Shadow turf - does anyone have it? (Bowie: neighborhood, price)

[Chakapu]

More than 1/2 of our large corner lot is heavily shaded. It's either dirt or weeds. We really wanted to find something shade and drought tolerant. We're happy to let it be slow-growing, don't need to put sod down and are patient.

I went to Fanick's on the eastside today (loved the place!), and discussed a few options. I settled for the shadow turf, which the guy there said was a grass developed by Texas Tech for its shade and drought tolerance. It's very pricey though. I'm just going to get one flat and do a small area. Another guy there said it's supposed to go one per sf, but he recommended spacing them out much more. My hope is it'll take and then we can use plugs from that to do the rest of the yard.

So, has anyone used this? Despite the price, it seems too good to be true. It has the texture of Bermuda and is slow growing. Any comments, thoughts, experiences?

[sapphire]

I don't know anything about the grass, but thanks for the lead on the garden center.....looks like we may be going to the eastside tomorrow! I love a good garden center. Their website says they are open 8:30 to 5 every day.

[Chakapu]

I loved the place. It's kind of in an unexpected location - it's in the middle of an older neighborhood, quiet street with large lots. Then you come upon this place with lots of trees and plants . I am just so happy to find a place with excellent service and knowledgeable staff. After we made our selection, DD and I just wandered around for awhile and had fun looking at all the trees.

[sapphire]

We just wander aimlessly at Rainbow Gardens sometimes. It's so peaceful!

[Bowie]

I have heard that the best place in town to get grass seed is Douglass W. King Seed Co. . Apparently they have demonstration plots outside the store where you can see and touch the different varieties of grass that grow from the seed that they sell. They could probably advise you on the plusses and minuses of Shadow turf.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Bowie

I have heard that the best place in town to get grass seed is Douglass W. King Seed Co. . Apparently they have demonstration plots outside the store where you can see and touch the different varieties of grass that grow from the seed that they sell. They could probably advise you on the plusses and minuses of Shadow turf.

Thanks for the tip. I feel pretty confident with the professional opinion of the staff at Fanick's - they are quite knowledgeable. I was just wondering if anyone had personal experience with this type of turf in their own yards.

In any case, I planted it yesterday, a little more sparse than it's supposed to be, although the Fanick's guys said that was fine, it would just take longer to fill in. The space where I planted has a ton of heavy root systems, despite all my efforts to pull as much out as possible. It looks like a little moon scape now with tiny tufts of hair everywhere. Let's hope it takes well. If it does, next year I'll plug it and use that to seed the larger side yard.

[sapphire]

I'm confused. Chaka=Chakapu?

[Chaka]

oh yeah sorry. I just changed it... I figured it was close enough to as not be too confusing. Sorry about that.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by Chaka

oh yeah sorry. I just changed it... I figured it was close enough to as not be too confusing. Sorry about that.

Just so you know, the admins here are touchy about multiple accounts logging in from the same computer. The FAQ thread below explains how to avoid getting in trouble for that.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/faq/8...household.html

[Chaka]

Ok, my apologies. I figured 2 letters wouldn't make much difference, as I dropped the old account.