Please help me select the right grass for my new lawn!

NickB – posted 29 May 2004 16:19

Could I get some advice on the right lawn seed choice?Here’s what I’m looking at. I’m in Augusta, Missouri (St.Louis / St. Charles County).I’d like to sod the front section of my new lot as it has a steep slope but the rest of it I will seed. The front and sides are currently mud/ rock. The back is a gradually sloping lake front lot that has a short steep slope right at the lake. It has whatever pasture grass was naturally growing there all along but ha sclumps / ruts and looks a mess. No mature trees on the property (2 acres)so it will get full sun most of the time with a small area to the side getting partial shade.The soil, I was told when building, has ribbons of clay/plastic? All I know is that when it’s wet, it’s very thick, solid and sticks to your shoes like glue. When it’s dry, it’s pretty solid except by the lakefront where it can almost be sandy and it crumbles easy.I’ve seen some nice lawns in the area int the spring that are bluegrass but am told these do poor in the heat / humidity of our summer.A few local suggestions have been to use Kentucky 31. Others say a brand named Jaguar.I read about a brand called coerate Plus that sounds good.

So, that behind us, any suggestions? It gets pretty hot and humid in the summer, rains quite a bit now but not much in summer and our winters can get pretty cold, sometimes below zero, but not often.

So, with that long winded detail, any suggestions would be much appreciated!Thanks,Nick