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seed sowing southern Louisiana

Hi, Could you remind me when would be the best time to sow seed in southern Louisiana? Would it be in September (now) as in other areas of the states? Thanks, Donna

Reply to
DJ
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What kind of seed are you sowing? Ryegrass or fescue is good now. Seeded types of bermudagrass do better in May or June.

Reply to
Eurocat

Hi I've used the rye grass. It doesn't last long at all. How is the fescue for durability? That's the kind my daughter in SC told me to get. I'll be going this weekend to buy the seed. Thanks, Donna

Reply to
DJ

Reply to
Diane James

Hi Diane It sure does get extremely hot here.It was low 90's today. It just seems like I no sooner get one area looking better than another area dies. I highly believe in mulching. Never did like a regular mower. I'm not sure what zoysia is. I had gone to the neighborhood seed and feed store and they only had 2 types. Bermuda and Centipede. I about fell on the floor when he told me that the Centipede was $32.00 a lb. I jokingly told him that I didn't want to go out and have to get a loan just to have a pretty yard. Must be some good stuff, I guess. I I see alot of St. Augustine grass. Our yard has lots of all kinds of grass/weeds. My husband said that if I wanted a pretty yard, that I would have to do the work. He's happy if the yard is just mowed. He said do what I wanted with the yard as long as it's free. I even dug all along our drive to help the drainage whenever we get downpours, and used the grass from that area to patch the yard. I had 3 + wheelbarrows full. Lots of work but worth it when it starts filling in. I even dug out areas and placed stepping stones to help with excessive wear. Any ideas? Thanks for your reply. Donna

Reply to
DJ

Unless you have an irrigation system fescue is never going to make it long term. Bermuda, Centipede, Zoysia, or St. Augustine are basically your choices. St. Augustine is a little disease prone for my book, and grubs love the stuff. Bermuda seed sounds expensive but the seed is very small and a pound will go quite a way. If you buy bagged seed (like Scott's for instance) it should have the application rates (lbs of seed per 1000 square feet). Zoyzia is also a very good grass but a little harder to grow. Now is really not the time to plant the warm season grasses that do well in your area. You want to plant that in the spring. You could plant some rye grass just to have something green on the ground till spring. Rye is an annual that really doesn't last more than a year as you have noticed. Its good to plant if you have an erosion problem or if you have warm season grass that goes brown in the fall and you want a green yard in the fall and winter

DJ wrote:

Reply to
Anonymous

Neither me or the hundred homes on my block have irrigation systems and fescue is all over S.C.

Reply to
LARRY THE CABLE GUY

Anonymous Is there another choice for an annual grass. I was pleased with how quickly the Rye grass came up, but it seems you just look at it and it lays down. ??? I kept it watered good. Thanks, Donna

Reply to
DJ

But you don't live in Louisianan. It's considerably more tropical (higher heat, humidity and longer summer) in LA than in SC. SC is firmly in the geographical zone that Fescue grows in. LA is not. You probably could keep a fescue lawn going in LA but it would require irrigation in the dry season and yearly over seeding. In other words it would be a lot of trouble. You would be basically trying to make a grass grow where it was not intended to. I have a fescue lawn in northern Alabama and we are frankly borderline for this type grass (and yes, I go have an in ground irrigation system, without which I would lose at least 50% of my fescue in July and August. It all depends where you live as to what grass will do well in your area.

LARRY THE CABLE GUY wrote:

Reply to
Anonymous

There may be another annual grasses but if so I am not familiar with it. I do see some people who plant rye every fall in their bermuda lawn just because they like a green lawn year round. You are correct about how it "lays down". Rye has very fine blades that tend to just lay over when you cut it. If you plant it a little earlier in the fall (but definitely not when daily highs are over 82 or so) you may get it to thicken up more before the cold weather hits which will greatly slow down its growth. If so and if you've got a really sharp blade on your mower you can get it to cut decently. If you are going to do this I suggest that you bag instead of mulch when cutting the rye. You'll want to cut it higher than you would cut bermuda. Say 3 inches or so. The only downside to planting rye in a bermuda lawn is that the dormant season for bermuda is a great time to take out unwanted weeds. All you do is wait until the bermuda has gone really dormant (say in February) and hit anything that is still green with roundup. If it's green it is not bermuda and roundup will not harm completely dormant grass. The only danger to this is if you wait too late and the bermuda is just starting to wake up (about mid to late march here, could be several weeks earlier for you) then you can do some damage to your lawn. We always had problems with onions when we had a bermuda lawn and this was a good way to control them.

Good Luck.

DJ wrote:

Reply to
Anonymous

Reply to
Anonymous

Your maybe right abou the fescue in Lousy Anna, but lower SC has just as much heat,.humidity,etc,,,,

and there is no place hotter than Beaufortt, S.C. I would almost bet on it ,,,,,,,,LMAO

Reply to
LARRY THE CABLE GUY

Anonymous,

Do you know anything about creeping red fescue??

I heard it has the runners like Bermuda . I might sow thta in my backyard.

Thanks

Reply to
LARRY THE CABLE GUY

It likes partial shade and cool temps.

Reply to
Steveo

Thanks

Reply to
LARRY THE CABLE GUY

Anonymous Hi, thanks for the help with this. I do keep the blade as sharpened. The problem I have with the blade, is that they tend to get rusty very quickly. Is it possible to spray the blade with something? that wouldn't harm the yard? Thanks again, Donna

Reply to
DJ

Anonymous I believe you are right about the irrigation. Most of my family live in SC and when my sister lived at Lake Bowen they had to pump water from the lake to irrigate their yard. Here, I do the watering and believe me I hear it from my hubby about how much the Water bill is. Ha. Donna

Reply to
DJ

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