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Thu, Jul 21, 11 at 12:33
| I have had a tall fescue yard that I have meticulously cared for for several years. However, I live in a pasture in Upstate South Carolina and have lost the battle with common bermuda. I also have little shade and the yard just BAKES in the summer. I am looking to possibly switch to a warm season grass that can be grown from seed. I don't mind some maintainence and watering but am not familiar with options. I want something dark green in color, similar to fescue. Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I agree I really like the mixed fescue lawn we have in back (seed mix of red,tall,etc. varieties of fescue... similar to the turf rolls sold at our local Home Depot each year)& it feels SO cool to walk on in the heat of summer & stays green most of the winter & the top does not die back. But, I find it does require more upkeep (fertilizer, water) than the very fine bladed (feels like a soft green velvet rug!)some kind of Bermuda that came in some how from a neighbor's lawn that he seeded from a variety of Bermuda he can't now recall & has now taken over our front lawn. Love them both but the latter certainly is less needy, hardier, takes abuse .... and turns brown/top dies back in winter & comes up from the roots in spring. I have to power-rake the dead top layers early in the spring every year or so before it begins to grow up again from the roots. I live in zone 7 @ mile high Albuquerque, NM & the minus 9 we got this past winter (& minus 19 back in the 1970's!)hasn't kept the Bermuda from forming a pretty front lawn again this summer... it loves the heat & we have had NO rain at all all year here in our part of the City so only survives on weekly sprinkling for an hour & fertilizing once in the spring. Some of the varieties of fescue in the seed mix I got have broader leaves & tends to clump so has to be mowed well. A neighbor bought Zoysia plugs two years ago but has had little growth or spreading from them yet & is disappointed. Guess you will have to decide on either the year round green of fescue or hardy, summer green of Bermuda maybe! |
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| It's almost too late to seed Bermuda, unless you get a warm winter. It needs to really get established before winter. A freeze will kill it. I seeded with Triangle a couple of years ago in late August. Most of it died that winter. Do you usually get a freeze or two? If very little shade then Princess-77 is about the nicest variety grown from seed. |
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- Posted by nearandwest 7 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 21, 11 at 15:15
| Since you live in the Upstate, the window is closing really fast on seeding bermuda now and having it survive the normal winter up there. |
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| If you have lost the battle with common Bermuda then common Bermuda is your new grass. If you want to try and get something better going then you are going to have to try and kill what you have first. Fertilize it to get it growing real good. Then spray round up on it. Give it a few days and then start watering, spray the new green growth, and repeat for 3-4 weeks. If you were to do this now it would be too late to seed again this year. Unless you want to do rye grass over the winter and then get back to the Bermuda next spring. |
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