Gonzo is going to come by and help me out. My yard is shaded by three large oaks and some sweetgums. I had green grass originally:icon_wink:. I quit watering this summer in order to help/abide with the voluntary water restrictions and it got toasted. It has been going downhill for a couple of years. The dirt/clay soil got baked/compacted so it is definitely needing a major overhaul. It's going to take a pro like Gonzo and his guys to get me back in the good graces of the neighborhood (yardwise).
“Towie Barclay of the Glen, Happy to the maids, But never to the men.”
I've seen a lot of the yards in that area and figured it might be shady. If they are live oaks it's going to be hard to get things going unless you want to sod it every couple of years. St. Aug is the most shade tolerant but it still needs some sun. Some people claim zoysia will take a lot of shade, but in my experience that's not neccesaily the case.
Eagle is right. St. Aug is about as shade tolerant as you can get, it will "survive" in up to 70% shade. Once you surpass that point it may be best to convert to ground cover or some other type of landscape planting. I for one do not like to fight losing battles and trying to grow grass in that much shade is definitely a losing battle. When you add compacted clay soils to the mix then the challenge is increased 10 fold. We'll have to see what we can do for Market.
I hate to disagree with you guys but scalping the lawn once in the spring is a great idea. Getting rid of the old dormant material will help prevent thatch buildup and encourage a quicker green up. You shouldn't do it until after the last frost and your should only do it once for St. Augustine. Once St. Aug has been scalped you have to raise the mower back up to the highest setting to get the best results however for Centipede lower mower heights are required and for Bermuda or Hybrid Bermuda mowing heights as low as 1" get better results. My hybrid bermuda lawn I would scalp 2 or 3 times a year with no negative effects. I didn't have a reel mower so it would build up thatch quickly and the only way to even the color was to scalp it.
I have areas in my yard that have two-three different grasses. Is there anyway to kill certain types, or would I have to kill it all, and start from scratch?
What grass types do you have? and what would you like to keep? It's possible to take St. Aug and Centipede out of Bermuda (but not for long, MSMA will be gone after this year). It's possible to take Bermuda out of Centipede but not St. Aug.
everything in the beds is starting to sprout and bud. Yard is still a soaking mess. Probably going to have to spread some sand in the lower areas. That way grass can grow through and hopefully level everything up better.
Techman, Do you have a drainage problem or just isolated low spots from erosion or a bad grading job? Be careful not to cover the grass too deeply with sand.
I used to have great grass in my front yard. Bugs did a big number on it. I think now there is no grass left at all. Nothing but weeds. I guess my only recourse is to bust it up and re-sod?
Good old Memorial Gym