Choice of grass for Austin, TX

Agnes – posted 03 February 2004 12:46

Hi,

My huband and I recently moved down to Austin and bought a house. We have to plant the lawn pretty much from scratch, and we are not sure what type of grass to use. About half the lawn looks like it will be rather heavily shaded in the summer. I read that St-Augustine grass or carpet grass was best for that. On the other hand, we would apreciate it if we did not have to water the grass too much. Coming down from Iowa last August, Austin looked to us to be hot and dry. How much watering will St-Augustine grass require in the summer here in Austin?

ted – posted 03 February 2004 15:17

grass, particularly in the hot dry texas summers, will need approx. 1 inch every 3-4 days to perform well. you’re going to lose around 1/3 of an inch a day in full sun due to evaporation during the 90 degree summer days- so it’s important to water correctly. whole different soil structure as well. you’ll find austin to be a whole different ballgame as it relates to plants, and pretty much everything else too!