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| Recently had to have new field lines installed in my backyard and and the lawn was totally destroyed. While in such a shape I decided to bring in 7 yards of fill dirt to level out a spot just big enought to put a trampoline on. That part is done and I put some topsoil with tall fescue seed on on the sloping part behind the new "level area". It has come up fairly well. Actually a lot better than I thought it would. It's about ready to mow after about 9 days. No I need to decide what to use on the rest of the yard. I want low maintenance for sure. Some parts of the yards get full sun but most have good shade. I've also got a big magnolia and a 3 pines that will make it tough in some areas. I really liked they way the fescue came up so quickly but not sure how it will do long term in the heat. I would consider do the rest of the yard with this but concerned because some people say it gets "spotty or clumply". Could I do this first and then overseed with a creeping grass. As stated before though I'm concerned about fescue in the heat since it's a "cool weather" grass. I don't mind mowing (too much) during spring and summer but dont' want to mow year round. I've got 5 kids and too busy to really maintain a nice yard. I just need something that is passable for a lawn and low maintenance. I'm not looking to win the award for the best lawn in the neighborhood. Actually, turf would probably be the best solution if it didn't cost so much (just kidding, my wife would NEVER go for that). As you probably guess, I'm clueless in this area. I realize there is probably no perfect seed for me but I'm looking for the next best option. Low maintenance, good with high traffic (due to 5 kids), comes up fairly quickly (to appease the wife who is not big on the dirt landscape now). I think the soil is pretty good. Guys that did the field lines said it was some of the best they have seen. I know it has a lot of sand content. Also, I need to do something soon. I'm not oppossed to a 2-3 step process of seeding with something now and overseeding with something else later. Hope this makes sense but I've made something unclear please let me know. I'd really like some input from people who know what they are talking about. Also, If it helps I'm in Birmingham, AL Thanks |
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| A few things first...while technically you are in 7B, it's not the whole story. USDA hardiness zones are useful, but they can be misleading. Since it only refers to the average low temps of a region it doesn't describe the summer conditions. So while you are in 7B, so are parts of New Jersey. England ranges from 8-10, which is the same as Florida. So what's my point? My point is a cool season grass might not be the best idea since your summers can be brutally hot and humid. While you seeded tall fescue, I would bet money that what you have growing and ready for a mow after 9 days is NOT tall fescue. Unfortunately it's probably weeds. Now is a pretty lousy time to seed a cool season grass, you really should wait till early fall, when the heat and humidity break. Of the cool season grasses tall fescue is probably the best suited to the transition zone, and is grown with some success in Georgia. Another option might be hybrid bluegrass which is a cross between Kentucky and Texas bluegrass. Supposedly it deals well with heat and drought, and spreads via rhizomes, it might be a good fit for your location, and it should stay green most of the year unlike warm season grasses. Tall fescue is a bunch grass, with a bit of spreading ability, but don't expect anything near bluegrass, or the warm season grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, Paspalum). Not sure what you would use as a creeping grass if you were to overseed your tall fescue, since KBG would be a poor choice Another thing to consider is most grass, if you want it to look nice, requires maintenance in the form of mowing, fertilizing, watering, etc. If you are not that picky about what your lawn looks like, the best option for you might be K-31 tall fescue. K-31 was basically the first tall fescue developed for lawns. It is wide bladed, light to medium green, and coarse in texture, but it is very tolerant of heat, disease, and drought that would do in most of the newer turf type tall fescues. If you want to go with a warm season grass the time to seed those are in the late spring, early summer, but that is really only for Bermuda or Centipede. Zoysia would be a good choice, but you would have to get sod since zoysia from seed is really not an option. Hope this helps, don't hesitate to ask questions. |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Tue, Jul 10, 12 at 21:44
| Your location is very helpful. Zone 7 runs all across the US and really only has something to do with the selection of shrubs for winter survival. It has nothing to do with much of anything else. So we need to know where you are. You are in the southern part of the transition zone which means cool season grass can be made to survive year after year. If your fescue is on the north side of that hill, it might make it. As you might think, you are asking for the impossible. Of course, right?! You want a durable grass in sun and shade that fills fast from sports damage yet requires little maintenance. Even crabgrass falls short. Any grass that recovers from damage fast is one that grows like wildfire. Bermuda will need to be mowed at least once a week and better at twice a week. If you only mow it once a week it can be stemmy and really hard on little feet. Bermuda cannot survive in the shade, either. St Augustine will live in the shade but will develop wear patters along beaten paths. Even our mailman has created a path in my lawn. I call it a path. It is a place where the grass still survives but it has not been mowed in years because it does not grow up. The northern mix would be fescue in the shade and Kentucky bluegrass in the sun. With kids running around it will be hard to get it established. Besides, fall is the best time to put those seeds down. Doing it July would be a complete waste of seed. KBG will spread to fill but not with continuous traffic. Fescue will just die from the traffic. Fescue does not spread like KBG either. You might consider using a mulch in the area. We get a juniper mulch (called 'cedar' in Texas) that makes an excellent for playgrounds. At least 2 inches of mulch is pretty cool. You can bump around and dig and it never gets damaged. Just rake it back level if/when it starts moving around. It doesn't stick to shoes and isn't muddy. It does have to be replaced every few years or you could keep after it adding a little every year. |
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