Sod for Shady Yard? Anybody know a good sod-laying company? (Howe: how much, to buy)

[AirForceDoc]

We're still pretty new here (only been in SA for a 15 months). We're about to buy sod. I heard zoysia and st augustine floratam were great in the shade, but which is better? Are they both green year round?

And any suggestions for who does good work around here?

[rd2007]

they turn brown in the winter (basically go to sleep) and I don't think they're for serious shade. My St. Augustine sod I just had laid is very brown under my crepe myrtles which are pretty much choking out all the sun..

I'll look for the car for the sod company, it was good stuff and this boatloads of rain was EXACTLY what it needed.. the two weeks after I had it done were totally dry and my water bill got up to $80 from watering it every day.

[doss1]

There are all kinds of sod places on Bandera road. My neighbors bought from various places there and all of them were good. However, I would suggest that you wait a little and dont' buy anything until the Fall (late September/October). You want to not plant anything during the high heat days of summer because then you'll have weak grass. I know we've been lucky with the rain and cooler than normal weather, but I think the end is near and we are scheduled for some high heat (August is the average hottest month on record, I believe). This is also recommended by the grass books I have for the area.

I hope this helps.

[homew6kids]

I'm curious about grass as well.

Our developer is putting in Bermuda grass on our lot. We've got lots of really big oaks on the lot, and I can't imagine it will do well under all that shade. I'm also not particularly fond of Bermuda. Are there any nice - as in pretty and soft - grasses that grow in SA, or are they all fairly coarse?

I'd loke to put in grass that grows in blades and not rhizomes, but I don't know what to look for...

[rd2007]

Bermuda and shade aren't two words that go together; your developer should know better.. Bermuda is great grass and very hardy, especially for kids and/or dogs, but it wants hot sun and lots of it.. Sounds like you need St. Augustine which seems to do best around here. I now have it in my front and back. It's nowhere near as soft as the grass we had in Michigan, but it handles the weather and that's how things are in South Texas...

[MichelleSG]

The St Augustine they have out here is a very coarse wide blade, I don't especially like the look of it. We have Bermuda and I hate it. It's sooo invasive, when you mow it it has brown patches no matter what you do, plus it does horribly under the oaks. It just can't take the shade at all. I really like the look and feel of the zoysia but I don't know anything about it at all, like how well it does in shade etc.
If anyone is wild about the bermuda though they are more than welcome to come rip it out of my yard for free, I don't want it!

[texasdreamin]

Try looking into Patch Perfect. It grows lush in shady areas, drought, high heat, etc.

[cdelena]

All gasses need sun and it is just a matter of how much. If you have an area that never gets direct sun it is not a candidate for grass at all. St Augustine is the most reliable Texas grass in shady conditions.

[lockheed1]

Originally Posted by homew6kids

I'm curious about grass as well.

I'd loke to put in grass that grows in blades and not rhizomes, but I don't know what to look for...

Rhizomes are creeping stems that travel belowground whereas stolons (or runners) travel aboveground. Some creeping grasses, such as Kentucky Bluegrass and red fescue, spread by rhizomes; some, such as centipede and St. Augustine spread by stolons; another group including both Bermuda and zoysiagrass, spreads by both ryzomes and stolons. They all have blades but of course St. Augustine's blades are thicker than Zoysiagrass. Also Zoysia is very comparable to St Augustine but have needlelike blades that can be sharp to the underfoot. I would go with St. Augustine to make along story short.lol one more thing, Builders are now required to install bermuda grass because it is a local drought tolerant. Not my favorite ny any means. Too much info to list sorry

[doss1]

Hey check out "El Toro" version of Zoysiagrass. My neighbors have been using that because it's shade tolerant but looks like Bermuda grass. Hope that helps. The nursery recommended "El Toro" to him and I checked the Texas A&M extension and they seem to like it too.