Seeding Yard Question

[vern3]

Had a major portion of my yard cleaned up and will have to seed the yard in the coming weeks. My wife really likes the way st. augestine grass looks over bermuda. How big a headache is it get st augestine established
and how will prices between the two grasses differ? Again this will be seeded not using sod.

If you would rather respond by PM thats ok also

I appreciate in advance any help I can get

[farmboy]

Maybe you are a little too far north for St. Augustine? How wet is your yard?

[cbakerf81]

I think you will have to sod or plug st Augustine. you can probably find Bermuda or centipede seed.

[eSJay]

I heard or read somewhere that St. is nearly impossible to grow from seed due to the lengthy germination it requires. So I just bought sod.

[donia]

per msucares.com:

"St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is a popular choice for lawns in south and central Mississippi. Outstanding shade tolerance makes this grass the overwhelming favorite for lawns under the stately live oaks of the Gulf Coast as well as the tall pines midstate. Winter damage occurs to lawns in zone 7a and the northern reaches of zone 7b. Severe winters may cause damage as far south as the northern reaches of zone 8a. St. Augustinegrass is the most cold-sensitive of all of the turfgrasses grown in Mississippi.

St. Augustinegrass is propagated by sprigging, plugging, or sodding. Some seed of St. Augustinegrass may be available, but the cost of seed and the ease of establishment from stolons make vegetative establishment the preferred method.

St. Augustinegrass is a coarse to very coarse turf that is quick to establish and recover from injury due to aggressive stolon growth. It is not unusual to have St. Augustinegrass stolons grow right over the top of established centipedegrass turf. The grass has only fair wear tolerance and will not tolerate long periods of water stress.

Most problems with St. Augustinegrass are caused by disease and insect pressure made worse by heavy fertilization. Chinch bugs are a serious insect problem, and brown patch is a major disease. Both of these problems are encouraged by the application of too much nitrogen fertilizer and too much water. Although St. Augustinegrass grows rapidly, it requires only a moderate level of fertility.

One problem of St. Augustinegrass is not due to mismanagement. St. Augustine decline (SAD) is a disease caused by a virus. It is present in Mississippi and cannot be alleviated once it is present in a lawn. The only control measure is to plant a resistant variety.

Many varieties of St. Augustinegrass have been released. Those resistant to SAD include Raleigh, Palmetto, Mercedes, Captiva, and Delmar, which are more cold-tolerant than common. None of these are resistant to chinch bugs. Varieties resistant to chinch bugs include Floratam and Floratam II, which have shown some resistance to SAD. It is recommended that any new lawn established to St. Augustinegrass in Mississippi be of a SAD-resistant variety."

[jacksbuddy]

When I got rid of some trees in my yard last year, I found that the erosion from lack of grass and ground cover was worse than I thought. It is amazing what you will see once you let some daylight get to a yard.

Anyway, I went with a centipede seed and used some of the mulch from the stump grindings to help hold everything up onto the yard. I couldn't afford sod, so I had to do it the old fashioned and time consuming way. Plant the seed now, and water every day until established or fall, whichever comes last. You'll find that along with the centipede grass growing, any St. Augustine grass that you have around will start to run and grow over the bare spots.

I mowed the newly seeded part of my yard for the first time this past weekend, and everything is looking better than I could imagine. The centipede is well established, and the St. Augustine has run everywhere.

Good luck and keep us posted.