What grass grows the best here? (Durham, Cary: price, move, crabgrass)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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I think the poster is asking what grass grows best in this area. (not, what is your favorite grass. We all have our opinions on this...)
If you took 3 yards next to each other and planted, zoysia, fescue and bermuda and let them grow:
After 3 years, the zoysia yard will be zoysia, the fescue yard would be 10% zoysia and 10% fescue and 80% bermuda, the bermuda yard would be 100% bermuda.
After 5 years, the zoysia yard would be zoysia, the fescue yard would be 50% zoysia and 50% bermuda, the bermuda yard would be 100% bermuda.
After 10 years, all the yards would be zoysia.
Note: if you have shade, the fescue will beat the bermuda and may beat the zoysia (some zoysias do well in partial shade, but not as well as fescue).
These are all great points - thank you! I took a look at that website and it was great. I did the search engine for what type of grass to plant and it gave me fescue and zoysia because we have part shade. The problem is with our back yard being mostly shaded. The fescue we have won't grow under the trees. I'm not sure if zoysia will be better - any opinions?
I am concerned about zoysia spreading into my neighbor's yard which is fescue. We could prevent that by landscaping along one whole side of our fence. The other two sides are currently next to undeveloped lots so they don't seem to matter right now. The builders will have to consider that when they eventually put houses on those lots.
I am not so sure about the zoysia being brown over the cold season. We have a mix of warm season and cold season lawns in the neighborhood and the fescue looks better in the winter than the zoysia. For the softer feel and look of the zoysia, however, I would learn to like the brown. This is all if it grows under the trees, of course.
Any thoughts about whether zoysia grows under trees with shade all day?
Of all the choices mentioned a "shade tolerant" (creeping red, etc.) fescue has the best chance of success in the shade but you still need four hours of sun daily.
While this summer has been dry, a wet humid spring will encourage fungus and cause problems too.
If the fescue will not grow, I doubt zoysia will either. Fescue grows better in shade (need less light) than zoysia.
For the really shady part of my yard I have mulch.
And yes, the zoysia will probably spread to your neighbors yard. You might be able to stop it, but it will be work on your part (unless you have a shaded border).
(Note: I have Jamur zoysia in my back yard. It is a soft, thick grass. I really like it. I had it installed this spring so I have not had a winter with it yet. I have fescue (or dead fescue...) in my front. I am getting tired of reseeding the fescue every year. I am thinking of plugging my front yard next year).
I intend this fall to tear out well over 50% of the lawn and go with Lirope monkey grass, dogwood trees and pine straw mulch!!
I'm with you!
Something to think about too:
I've replaced half my lawn (on an acre) and have naturalized it with beautiful flowers, shrubs, small trees...and how alive my yard is with necter seeking insects and butterflies! My prior lawn never attracted anything except bugs, grups, and fungus! I am keeping a small space of lawn with fescue but I can hardly wait until I've naturalized all the rest of the dying lawn that never has grown well in full sun in NC!
Even that wouldn't kill the roots, just burn off the dead-already top.
I think he is talking about the recent fires in NE Raleigh where it appears that the flames spread from house to house via the pinestraw mulch and the then dormant bermuda grass. (the fire Department noted that the bermuda was completely burned, right up until the line where they had placed fescue in the back yards, which did not burn at all) So, I guess your lawn will grow back if it catches on fire, but I doubt your house will.
I think he is talking about the recent fires in NE Raleigh where it appears that the flames spread from house to house via the pinestraw mulch and the then dormant bermuda grass. (the fire Department noted that the bermuda was completely burned, right up until the line where they had placed fescue in the back yards, which did not burn at all) So, I guess your lawn will grow back if it catches on fire, but I doubt your house will.
What you do is overseed your bermuda lawn with rye grass in the fall after the temps drop below 60 degrees at night on a consistent basis. You will have a green thick lawn all year long. The rye grass will die around May and then the bermuda will green back up. The rye grass is beautiful and the bermuda...well you don't have to water or anything...it's nice and bright green in the sun. The rye grass takes very well without any special tending to. The home we bought has bermuda...it was here when we bought it and have read that to get rid of it is impossible...so it's here to stay. The key is to overseed with rye in the fall and you will never have a brown lawn. Our lawn right now is bright green and looks like a golf course and we do nothing to it thanks to bermuda. You do have to cut it short and edge or it doesn't look as good. Our water bill was $45 this month, I'm sure our neighbors with fescue are looking at over $100 water bill.
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