I moved into my house about a year ago, the front yard was sodded with centipede grass. The back lawn was seeded and due to my negligence is mostly bare dirt now. I want to plant seeds in the back now that the dog days of summer are over.

Centipede seeds cost about twice as much as bermuda ... is there any reason not to use bermuda in the back?? Would it anger my neighbors if they got bermuda carryover in their lawns? Also my back yard has 2 trees and it can be shady under them. But the other half faces south and gets lots of hot sun in the summer. Also I hate watering, so a low-maintenance grass would be better.

Advice??? I know nothing about lawns so advice on planting the seeds would be nice too. This week has been / will be really rainy so I want to plant soon!!!

9/28/2010 5:52:35 PM

centipede is expensive, but the seeds are tiny and you don't need that much

9/28/2010 6:29:14 PM

I tell ya what

9/28/2010 6:59:17 PM

I happen to hate Bermuda. If you keep it mowed seed carryover shouldn't be a problem, but it sounds like you aren't the most on the ball person with lawn maintenance. Definitely go for something drought resistant and shade tolerant, and if you live around here there is a good chance you have plenty of clay which is also a challenge. I am preferable to tall fescue blend (moderately drought resistant, shade tolerant...you will always want to reseed in the fall after any hot summer, but holds up relatively well, doesn't sprout seed pods as it grows and does not brown in winter), and now is a good time to seed.

Here is a useful link http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/
Plenty of info on the relative pluses and minuses of different grasses in the area, as well as lots of tips. There is even a turf selection assistant if you input your County and some characteristics about your lawn needs.

[Edited on September 28, 2010 at 9:14 PM. Reason : .]

9/28/2010 9:12:00 PM

Quote :

"BAHHHHH!"

9/28/2010 10:05:55 PM

^^ forgot to mention I live in Charleston, SC. the climate is pretty similar to Raleigh, although it's definitely warmer. this summer was pretty brutal on my lawn, it was very hot and I didn't water nearly enough

you're right my yard is clay and I'm lazy at lawn maintenance

9/28/2010 10:11:16 PM

Bermudagrass does terrible in shaded areas...centipede does better than bermudagrass in shaded areas...but zoysia grass does better than both of these in the shade and looks a lot like bermuda grass....(Bermuda,zoysia, and centipede are all warm season grasses so the downside of all of them is the fact that they go dormant (turn brown) after the first hard frost which is usually around the second week of the State fair)....if I were you I would seed the back with ryegrass (the opitmal seeding time for rye grass is 30 days before the first frost)....ryegrass germinates very quickly and looks really good through the fall and winter (if it is a mild winter) but will tank in the summer...if I were you I would find the cheapest ryegrass seed at lowes and get it down right before the next rain and evaluate sodding with zoysia in the spring if you can afford it (or consider tall fescue but the weather around here is really hit and miss for tall fescue)

9/28/2010 10:54:51 PM

Since you;ve got half a yard of centipede, I'd try to stick with that. It's also the lowest maintenence grass you;re talking about.


If you're willing to spend a few years getting your lawn established:

I'd grab a bag of fescue, throw it down, just to get something growing. Spend next spring/early summer pulling sprigs of centipede out of your front yard and planting them in your backyard. Then repeat next fall.

The centipede will outcompete the fescue and eventually take over. It'll take longer, but sprigs are easier than seeds to get going, and a lot cheaper since you've got them growing in your yard.

9/29/2010 9:28:03 AM

9/29/2010 10:54:42 AM

WARNING: WORDS (but I think they will help the OP)

Last year I put down zoysia zeon in my front and some of the back (left over sod) and I love my lawn. Beautiful color, only have to move it every two weeks and even if I wait, it does not look bad as zoysia does not grow seeds or get really uneven looking.

I had centipede left over in my backyard from when the home builder seeded the lawn. Some areas took well, most not so much. Anyway I killed all of the centipede in the front, but in some areas in the back I laid the zoysia over the centipede (just runners, not big patches). Bad idea. The centipede is a hell of a lot more agressive than the zoysia and now I have to fight the centipede from choking out the zoysia in my backyard. I'll probably have to kill everything in the backyard and re-sod with zoysia if I ever want a truly homogeneous lawn throughout.

Anyway my advice for you is to stick with centipede if you hate watering and want a fairly low maintenance grass. Bermuda is going to grow faster (i.e. more mowing) than centipede and centipede seems to be somewhat drought tolerant. I know zoysia is not drought tolerant. My grass goes brown quick if it's been dry and there are area not getting water from the sprinkler system. I live in SC too and have sandy soil and I know the centipede will do well in that if that is what you have in Charleston.

Also I really recommend sod. Yes it is expensive and a HUGE bitch to lay down, but the impact is immediate and within a few weeks it will look great. Doing seed, especially if you do not want to do a lot of effort, is not going to work. Seed takes patience, watering, weed maintenance, frustration, and money (though it will be less than sod). Centipede sod in my part of SC is $95 per pallet (500 sq ft) delivered, no tax. Zoysia was $125 and Bermuda $75, but it is probably more expensive down near Charleston.

[Edited on September 29, 2010 at 11:45 AM. Reason : oh yeah zoysia does very well in the shade. Centipede just okay. bermuda = no]

9/29/2010 11:45:13 AM

just cover it with propane and propane accessories

9/29/2010 3:36:59 PM

^^ thanks!! I went ahead and got a 5lb bag of Centipede. $34.99

My co-workers also recommended sod, but I really don't want to spend several hundred dollars on my lawn right now. Also someone told me he paid $150 a pallet for centipede. I don't really need the lawn to look good, it just needs to look green. Seeding today! I'm gonna scratch the ground up with a rake first and see how it goes.

9/29/2010 3:38:49 PM

Centipede seed goes down in the spring.

And 5lb. of centipede seeds is like a trillion seeds. mix it with a some sand or something to help spread it out evenly.

I know it's not for SC, but this'll get you close:

http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/Maintenance_Calendars.aspx#1

[Edited on September 29, 2010 at 3:47 PM. Reason : {]

9/29/2010 3:45:46 PM

And if you do seed something right away, I'd at least wait until after TS Nicole goes through or it's all liable to wash away.

9/29/2010 5:09:27 PM

1. this is not the time of year to seed, sod or sprig warm season grasses ( centipede, bermuda, zoysia, etc.)

2. centipede is very slow to establish from from seed. takes 3+ years to have a full, established lawn. if i had to have centipede i would put down sod.

Quote :

"I don't really need the lawn to look good, it just needs to look green."

does not compute. you can't have one without the other. centipede seed at this time of year will not a green lawn make. if you want it green this this fall/winter use rye. or paint it green.

[Edited on September 29, 2010 at 5:21 PM. Reason : ha]

9/29/2010 5:15:08 PM

LOL too late!! you guys should've responded sooner. Right after my post I went out and seeded the centipede. First I scratched up the yard with a rake to make a rough surface, (that was sooooo much work and it sucked soooo bad) then seeded and put straw over the top. It was a shit ton of work and it was drizzling rain outside. Hope it doesn't wash away.

and if it is a failure I can always get some of that rye, that stuff was super cheap.

9/29/2010 5:46:06 PM

there's some solid advice posted so far. but you have to answer these questions to get the advice you need:
-how much money are you willing to spend? not only to initially do the yard but also how much will you spend annually to maintain it? you could go anywhere from nothing but gas money for the mower all the way to a couple thousand if you use fert., weed control, insect control, overseeding etc. on a regular basis.
-do you mind having dormant (brown) grass from about mid oct til around april?
-do you have/plan to use irrigation?
-how much time do you plan to invest on weekly maintenence? i.e. you only want to mow once/wk and forget it or maybe you enjoy yardwork and don't mind spending a little extra time on it.
-you said you have trees. shade is a huge factor in what will work best.

i've been in the turf biz for 15 years and get asked for advice all the time. you really need to take into account all these questions before deciding. it is SO worth doing this project the right way. it's ALWAYS cheaper to do it correctly the first time. even if it costs a little more than you expected. you'll save alot more money in the long run.

i'm unemployed and always looking for an excuse to get out of the house so if you live close by in the raleigh area, maybe i can swing by, take a look at your yard and throw you some advice. shoot me a pm if interested.

9/29/2010 9:37:20 PM

The centipede seed you put down likely won't sprout. You need to plant sometime in early May and keep it watered for 6-8 weeks (i.e. keep the soil damp at all times). Don't expect Centipede to grow like fescue and other grasses...you won't have a lush green yard the first year. You may not even see half of the sprouts the first year....they might remain underground. It's very slow at growing and getting established. instead of buying more seed, cut off the ends of the "runners" like 4-6 inches long...get a garden shovel, and bury the cut off centipede runners everywhere (Bury half of it). After you put it into the ground, step on the soil to ensure good contact with the soil.

That would probably be quicker than seed, anyways

Quote :

"if I were you I would find the cheapest ryegrass seed at lowes "

Cheap seed generally has quite a bit of weed seeds in it. I'd personally at least go middle-of-the-road if I were you. Make sure on the back of the seed it says "Noxious weeds found - 0%"
\

[Edited on September 29, 2010 at 10:12 PM. Reason : ]

9/29/2010 10:04:47 PM

^^^ very true. don't buy the cheapest seeds. buy the most expensive you can afford.
the bottom line is a yard is like just about anything else in the world. the more work and money you throw at it, the better it'll be.

9/29/2010 10:14:05 PM