What to choose?

jpatte5 – posted 22 February 2005 12:24

Hey everyone. You have a newby here which is also new to the grasses.

I live in North Fort Worth in a new house with sod that was put down in September. I think it is bermuda or something. Anyway, I’ve decided I don’t want brown grass in the winter plus it shows weeds something terrible.

So I need some help choosing.

I want some green in the lawn in the winter to keep the weeds at bay and to add some color to the landscape. However, I don’t think I want to deal with throwing ryegrass seeds every winter.

So I’m thinking I will have to mix my warm season grass I choose with a cool season grass for the winter. Is this possible without seeding every fall?

Also, I would like a narrow to medium blade grass that is pleasant on the feet and can be maintained at a little taller height. I like plush and thick grass that your feet can sink into.

ANy suggestions?

Currently considering Zoysia Meyer and maybe mix with something in the winter. My yard is small so if it is a little pricey of grass I still will consider it.

Thank you green thumbs for any advice and guidance.

-JP

ted – posted 22 February 2005 14:37

you’ll have to reseed every year- your cool season grasses will not handle the stresses of summer? most folks in texas just reseed for the winter- it’s relatively quick, and you may not have to dethatch first for a couple of years.

jpatte5 – posted 23 February 2005 07:46

Thanks Ted.I’ve heard several people say that dethatching is necessary with Zoysia, but then on a website selling Zoysia grass they say you don’t have to.

When you say dethatching are we talking about just running a spiked wheel over the grass or are we talking about taking little plugs out of the ground?

I’ve also read that Zoysia will typically come out of dormancy the latest of other grasses. Is this true and will there be a period where my winter grass will die off before the Zoysia comes back?

What would be a good compliment with Zoysia in the winter? Rye or something else.

I’m really wanting a soft thick grass that is easy on the feet and your feet can sink into year round. Is Zoysia good for that if you keep it +2″ tall and what would be good for the same in the winter.

Thanks again for your help. This site is great. Keep up the good work.

ted – posted 23 February 2005 16:28

zoysia is marketed at the “miracle grass” for it’s resistance to insects and diseases. however, it’s just as much work on the mowing and dethatching side. aerating is the process of poking holes and removing plugs, dethatching is the same thing as mowing, only vertical- it removes grass and thatch material with up and down motions to the blades- very time consuming and takes alto of effort to remove the dead material after dethatching. yes, rye is your choice for overseeding

jpatte5 – posted 25 February 2005 11:47

OK so if I go ahead and plant Zoysia, do need to kill off my Bermuda first? I’m going to kill the weeds going rampant, but I had somebody tell me to kill the Bermuda with roundup before pluging.

Also, what about just using Zoysia seeds? It seems it could be cheaper to do it this way considering the shipping costs of plugs.

But if using seeds will I then have to till the yard or can I just spread it over the current grass?

ted – posted 25 February 2005 11:58

don’t recommend zoysia seeds- too slow to germinate and the product hasn’t really been developed that much. yes, you would have to kill off anything you wouldn’t want to keep prior to sodding/seeding. don’t like the plugs either,too slow, just sod it. try getting with a lawn care professional to evaluate your situation. you seem to be listening to an awful lot of folks, and i think it’s getting a little confusing. in over 20 years in the business, i’ve found that homeowners tend to get their advice from a variety of sources like hardware store employees,neighbors, etc. and it winds up being a big mess.