What grass do I plant?

My house in on schedule to be completed in about a month and we are starting to think about the yard. I have a very sandy yard on a mild slope and want to choose the right grass so I'm hoping some of you here have some knowledge in this area. I've had centipede in the past and would prefer to go that route again but when I priced the seed I almost had a heart attack! I've got two acres of yard and the tight wad in me can't justify $1,200 for grass seed. So what other options are there for sandy soil? I don't want something that needs constant attention (i.e. cutting twice weekly or frequent fertilizer) but I do want an attractive yard so what are some more affordable options?

Is there shade or not? If there isn't shade, will you be planting trees to create shade? All summer grasses (centipede, bermuda, zoysia) don't like shade. Of the three, you will find some varieties of zoysia to be more tolerant than centipede or bermuda. If your yard is going to be sunny, I would go with zoysia. There are yards in my neighborhood that have bermuda, centipede or zoysia. Zoysia does far better at preventing any weeds from growing. The only thing is that zoysia isn't cheap.

Centipede seed is expensive, but you get way less filler.

That said we used Centipede sod and would go that route again if needed.

No trees in my yard except for the woodline at the back so very little shade. From my research it looks like zoysia and centipede are good choices but neither is cheap. Some other grass seeds are much more affordable but I don't want a low quality grass either that will be highly succeptable to weeds. If not better options are found I guess i'll have to suck it up and pay for centipede but it may be the front yard this year and the back next with the prices I've been seeing on centipede seed.

And I've not priced sod but I can only imagine it is wayyyy more expensive to buy two acres worth of sod compared to seed.

Have you priced centipede seed from local sod farms? It's usually cheaper uncoated. This is the perfect time of year to plant centipede too. It's more expensive up front but far less maintenance and less "needy" for years to come.


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Zoisa is tough to take care of. I have a few friends that have it and they are always having issues with it. Centipede is the way to go. Bermuda would be another option but it is more work when the weeds get in it. I seeded mine when I built my house and it filled in nicely. Sod would have been nice but for my size yard would have cost a small fortune. I plated rye with my centipede to hold the soil while the centipede grew. Lots of watering this time of year. I also put in a sprinkler system before I seeded the yard.

If you are at a place where you can buy the seed make sure you check out the tags. Always get seed with 0% noxious weeds and the highest germination rate you can find. Also make sure that it is fresh.

25contender said:

Zoisa is tough to take care of. I have a few friends that have it and they are always having issues with it. Centipede is the way to go. Bermuda would be another option but it is more work when the weeds get in it. I seeded mine when I built my house and it filled in nicely. Sod would have been nice but for my size yard would have cost a small fortune. I plated rye with my centipede to hold the soil while the centipede grew. Lots of watering this time of year. I also put in a sprinkler system before I seeded the yard.

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It's interesting how people have different experiences. The person with centipede in my neighborhood has the most issues of the yards with summer grasses. The yards with zoysia are the best looking and require little maintenance. Might have to do with the variety of zoysia used.

GSOHunter said:

If you are at a place where you can buy the seed make sure you check out the tags. Always get seed with 0% noxious weeds and the highest germination rate you can find. Also make sure that it is fresh.

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You're absolutely right. I work with seeds daily, and some of the many contaminants that are in brands like Pennington (especially fescue) would make you wonder why you are spending so much! Always check that label. Centipede is expensive, but it's also what I'd choose.

I was in the same boat a few months back. I went with Bermuda but was really thinking hard about centipede. I thought the Bermuda would establish faster so that's what I chose. It came up fairly well, but this heat with no rain is really working on it. My water bill is gonna be high! I live in the middle of a 12 acre pasture, so I bought as much seed as I could afford and just started working my way out from the house on all sides. I figure overseeing next year will be cheaper, so I'll just keep expanding outwards over the next few years.

From what I've read they recommend you plant centipede in March. I'd try a light covering of perennial rye to get you through the winter and then overseed with centipede in the spring after scratching the surface. I've been trying to get centipede started out here in this Piedmont red clay and if you can ever get it going it does fairly well but it sure is easier in sandy soil.

Go with Bermuda all the way. Doesn't take much seed to cover a large area. The two best seed established Bermuda I have found are Sahara and Jubilee, with jubilee being the best of the two. If you do it NOW it should fill in before the weather turns south. I'm just not a centipede fan. Being in the landscape industry for almost 15 years I've grown to hate it. I'd manage 1000 acres of bermuda before I would 1 acre of centipede.

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Also,make sure you pay attention to seeding rates. Too much can be as detrimental as any other environmental factors. Bermuda is usually 1lb per 1000 sq ft. So about 43 to 45 lbs per acre. It doesn't seem like you're putting much out but remember Bermuda will spread by stolons.

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Didn't see this in anyone's responses or I miised it but if it is 1 month from now you cannot plant a warm season seed. Zoysia, bermuda etc need to be planted from aprox May 1 to now or when the first freeze hits it will not be mature enough to go dormant, it will die. I would go with Emerald Zoysia but if it is done 1 month from now you are going to need to do sod.

Blackwater said:

From what I've read they recommend you plant centipede in March. I'd try a light covering of perennial rye to get you through the winter and then overseed with centipede in the spring after scratching the surface. I've been trying to get centipede started out here in this Piedmont red clay and if you can ever get it going it does fairly well but it sure is easier in sandy soil.

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Centipede needs to be seeded when the ground temp is over 78-80 degrees. You'd be wasting seed planting in March. I've planted it 4 different times and increased success each time. It also MUST be covered with soil.

Centipede is ok to plant now til the 1st-2nd week of August in the east. I've done it twice and get much better coverage quicker.

Bermuda will take lots of lime in sandy soil and is very high maintenance if you're picky about weeds.

Good luck


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I hope some day rock lawns become Vogue. Save a ton of money and time.

dpc said:

I hope some day rock lawns become Vogue. Save a ton of money and time.

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Very true
Round up=lawn mower


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nekkedducker said:

Go with Bermuda all the way. Doesn't take much seed to cover a large area. The two best seed established Bermuda I have found are Sahara and Jubilee, with jubilee being the best of the two. If you do it NOW it should fill in before the weather turns south. I'm just not a centipede fan. Being in the landscape industry for almost 15 years I've grown to hate it. I'd manage 1000 acres of bermuda before I would 1 acre of centipede.

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Just curious as to what factors have swayed you from centipede? Nutrient wise isn't centipede suspose to be the easier of the two to take care of? Doesn't Bermuda require a lot more fertilizer to keep happy? I would also assume that weed control may be easier with Bermuda? Sorry for all the questions, I would just like to hear your opinions since you deal with grass everyday in your line of work.

Thomas270 said:

Just curious as to what factors have swayed you from centipede? Nutrient wise isn't centipede suspose to be the easiesr of the two to take care of? Doesn't Bermuda require a lot more fertilizer to keep happy? I would also assume that weed control may be easier with Bermuda? Sorry for all the questions, I would just like to hear your opinions since you deal with grass everyday in your line of work.

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From an aesthetics point of view it looks better to me. As far as a cultural point of view there are a lot more management options with Bermuda. Centipede is really sensitive to over fertilization and almost every selective herbicide on the market (especially those that control grassy weeds.)

I can mow Bermuda at 3/4 of an inch like our athletic fields or let it get 3 to 4 inches for the common areas around the fields or like a golf course would for the rough. If I have an area that I want to seed instead of sod, in 3 months I can have an established lawn with Bermuda. Centipede can take years to establish.

If an area gets disturbed in our Bermuda, say for example a utility company trenches a path 3 ft wide. I can pound it with ammonium nitrate (or nowadays sulfate thanks to the terrorist) and soak it everyday and it 'll grow over in about a month completely.

We apply a fall application of pre emergent around the end of Nov. We will mix round up with it and spray over top of bermuda even if it isn't completely dormant and it won't hurt it. Can't do that with centipede being it never goes completely dormant here.

There are reasons golf course and athletic fields use Bermuda, zoysia, etc. I'm not saying centipede is all bad, if your soil ph is around 5.5-5.6, you start from sod, and you're diligent with your pre-m apps it can be pristine. It also loves iron. It's also very disease resistant. One of our vice presidents on campus has the nicest centipede lawn I've ever seen and he cares for it himself, but his yard conditions are perfect for it.

For my purpose, Bermuda is king. Low mowing heights, traffic tolerance, recovery time from damage, ability to overseed in the winter, will grow in just about any soil type, and ease of establishment other than sodding.

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You're correct, centipede hates traffic and dog piss too. I fertilize very seldom and have a mix I spray maybe twice a year to keep weeds and grassy weeds out.


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Here's a cost cutting option. Buy whatever amount of centipede you can afford. Spread it as evenly as possible across your entire yard. This Sept-early November, put out perennial ryegrass. The perennial ryegrass will grow and be green and give you some erosion control through next spring. It will die out in the summer heat. In the meantime, the centipede will go dormant in the winter. It will come back out and start growing in the spring. Centipede will spread on it own. It's slow, and may take several years, but it will eventually spread and fill in your yard. You can even reseed the ryegrass the following fall, if you deem it necessary. If you can keep the centipede watered in the summer, it will help it grow faster. Centipede requires only very light fertilization. You may also wish to buy and spread more centipede seed each summer to hasten it's spread.

I went with St. Augustine sod and have absolutely no regrets. No real maintenance and it's not a "high" growing grass. It will create a carpet in your yard that's practically weedless.

Soilman said:

You may also wish to buy and spread more centipede seed each summer to hasten it's spread.

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Another method is to cut plugs from your existing lawn.

Homebrewale said:

Another method is to cut plugs from your existing lawn.

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This is certainly true. That is how my Dad created his lawn on Ocracoke. Plugs of centipede in anything that would hold water. He had to bring more plugs to kickstart it after sound side flooding.

Pirate96 said:

This is certainly true. That is how my Dad created his lawn on Ocracoke. Plugs of centipede in anything that would hold water. He had to bring more plugs to kickstart it after sound side flooding.

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Same thing we did at our place there. Post hole diggers cut a perfect plug in centipede or St. Augustine.

This crowd sells centipede seed. http://mackilweanturffarm.com/ not sure about the prices, but would be worth a call to check. They are in New Bern NC. I agree that centipede requires less fertilizer and mowing. Bermuda is much more forgiving. It is really a preference thing, don't push the nitrogen and mowing isn't needed as frequently with the bermuda, but you are still going to have to mow it. Bermuda gives you a lot more options with regards to weed control and recovery from anything that kills the grass and traffic. Either way. probably need to go ahead and get something planted if you are going to go with a warm season grass. Good luck and congratulations on the new house!!

So I may be more confused now that I was before I asked.lol Due to contractor traffic and tractor availability I'm not sure I'll be able to have the yard ready by mid August so I may have to spread out some rye or something to get some roots established and start working toward a summer grass next year.

fowlplay'n said:

So I may be more confused now that I was before I asked.lol Due to contractor traffic and tractor availability I'm not sure I'll be able to have the yard ready by mid August so I may have to spread out some rye or something to get some roots established and start working toward a summer grass next year.

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Timing wise I'd say yeah go with rye grass. Another option is whatever warm season grass you choose you can always mix some seed with the cool season and get a little head start on next year. If you go with Bermuda you can spray over top with a product to kill off the rye and not hurt the Bermuda that may have somehow survived the winter. As long as our summers are there's a good chance there would be some established Bermuda in there. I'd go with a 60 % cool season seed to 40 % warm season seed rate.

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fowlplay'n said:

but when I priced the seed I almost had a heart attack! I've got two acres of yard and the tight wad in me can't justify $1,200 for grass seed.

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I can't speak for any other part of your post, except what I quoted.

I have been that "tightwad" before. And when dealing with items I will ride in, use a lot, behold, or sleep next to, I decided to think LONG term.

The difference right now between $1200 and $400 may become very apparent and expensive a few years from now.

You know in your head right now what you want to look out at 3 years from now. Yourself 3 years from now, imho, would tell the you today "don't skimp."

jmho.

Dr. Peacock of NCstate says you can grow any grass in NC but you cannot grow any of them without problems.