Installed a ton of native grass in the Austin area & am doing some this week in fact.

That said, we do very few lawns because there are drawbacks:
1. Shade. Native grass needs full sun or it will thin out & be replaced by weeds.
2. Traffic tolerance: It can't take as much as Bermuda, St. Aug or Zoysia. Slower to recover.
3. Weeds. You're going to have some... pull by hand or spot treat carefully as herbicides will hurt the natives.
4. Invasion. In good years, your neighbor's Bermuda will invade & do so rapidly. It's hard to keep a clean stand of native grass in the burbs.

I would recommend creating large beds around trees & the perimeters of you lawn to mitigate shade problems & create a buffer from neighboring grass intrusion.

Prep the HECK out of your area prior to seeding. Spray w/Round Up, remove everything & spray again in another week whatever comes back. Don't till. Add an inch of lightly composted soil to topdress & rake smooth. Install the seed & use a roller or rake to bury slightly. Water 2-3x per day lightly to keep everything from drying out. Don't water so much it will wash away.

Watch your drainage off the house & gutters, a heavy rain can blow out all your hard work.

It takes a lot of work to establish a native lawn & we're running out of time to get installed. You've got about 2 weeks max to get it down or you'll have to wait until next April. Good luck

I've always thought a native yard would be a better choice. Especially with climate change and water restrictions. But my HOA would hate it.

Reminds me of this old email forward joke:

Quote:

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GOD: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What's going on down there in Kansas? I don't see the dandelions, violets, thistle etc. that I started eons ago. I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Plants that withstand heat, drought, cold and high wind, multiply with abandon and grow in any type of soil. Nectar from the blossoms attracts pollinators and flocks of songbirds. I've expected to see a vast garden of colors by now, but all I see are green rectangles!

ST. FRANCIS: It's the humans that settled there Lord, the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and now go to great lengths to kill and replace them with "lawns."

GOD: (curiously) Lawns? Well, that's mostly just green. Where are the butterflies, birds and insects? Those pristine lawns require pesticides and herbicides and they're temperamental with temperature and moisture. Is that what Suburbanites really want?

ST. FRANCIS: (trying to appease) Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing non-native grass and poisoning other plants which crop up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make the grass grow really fast. Does that make the Suburbanites happy?

ST. FRANCIS: (sheepishly) Apparently not Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it … sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it !?! They must bale it like hay.

ST. FRANCIS: Well not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up, but then they put it in plastic bags.

GOD: Plastic bags? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?


ST. FRANCIS: No Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Okay, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. When it does, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST: FRANCIS: Yes Sir.

GOD: Surely the Suburbanites are relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat slowing the grass growth. Saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: (nervous chuckle) You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing as fast, they turn on their sprinkler systems and pay for extra water in order to grow it, mow it and pay again to throw it … away.

GOD: Even though they've not kept the free flowers I provided, at least they've kept some of the native trees. That particular creation was a stroke of genius if I do say so myself. They put forth leaves in the spring, which provide beauty and shade in the summer. In autumn, the leaves fall to the ground and form natural mulch which keeps moisture in the soil, protecting not only the tree itself but shrubs and perennials nearby. Plus, those same leaves turn to compost, nourishing the soil.

ST. FRANCIS: (apologetically) You'd better sit down, Lord. (clearing his throat) As soon as the leaves drop, the Suburbanites rake them into piles, put them into plastic bags and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: (unbelieving) NO! What do they do to protect vegetative roots in the winter and keep soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After disposing of the leaves, they go out and buy something labeled mulch, haul it home and spread it around the trees and shrubs.

GOD: Where do they get this "mulch"?

ST. FRANCIS: (matter of fact) Well, they cut down trees and grind them up.

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I saw someone mentioning emerald Zoysia. I'll throw my recommendation in for Zoysia, though I went with the Zeon cultivar. Zeon is often considered the "Cadillac of turf" as it's an improved variety that carries many of the traits of other fine blade Zoysia's like emerald, but has even more improved shade and drought tolerance. Can mow it like a golf course at 1/8" if you want with a reel mower, but I prefer a normal rotary and keeping the HOC around 2 to 2.5". My wife prefers the cushy carpet feel where your feet sink in as you walk.

One side of my lawn only gets about 3 hours of sun a day due to my 2 story house and the large live oak in my neighbor's yard at the corner of my property line. I loved my Bermuda, but it wouldn't grow there with such minimal sun. I hate St. Augustine so that wasn't an option and I didn't want two grass types in my backyard. After a lot of research, I laid down 4 pallets of Zeon in mid-June and couldn't be happier. Obviously the crazy hot summer and lack of rain wasn't ideal, but this grass is tough and resilient and I've been seriously impressed so far. It's a slow-spreading grass though, so keep that in mind. You need to fully sod because it'll probably take years to spread out and cover any bare areas.

This pic was taken about 2 weeks ago.

Round up really shouldn't do damage to large, established trees. You aren't applying enough to soak into the ground and actually be absorbed into tree roots below the surface. It doesn't take but just a surface spray of Roundup to kill off grass.

Follow the established application rates and do multiple applications a few weeks apart and you'll be fine and risk no damage to your trees. (But do it on a non-windy day and be careful you don't get the spray onto foliage of bushes, flowers, etc)