I'm located in Houston, Texas and have (more like had at this point) a St. Augustine yard. The combination of a dog, some construction projects that were based in the back yard, and a less than effective watering schedule has pretty much destroyed it. It has weeds and brown/nearly bare spots throughout.

Since we don't have a sprinkler system and the dog occasionally gets in a digging mood, I'd like to switch to something that can be seeded for easier repair and can better withstand the heat/drought conditions.

Most of the back yard gets full sun. We have one large tree in the front yard so it get shade/partial sun

I usually mow once a week during growing season and don't mind doing fertilizer applications.

I'd say heat/drought tolerance, easily repaired and reasonable traffic tolerance are the most important things. I was thinking Bermuda might be an option but it looks like it might require more maintenance (more than once weekly mowing?) than I expected. Also I'm not sure it would work in the partial shade of the front yard?

Any thoughts on where to begin?

Well yes and no with respect to Zoysia as it stands up better than Bermuda to heavy traffic. Problem is when Zoysia does get beat down and dies from heavy traffic it take a very long time for it to repair itself and recover. Bermuda recovers in no time.

Hey texas-weed, you gonna take that grief from that clown in the TW Bible thread? LMAO!!!

In doing the research it seems that no option is really lower maintenance than another, it's just the type of maintenance that varies. Whichever way I go, I want to stay on top of the upkeep to keep it looking good.

So what are the experts' thoughts given:

- Houston, Texas
- No sprinkler system at this time
- Fast recovery a big plus
- Prefer to mow only once per week
- Weeds are/were a big problem

Back Yard Specs:
- Dog digs every once in while but not a huge problem
- Most of it gets full sun
- We have a pool so we like to entertain and sometimes set up tables and chairs in the yard so it gets high traffic for short periods
- The pool kind of segments the yard so using a hose sprinkler requires multiple watering sessions (three to hit everywhere) Probably why the St. Augustine didnt get enough water. But if I know what I'm doing I can keep to a better schedule.

Front Yard Specs:
- One large tree shades it pretty well for most of the day
- We have a child swing hanging from the tree so the spot underneath is completely worn at the moment. Not sure antyhing can handle that but any suggestions on how to deal with or landscape around that situation?
- It has a pretty steep slope right before the curb begins that never seemed to fill in with grass very well.

I've got some time off in March so I'm hoping to make some decisions and get a plan in place that I could do any prep work before and re-sod then if it's appropriate.

Thanks in advance!

cons-
you get a few seed heads if you dont mow it weekly, no big deal.

If you said you would put in a sprinkler system, I would lean to bermuda, again.

It's Houston and overall Houston gets plenty of rain for St Augustine grass to get through without needing watering every week like Austin or San Antonio.

How about raising canopy on your large tree in the front yard to allow some sun on the ground to thicken up lawn?

If you mean the guy with Celebration, Nah ain't worth getting upset over, I got better things to do. If he/she wants to believe Bermuda grows better in partial shade rather than full sun, let them believe it because its not worth my time trying to convince them otherwise. :>)

If shade is not an issue, and you have heavy traffic I can think of no better choice than Bermuda sod or improved common seeded types like a blend of Triangle.

But you do have a bit of a challenge without irrigation. Doesn't matter what variety either sod or seed, you will need water to get either seed or sod going good. After set Houston gets enough rain so the irrigation will not be a big issue after established.

Right now I'm just going to focus on the backyard since we have some landscape/hardscape things we want to do in the front yard besides just rehabilitating the grass.

Here are some pictures of the back yard in its current state - basically neglected since winter began.

The closest tree is an orange tree, the farther is an apple.

This is pretty much facing due North.

The spot below the palm tree has always been pretty bare. Not sure if it's a shade issue or if it's because it's a low spot.

This had a couple of sago palms when we moved in which we removed and laid down sod. It has some weeds but isn't in bad shape since it wasn't affected by the construction/pool remodel that we had done.

What are the options for between the shed and the fence. Will anything grow in that much shade or should I just plan for it to be dirt.

Thoughts? Assuming the pictures don't show any critical flaws in my plan to give St. Augustine another shot, where's the best place to find a step by step for re-sodding? I've seen conflicting information in different places on how best to go about it.

Any help?

Currently I'm leaning toward a more long term approach to getting the yard back in shape.

I've read that adding compost as a top dressing is a good way to encourage your grass to grow and spread. Is this correct? If so, are there any recommendations for type and where to get it in Houston?

My guess is the dealer who told you that does not have Floratam, or has a much higher profit margin selling you Raleigh. Raleigh SA is a good cold tolerant SA and best used in areas where you actually get a lot of freezing weather. Houston does not get a lot of freezing weather and frozen ground is unheard of there in Houston. Well at least it was before the Global Warming Scam disease broke out around the world.

I am posting a link for you. I mostly do organic stuff. I get soybean meal, alfalfa pellets, cottonseed meal and so on from a feed store for fertilizer. Cut the grass high, water deeply but infrequently and so on. You can top dress with compost, just more expensive and added labor. Some places sell organic fertilizer with beneficial fungi/bacteria in it. This might help initially to get things going for you.

Here are two pics I took one regular and a close up.

I mentioned before on another thread that your grass looks a little unhealthy. I would say it looks like it has a fungus, but your pics are too fuzzy and distant to really tell. If it is a fungus, then getting it established will be very touchy. You don't want to water the fungus, but the roots need to be damp.

Since that is brand new sod, you should only be moistening the top layer of soil with your daily watering. The idea is to moisten the soil where the roots are penetrating to the underlying soil and nothing more. I would not water longer than 5 minutes a couple times a day and get ready to back off.

If you have not tried any kind of chemical fungicide, I would hit it with 2 pounds of ordinary corn meal per 100 square feet. Corn meal has never failed me as a fungus killer in my St Augustine. If you get yours at a grocery store, you do not want to get the corn meal that is ready mix for tortillas. It has other stuff you don't want. Look for unadulterated corn meal. Feed stores also carry corn gluten meal. That is different. You want plain ground corn. Cracked corn will work. Whole corn will give you a corn field as it all sprouts. I get ordinary corn meal in 50-pound bags at the feed store. Call first to see if they have it.