Posted: 4/10/2014 5:44:18 PM EDT
| I have some bare spots and thin spots. This yard hasn't been taken care but one yr out maybe 10. Look to seed the whole yard and fertilize. What's a low maintenance grass? |
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What type do you already have?
In the shade you will want/need fescue. if your yard is getting a lot of direct sunlight for most of the day, fescue will typically burn out in the our hot summer months, so bermuda or zoysia will work best for lots of direct sun. Some newer zoysia strains will be more shade tolerant but will still require 2-3 hours worth of direct sunlight per day. bermuda does not like shade at all and you will have bare spots where there is a lot of shade. This is not the time of year to seed as the summer will be too harsh on the new growth and will burn it out and so you effectively will have wasted money. Very early fall is the time to do your overseeding/aerations, that way it is not too hot to burn the new growth out but will still allow enough time for it to generate strong enough roots to survive the winter. Be sure to not cut your grass again after overseeding, you don't want to chop up your seeds. I would also recommend getting on a chemical program which typically consists of ~7 applications per year and that's really the only way to keep weeds out. It's really a small price to pay. Don't go for any of that organic/non-toxic type chemical crap, it really doesn't work. It will take a couple of years for your yard to start to come around to where you want it if it hasn't been taken care of for a long time. Do not expect any miracles or instant gratification. You will obviously see improvements the first year but, like I said it will take a couple of years for it to really pop. Personally, I like the zoysias the best, but at the same time, I have an all fescue yard. Obviously, your best/quickest results will come from completely re-sodding your yard but that comes with a cost. So to recap, generally fescue for shade, bermuda/zoysia for direct sun. Zoysia will most likely be a little more expensive than Bermuda. Oh yeah, you will need to overseed fescue every year to keep your yard. I believe bermuda and zoysia just need aerations. Hope that helps a little. ETA: be sure to scalp bermuda in the fall after it goes dormant. |
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Last year I put down three pallets of UGA's TIFF Grand sod to get established in my backyard. By the end of the season last year it had really started pushing out and chocking out all the other crap I had. It's a very hearty and shade tolerant Bermuda which is what I needed as I only have 6-7 hours of direct sunlight. It's a hybrid so plugs or sod are the only way it comes now but I'm quite pleased so far; I expect once Spring finally gets here (cough) it will push out and spread quickly. Also, it's a very pretty grass with slightly broader leaves than common Bermuda plus it seems it be as tolerant of lack of water in the dead if summer.
OP, I'd highly suggest picking up some sod pieces,(if you have Bermuda now,) and filling in your bare spots. |