Budget grass for larger yard?

   / Budget grass for larger yard? #22  
Good stuff Kenny. Never heard of it. Sounds like a good choice for a heavily treed area??

Yes, I have it in a mixed sunny/shade area and it does equally well in all areas. The soil is poor - mainly sand and I don't do anything to it other than the monthly mowing. I had to restore the area after the pond was dredged. I just graded it to level and smooth, spread the seed and covered with straw. The germination seemed slow, but I was amazed at how well established the grass was after it took off.
 
   / Budget grass for larger yard?
  • Thread Starter
#23  
You really have only one choice. Bermudagrass. You are in south Arkansas, so any of the cool season grasses will not survive your summer. Don't waste money on any fescue, Kentucky blue grass, ryegrass, etc.

There are several kinds of bermuda available. If you will be mowing this as a lawn, DO NOT use plain old common bermuda. It would be the cheapest, but is better suited for pasture or hay, and not for a lawn, and you would have to mow it more often.

Be sure to get a 'turf type' bermuda seed. There are several good varieties available, and some come as a blend of 3 or 4 varieties. The cost will be around $12-$18 per pound, but it will still be your cheapest and best option. These varieties are bred for lawns and athletic fields and will not have as much upward growth.

Try to get the seed down between your last frost, and about mid June so that it has time to establish before next winter. Small seedlings will not survive a hard freeze.

St. Augustine is only available as sod or sprigs and will cost a lot more to establish.

Centipede seed will cost less, but will take a lot longer to establish. And Centipede will not tolerate as much traffic and/or drought.

I have been building and establishing athletic fields for many years and I only use bermuda
Ah, I didn't realize there was a "turf" bermuda vs non turf. I'm finding turf seed online for roughly $230/50 lbs, which isn't bad since I only need to cover 2 acres at max. Less than $1000 anyway.
 
   / Budget grass for larger yard? #24  
I too have about 3 acres cleared and stumped for lawn but I also have 2 acres under the power lines that are a power co easement so, I’m building my own driving range! I also have about a 1/2 acre that is what they called a logging deck. Basically a 1 acre circle that was never replanted with trees. That’s going to be my practice chipping area.

After doing hours of research I gave up.

I found a good guy who’s been doing landscaping for 30 years. The important part was, he’s been doing it locally for 30 years. He has a great reputation so, I just called him.

He came over, asked what I wanted and made suggestions. IMHO a good local guy is your best source for info.

When in Rome....
 
 
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