Thanks in advance. Neither of us have much of a green thumb so this is pretty foreign territory.

Here is a picture of part of our lawn currently. It is mostly shady and the parts of the lawn that have any grass at all are the parts that seem to actually get some sun and the drainage ditch at the front.

Thanks for any help you can give! :)

Sarah

If you answer these questions, it will be more clear what you want and what your options are.

We don't have dogs, but kids seem to enjoy running through our yard more than I'd like and stray dogs are frequent, so I'd say there will be a fair amount of traffic.

We plan to mow every two weeks or as needed. I figured that every two weeks is about the norm.

We'll be keeping all of the trees as is. Very tall pine trees...not much of an option on that one. ;)

I guess I'd say fertilizing on a yearly basis? Like I said, it's a rental house, we'll be here a few years at most, I'd say.

I hope I've answered everything clearly.

1. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. 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.
   


2. Mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above.
   


3. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.
   

There are two grasses that will likely work in your area. I am assuming you are in east Texas with those trees. It really helps us to know much more precisely where you live. Never mind your zone. We need the town or ZIP code. Those two grasses are St Augustine sod ($1 per 2 square feet to install yourself) and a type of zoysia called Shadow Turf ($80 for 60 plugs). Either grass needs to be watered once a week in the summer and once a month in the winter. They need to be mowed weekly. They also need to be fertilized a minimum of 3x per year (once in late spring and twice in the fall). If you use organic fertilizer (you don't sound like you'd go for that, but you never know), then you can fertilize any day of the year that suits you.

Zoysia goes dormant with drought. St Aug dies with drought. If you want the area to look really good, they both use the same amount of water.

It might be possible to raise a fescue lawn in that shade, but it would be more hassle than the Shadow Turf or St Augustine. Fescue requires annual reseeding to be really nice. The others will become really nice without doing much of anything...except water, mow, and fertilize.

Is laying down sod my only option, or can I spread seed instead? Isn't sod more expensive? Like I said, we're willing to put in the WORK, but money is tight so that's definitely a consideration.

I will water as often as necessary or as often as is healthy for the lawn. Now I know that's once a week. We're first time house livers on our own as we've always been in an apartment before now...so when I say this is foreign territory think as extreme as you can and go further. :)

Thanks for ya'll's help! :)

Personally, I'd approach the landlord and offer free labor and see if he's willing to buy some sod. Couldn't hurt to ask.

Sas, dont be discouraged by shades.

Approaching your landlord is a good thought. Having been a landlord I might not jump at that, because I have seen many a renter with good intentions ruin various investments I've made at their request. But ask! You never know.

There is no seeded grass that will survive in your shade in Texas. Even the grass seed sold specifically for shade is really not good in the heat of the south. That does not stop the retailers from offering it to you. There are lots of Yankees who are used to turf type tall fescue and think they can just scatter the seeds when they first arrive. It doesn't work like that.