NC, Lawn care help!

I have a couple questions for you NC people in the know.

I just bought my home and have a lawn problem......The entire yard was seed and straw until the 2 streight days of downpour we had last week. Now there's not much left.

Is it too late to re-seed the lawn and expect for some growth this year?

What type of grass is best for this climate?

Tell me like i'm five years old....because I don't know shit about this stuff, and I need something to hold what's left of my landscape together, should we get more heavy rain. I already hate red clay!:down:



I'm from Rhode Isalnd and we have dirt there.

Thanks in advance for any help.:up:

 

With the slightly warmer temps...get it down quick. It should be ok...if not plant highway grass and grow year round.

 

My parents planted zoysia grass. you buy it in plugs and then plug your yard, its fairly cheap considering the price of seed and straw. My parents just plugged their yard and left it alone. This stuff is like walking on carpet. I think you can get like 300 plugs for around $100. Hope the info helps

 

Kentucky 31 fescue is the multipurpose grass around here. All Wallies-Worlds have it aplenty. It is good for limited rainfall but it does not like shade.

You got plenty time for fall seeding.

 

or, you can wait and plant winter rye in a few weeks.


take note, the rye will die, and you'll need a good over seed with the normal stuff in the spring.

 

It is still a good time to seed with any cool season grass and get a good germination rate. Cool season grasses are Bluegrass, Ryegrass, Fescue (tall or fine). There are others but they would be your best bet. Rye grass will germinate the fastest but is the least hardy in for that region in the summer. My choice would be a good turf type tall fescue. I would not get the ole' K31, it is fine but if you want real good lawn then find a lawn or landscape center that has a good selection on turf type grasses. It is a good idea to restraw the area also to keep the ground moist and the seed in place as much as possilbe.

Now if you want a warm season grass I would still seed with a cool season now to get some winter coverage then in the spring you can kill it all and sprig, or plug in some Zoysia or Bermuda. I like Zoysia better but again find a good turf type as it will develop less thatch, the blades will be narrower, and the color better. The Bermuda or zoysia should overrun the cool season stuff that would be left. If not the following winter when the Zoysia is dormant (brown) you can spray roundup again and it will not hurt the zoysia.

 

What if you have tall fescue and have brown spots, what do you do then? Can I just seed the piss out of it to get it green again?

 

Yeah you can always keep seeding but that doesn't guarntee that it will not die again. Especially up there you could have had grubs or some disease problems that caused the spots. Fescue is prett hardy and will tolerate hot and dry weather well. It will also spread kinda like bermuda and zoysia but not nearly as aggressively.

 

i think my fam. had zoysia when i was a kid. don't you have to burn (with real fire) in the fall?

 

Kentucky 31 fescue for sure. I've been in lawncare/mowing for 8 years and cannot stand having to cut a yard with bermunda. We get too much rain & too cool temps for that grass here - it looks scraggly after 2 days. On the other side, rye looks like crap except for 4-5 weeks in the year. Oh yeah, you still have time to seed


Where in NC are you? I'm in Winston-Salem. (that actually will make a difference b/c bermuda does better on the coast, rye in the moutains.)

 

Statesville....Troutman area.


Thanks for all the help guys....I still dunno what to do.

 

Go get some seed and reseed the thing. Rake the seed in lightly. cover it with straw and keep the soil moist. If you use Rye grass it will start growing in a couple of days. Get a good Perrienial Rye and you will be fine. You can always overseed next year with a differnt type of grass.


Or you could go the real easy way and just go for sod.......instant lawn.

 

Articfical Turf....

 

Orchard Grass and other types of annual grasses are wasteful in your situation. K31 and other poa annums should be avoided and never used as lawn seed - they are pasture seeds and not lawn seeds.

You don't need an annual seed at this point. It's not "too late" to seed with a good-quality Turf-Type Tall fescue. It's the best option for strong lawns in full sun. Fine-blade fescues work better for shady areas like wooded lots.

Seed, mulch and water it. It'll come up. Don't water if it looks like it may frost. You may over-seed in the spring, it'll be worth it. Is there a Lesco seed company near you? They sell quality seed.

-HJK

P.S. - No K31. Got that?

 

no no no...he needs Eastro-turf.you know, the green stuff in the baskets for your eggs and such.
i'm waaayyy up here in statesville and pennsyl-tucky31 works wonders on the red clay around these parts.

 

I repeat NO K31.

Good idea about Lesco. That is where I always bought my seed for the golf course.:up:

 

-HJK

 

OK.....Lets see if I got this right.

Tall fescue, thick blade, from Lesco (if there's one near me). No such thing as overseeding, still not "too late". No watering if it looke like a frost will occurr??


Thanks again guys...Y'all even type with an accent here.

 

Except the 'no such thing as over seeding' thing. There is a such thing, and it is a good thing.

Call Lesco, as them for a good turf mix to match your yard conditions. Fine blade grasses don't stand up tp traffic as well as hardier stuff, so if you play in the yard a lot, get tougher turf. Fine blade works better in shade areas and yards with less pedestrian traffic.

If it looks like frost, the freeze on the new blades can kill it. Grass is frost tolerant, up to a point. New blades can/will die off, however. But the straw mulch will protect the grass from freeze.

-HJK

P.S. - No K31. Got that? I slay me.

 

He lives in Statesville...he may very well have a pasture



Seriously, HJK does have a point. K. 31 is not a turf-type fescue, which means its coverage will not be as thick. However, this can be remedied by overseeding in the fall. Just to clarify, K. 31 is a tall thick-blade fescue, which is what I would recommend using, but you don't have to get that brand (I suggested b/c it is easy to find). Any tall fescue will work to get your yard started. It will take several seeding before you get it how you want it anyway.

I second the Lesco idea - they are great :up:

Best of luck!