a great choice. If you were unwilling to water, then bermuda would be the next choice. If there is shade involved, then St Aug is the only choice.

The sod you would be growing is likely grown in Wharton County just south west of Houston. Soil is not perfect there, but they get plenty of rain. If you cannot afford a full yard of sod, can you afford half a yard? Many people get away with checker-boarding sod. St Aug will grow about 5 feet in all directions in the spring and repeat that again in the fall...if you water it right. If you cannot afford that, then bermuda sod is slightly less expensive than St Aug sod. Bermuda seed is much cheaper but it is a different kind of plant than bermuda sod. The seed is all based on "common" bermuda. The sod is a hybrid that is one of the highest quality grasses you can get. If you decide to seed bermuda, wait until June for the soil to warm up. I know you can buy bermuda seed today at the box stores, but hold off on planting it. It really does have to be hot outside for bermuda seed to sprout. If you try it too early you will have more crabgrass than lawn. Although even crabgrass is better than dandelions and stickers.

Many people will start out with a nice lawn and mess is up due to inexperience. Here is the collected wisdom from these and other Internet forums that I've put together in one place. There are many other issues that this does not address but if you get these three elements of lawn care under your belt, then many of the other issues will go away by themselves.

Basics of Lawn Care

After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct.

Watering
Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.

You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in El Paso your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, temperature, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week.

Mowing
Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush.

Fertilizing
Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it. Too much is better than too little*.

At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide.

* This used to read, "Too little is better than too much." Recent test results show that you cannot get too much organic fertilizer unless you bury the grass in it.