Selecting the Appropriate Turfgrass

dhebert66 – posted 23 September 2003 20:10

I recently relocated to Denham Springs, LA (near Baton Rouge) where I purchased a new home. I’m in the process of planning my lawn and need recommendations for the best all-around turfgrass for this area?????

redbird – posted 25 September 2003 13:42

You are probably not receiving a response because no others on the forum are in your area. You should consider:

1) speaking to a landscaping professional regarding several variety oiptions.

2) visit several established lawns ( 2-3 years old) of each variety, compare the appearance. Knock on the door, ask the owner about maintenance/problems. Most will take a few minutes to talk to you – we all like to talk about our lawns.

Then you can return to the forum with specific questions about the varieties you are considering.

Mike

grassnut – posted 25 September 2003 14:50

You might consider Bermuda. Stay away from common and go with an “improved” type. Bermuda Triangle and Sultan make really nice lawns. If you want to get real fancy Princess or Yukon are comparable to Tiff-419 and cheaper. I would have a reputable hydroseeder shoot your yard. Make sure they use wood or wood blend mulch. Paper doesn’t work very well down here. However, it’s getting a little late in the year to seed Bermuda. It needs some time to grow before winter hits. A few options are:

1. Plant annual winter rye to get you through the winter and then hydroseed Bermuda in the spring.2. Hydroseed with a mix of rye and “un-hulled” Bermuda. This is a little risky because if it warms up enough for the Bermuda to germinate, then freezes again, you’re Bermuda will die.3. Sod with Bermuda. 4. Go ahead and sod with St. Augustine. But then you’re just another typical yard on the street and that’s no fun.

You might try talking to a few hydroseeders in your area. If you plant real soon, there may still be time to get the Bermuda down this year. Also, if you have any shady areas, the Bermuda wont grew well; you may have to use St. Augustine or Zoysia.

Good luck!

ted – posted 26 September 2003 10:31

definitely st. augustine