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Lawn overhaul

2,194 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by El_duderino
Tom Cardy
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1:28p, 9/19/23
AG
Back yard gets zero shade in the summer, I gave up trying to keep it alive halfway through July. Some of my St Augustine is just fine along the fence lines, although I think I'm probably dealing with a combination of heat, drought, disease, etc.

I haven't really been big into my lawn before, so I'm pretty new to how to manage this and get good grass back down.

I believe there is a lot of dead matter that has piled up over the years and covers most of the yard (see pictures below).

What tips do y'all have for me? Not trying to break the bank and re-sod everything. Young kids & dogs also a factor, so I can't have a ton of chemicals out for a long period of time.


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AustinCountyAg
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1:35p, 9/19/23
honestly not much you can do. Lack of rain and zero shade makes it tough to grow grass. You can water the **** out of it, but even still it will be tough for it to come in thick in this heat.

How often and long do you water?
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Tom Cardy
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In reply to AustinCountyAg • 1:51p, 9/19/23
AG
Water restrictions mean I currently get 2x a week, I'm at about 2 hours each day (~45 minutes for each main zone). Not nearly enough to keep anything alive but with the weather I knew it would be impossible
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dudeabides
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2:17p, 9/19/23
AG
Have you looked for chinch bugs? That pattern in the lawn seems to be be similar to what I would expect to see with them.
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Tom Cardy
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In reply to dudeabides • 2:26p, 9/19/23
AG
That seems likely, as well.

My current line of thinking:

  • dethatch the yard now
  • treat for chinch bugs
  • try to maintain until spring, and at that point dethatch again and overseed

The long-range weather guidance looks like we'll have a good bit more rain over winter this year, but I don't want to put new grass or seed down and risk losing it to a freeze
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HDeathstar
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2:35p, 9/19/23
Looks like you had heat and disease.


Cheaper things you can do to help:
1. May want to wait till temps drop into the low/mid 90s and we are seeing rain.
2. A few weeks before you start work, kill the weeds with a spray that fits the weeds (Some take two weeks). I assume the small patches of green with brown all around them are weeds/Bermuda grass vs St. Augustine.
3. Rake up dead grass/thatch and throw away. It keeps water from reaching the soil for grass and still carries the disease that killed it. With the amount you have, it is a lot to rake. Another option is to burn the dead grass in the big areas and rake in areas that still have good grass. I have a weed burner that I use on my smoker that works well. If your yard does not have weeds (can't tell), just rake dead grass and start watering.
4. Thow down an inch of good compost on the areas where you removed the thatch. Or a light layer of fine mulch as a cheaper alternative. Something to help keep moisture in the soil, not a barrier for grass roots.
5. Resod, plant st Augustine plugs spaced out, or transplant runners from your current alive st Augustine grass. Each one of the three has a decreasing cost to you.

I have had good luck with grass plugs (Cornelius nursery). They have a good root system, and you can water the roots by sprinkler or handheld. Cheapest way is to pull runners from your good grass and transplant it in the bare areas (plant it in soil with just the blades above the dirt). I have done this in smaller areas. takes longer than plugs, because the roots need to grow, before spreading.

I like the plugs better than sod squares, because the squares are a layer clay with grass on it.

Good luck.
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chickencoupe16
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In reply to Tom Cardy • 4:53p, 9/19/23
AG
Tom Cardy said:
That seems likely, as well.

My current line of thinking:

  • dethatch the yard now
  • treat for chinch bugs
  • try to maintain until spring, and at that point dethatch again and overseed

The long-range weather guidance looks like we'll have a good bit more rain over winter this year, but I don't want to put new grass or seed down and risk losing it to a freeze
St. Augustine cannot be seeded, so unless you want to throw Bermuda into your yard (I have done so, so maybe not totally crazy), you'll need to use sod or plugs.

Treat for chinch bugs with Imidacloprid. This is a little expensive for the bottle but you only need like 1 oz per 1000 sq/ft, so get 28,0000 sq/ft. Should easily give you 4 full yard treatments (assuming yard size).

When did your issues really begin? Based on that answer, I'm not entirely convinced your lawn damage is chinch bugs. If it started before June, I'd lean towards Take All Root Rot. I could be wrong on that, but I'd put down antifungal (Azoxystrobin) either way to prepare for the fall.

On that note, it sounds like you're watering long enough. But are you sure? Do the tuna can test. Put out short walled containers (tuna cans) throughout your lawn and time how long it takes to put out 1/2 inch of water for each zone. That's how long you should be watering. And make sure your sprinklers are all working and have good overlap with their neighbors.

When are you watering? In the heat of the summer, I moved my sprinklers back to 4AM because I wasn't worried about fungus but now that 100 degree days are gone, I'm back to 6:30 start and finish at 8:30. This helps the blades to dry quickly.

Do not use a pre-emergent until the lawn fills in, otherwise you'll stunt the roots the runners try to put down. Mow often enough that only 1/3 of the blade is removed each time. I mow every 4 days right now. This helps keep the plant healthy and encourages horizontal growth vs vertical. Mow high, like the highest or second highest setting your mower has. And sharpen your blades.

Depending on where you are, you might have time to resod before winter. I've done it before in College Station in early October and it went well. There may have been a little luck involved but I'd personally take the gamble with the weather we've been having.

I think that's all. Good luck!
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Picard
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5:25p, 9/19/23
AG
Plant several trees

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10andBOUNCE
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9:53a, 9/20/23
AG
Rip the bandaid off and start over with bermuda.
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E
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4:06p, 9/20/23
AG
I have a small back yard (a size of a two car garage) that gets full sun and is completely dead. I think I put down a little too much disease-x in mid July and burnt it out. My grass looks like the complete dead areas of OP's pics.

Would it be possible to overseed with a Rye to have green grass in the winter, then put out Bermuda seeds in the spring when it warms up? Would I have to put out new seeds every time? Its my understanding that Bermuda goes dormant in winter.

I live in Houston and have always dealt with st augustine. My yards is small and only the dogs runs around on it, would prefer an easy & low cost way to just keep it green back there.
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Funky Winkerbean
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9:34a, 9/21/23
AG
Put a pool in.
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Kenneth_2003
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11:53a, 9/21/23
AG
If you're looking for minimal spending and kids etc will be playing...

1) Plant a tree in the yard somewhere. It'll take a few years but you'll start to get good shade. I planted a tree in my front yard in 2011 and the year or so before I sold that house (2017) I was really noticing a difference in the amount the areas around that tree were needing watering. How to properly prune up a nursery grown Live Oak is another thread though.

2) I'd use this winter to go through a couple rounds of aerating and overdressing the central portion of that lawn with compost. It wouldn't surprise me if that soil is packed rock hard.

When it's healthy St. Augustine can run upwards of 6+ feet a year. So your healthy stand along the fence can spread quickly.

Healthy grass will choke out the weeds in the long term.
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Cromagnum
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12:08p, 9/21/23
AG
You got chinched without a doubt. My front yard has spots just like that.
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htxag09
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In reply to E • 1:07p, 9/21/23
AG
E said:
I have a small back yard (a size of a two car garage) that gets full sun and is completely dead. I think I put down a little too much disease-x in mid July and burnt it out. My grass looks like the complete dead areas of OP's pics.

Would it be possible to overseed with a Rye to have green grass in the winter, then put out Bermuda seeds in the spring when it warms up? Would I have to put out new seeds every time? Its my understanding that Bermuda goes dormant in winter.

I live in Houston and have always dealt with st augustine. My yards is small and only the dogs runs around on it, would prefer an easy & low cost way to just keep it green back there.
Why not artificial turf? More expensive upfront but then basically maintenance free after that. May have to add some more of the bio-infill every several years.
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Tom Cardy
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In reply to htxag09 • 1:20p, 9/21/23
AG
guaranteed to tear your achilles, or so I've heard
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chickencoupe16
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In reply to htxag09 • 1:25p, 9/21/23
AG
htxag09 said:
E said:
I have a small back yard (a size of a two car garage) that gets full sun and is completely dead. I think I put down a little too much disease-x in mid July and burnt it out. My grass looks like the complete dead areas of OP's pics.

Would it be possible to overseed with a Rye to have green grass in the winter, then put out Bermuda seeds in the spring when it warms up? Would I have to put out new seeds every time? Its my understanding that Bermuda goes dormant in winter.

I live in Houston and have always dealt with st augustine. My yards is small and only the dogs runs around on it, would prefer an easy & low cost way to just keep it green back there.
Why not artificial turf? More expensive upfront but then basically maintenance free after that. May have to add some more of the bio-infill every several years.


Not OP but turf is hot and gets dirty, especially with pets. I would imagine there are weed issues as well, even if only at the edges of the turf. I would also imagine it would hurt the value of the house.
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chickencoupe16
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In reply to E • 1:28p, 9/21/23
AG
E said:
I have a small back yard (a size of a two car garage) that gets full sun and is completely dead. I think I put down a little too much disease-x in mid July and burnt it out. My grass looks like the complete dead areas of OP's pics.

Would it be possible to overseed with a Rye to have green grass in the winter, then put out Bermuda seeds in the spring when it warms up? Would I have to put out new seeds every time? Its my understanding that Bermuda goes dormant in winter.

I live in Houston and have always dealt with st augustine. My yards is small and only the dogs runs around on it, would prefer an easy & low cost way to just keep it green back there.


Bermuda does go dormant in most places in the winter, but so does every turf grass in most places. If you establish good lawn, you do not need to reseed Bermuda as it's a perennial.
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E
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In reply to chickencoupe16 • 1:41p, 9/21/23
AG
chickencoupe16 said:
htxag09 said:
E said:
I have a small back yard (a size of a two car garage) that gets full sun and is completely dead. I think I put down a little too much disease-x in mid July and burnt it out. My grass looks like the complete dead areas of OP's pics.

Would it be possible to overseed with a Rye to have green grass in the winter, then put out Bermuda seeds in the spring when it warms up? Would I have to put out new seeds every time? Its my understanding that Bermuda goes dormant in winter.

I live in Houston and have always dealt with st augustine. My yards is small and only the dogs runs around on it, would prefer an easy & low cost way to just keep it green back there.
Why not artificial turf? More expensive upfront but then basically maintenance free after that. May have to add some more of the bio-infill every several years.


Not OP but turf is hot and gets dirty, especially with pets. I would imagine there are weed issues as well, even if only at the edges of the turf. I would also imagine it would hurt the value of the house.

I want to turf it but the backyard is 100% sun and would be blazing hot in the summer. Add in my dog that will pee and poop all over it which will stink pretty bad.

It might be best to rake up the dead St Augustine and throw out new Bermuda

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htxag09
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In reply to chickencoupe16 • 1:48p, 9/21/23
AG
chickencoupe16 said:
htxag09 said:
E said:
I have a small back yard (a size of a two car garage) that gets full sun and is completely dead. I think I put down a little too much disease-x in mid July and burnt it out. My grass looks like the complete dead areas of OP's pics.

Would it be possible to overseed with a Rye to have green grass in the winter, then put out Bermuda seeds in the spring when it warms up? Would I have to put out new seeds every time? Its my understanding that Bermuda goes dormant in winter.

I live in Houston and have always dealt with st augustine. My yards is small and only the dogs runs around on it, would prefer an easy & low cost way to just keep it green back there.
Why not artificial turf? More expensive upfront but then basically maintenance free after that. May have to add some more of the bio-infill every several years.


Not OP but turf is hot and gets dirty, especially with pets. I would imagine there are weed issues as well, even if only at the edges of the turf. I would also imagine it would hurt the value of the house.
If it's a small backyard I doubt it hurts the value. A lot of people want maintenance free, especially people looking at homes with small yards to begin with.

On the dirty front, less so than normal lawns. When we were in a townhouse we had artificial turf. Cleaned up our dog's poop, just like I do in our current St. Augustine lawn. But that was it. Never had issues with smell, had it for 11+ years. And no lawn meant no dirt/mud for the dog to get into and track over the yard and in the house.

Weeds, again, less so an issue than a normal lawn. Especially if it's installed right. Not once in the 11+ years do I remember having weeds in it.

To the OP's reply, yes, it got hot, by far the most valid complaint with it. It was never an issue for our dog, though. Our son did complain about it. Wouldn't play in the grass without shoes in the heat of summer for sure.
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El_duderino
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2:12p, 9/21/23
Bermuda is the way
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