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What kind of grass to lay/how should I do it?

It would be best if you tilled. Then put down the seed with a spreader and cover with hay. The next step is crucial - the seeds MUST be kept wet for 2-3 weeks in order for them to germinate. If they get dry they're dead. So you'll be watering twice a day everyday. Once germinated you can put down a starter fertilizer or if you want put it down with the seed, just make sure it is ok to use on germinating seeds.
 
St. Augustine is good for Texas heat, but it's a lot of work to lay. Bermuda you can get in seed form and just sprinkle it with some fertilizer. Just might take a year to get a good pitch.
 
Originally posted by: CPA
St. Augustine is good for Texas heat, but it's a lot of work to lay. Bermuda you can get in seed form and just sprinkle it with some fertilizer. Just might take a year to get a good pitch.
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:thumbsup:

Although, I recommend St.Augustine for areas with a lot of shade.
 
Originally posted by: Isocene
Alright so seed is the way to go then. I guess St Augustine doesn't come in seed so I should get Bermuda?
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They just recently have been able to market viable St.Augustine seed. I'd guess 99% of it is still laid out as sod.
 
Grow vegetables and flowers. Minimize the size of your lawn. You live in Texas so you could enjoy all sorts of stuff with your long growing season that make us New England gardeners jealous.

I'd try to grow a grass that is a native species for your area. This will make it drought tolerant and prevent you from having to waste tons of water and use chemicals to prop up grass that naturally needs to die in your climate. Growing native grasses and mowing it tall will give you green grass without any need to water, ever. If it dies out in a drought, no problem. It will come back as soon as it rains.

 
Tis the season for Home Depot to have sod. I covered half my yard when we got the house, cost me about $150. Now my yard is one of the greenest in the neighborhood and I don't do shit with it. I mow it every 3rd week and water it when it rains.
 
As far as sod it would still be really helpful to till first. The yard doesn't look very big and it wouldn't take very long, get a rental from home depot. And sod is the same way - gotta keep it soaking wet for 2-3 weeks.
 
If you've got a lot of shade, bermuda won't do very well. I just got a new house myself and have been reading on growing grass myself. Everything I've read says that bermuda requires lots of sunlight. St. Augustine may be your best bet.
 
Keep in mind that we're still under drought conditions. If you're going to get grass started you need to do it soon, before mandatory water restrictions kick in.
 
Think about how much Time you want to spend maintaining your lawn and how much you're willing to spend each year for water, fertilizer, weed control, gardener (if you don't do the mowing), etc. Do you want the best looking lawn in the neighborhood, or just basically to have it fit in with the rest of the neighborhood? Think about how you want to use the areas around your house: will there be ball-playing so you need lots of level and flat space? Or do you want to cut down on lawn area with other plantings?

Also check out xeriscape landscaping.
 
Originally posted by: MrPickins
Originally posted by: Isocene
Alright so seed is the way to go then. I guess St Augustine doesn't come in seed so I should get Bermuda?
Click to expand...

They just recently have been able to market viable St.Augustine seed. I'd guess 99% of it is still laid out as sod.
Click to expand...

That's news to me. I thought you could only get it in sod or plugs.

OP, one way to I've seen some folks do St. Augustine is to lay it out in checkerboard fashion and fill in the bare areas with dirt. Doesn't cost as much and less work.
 
I vote for no grass. Let grow what comes up naturally, and you're guaranteed to have a healthy viable lawn(if not pretty).
 
Till. Fertilize (with starter stuff). Seed generously (looks like St Augustine for you). Water, water, water. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Isocene
I think I like the idea of xeriscape or letting whatever grows grow. I'm not much of a "green" person but the idea of dumping all that water into a lawn all the time to make it look nice does seem like a waste.
Click to expand...

It's more than a waste, it's irresponsible in arid environments.
 
Looks like fescue in those pics is what you have already.

Fescue is good in that it's does well in not as much direct sunlight but requires more water than a Bermuda, it also can pretty easily be regrown by throwing seed down.

I'd suggest aerating your lawn, then spreading a top soil with maybe some coarse sand mixed in with it, use either a push broom or a rake to spread around your yard, this will fill in the holes the aeration creates, then spread seed, water and cross your fingers.

Should do the trick though.

Ah, thought I read TN not TX at a glance, gonna be St Augustine then.
 
1. Put down some starter fertilizer, wait a few weeks.
2. Put down bluegrass seed.
3. Water every day until seedlings appear.
4. Water every other day for a couple of weeks.
5. Put down some weed & feed.
6. Spot weed/add new seed as needed.

It'll take a couple of years to get an awesome lawn. My lawn is so damn big I'm on my 4th year of working on it.

Good luck.
 
I have tall fescue in NM. Doesn't take much water and its more edible for the dogs than bermuda, which can be very tough.
 
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