It grows well in sunny and warm areas, and it does not handle cold weather. Hello, More than half of my front yard lawn (St. Augustine) is dead and I don't want to have St. Augustine lawn anymore. While I have had good success with the St. Augustine that is down now, my 4 dogs tear it up with the running and training I do with them. Examples provided of tested products are actual products owned, tested, and used regularly by the author. In fact, it needs to be mowed very short so that it doesn’t shade itself out and die. Is there a downside to Bermuda? St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Bermuda sod costs $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot or between $1 and $2 per square foot when including soil preparation, delivery, and installation fees. Or another idea is just to put in a few pieces of St Aug sod and let that take over the bermuda in a couple years. What is bermuda triangle? One of the most difficult parts of keeping a pure stand of turf is that herbicides formulated for grass will kill all grass. You would apply a soil amendment such as milorganite to help the sod root quickly. Unfortunately, even sodding it will not guarantee the bermudagrass will not come back at least a little bit. Allow your clippings to fall back onto the soil when you mow. Replacing section of st Aug grass. By Randy Lemmon of KPRC 950 AM in Houston . Q: We are investigating the replacement of our bermuda grass with zoysia or a more shade-tolerant bermuda. Best practice techniques to replace Bermuda grass w St. Augustine. (Bermuda prefers to be mowed low, so this will help the St. Augustine grass) This technique only works in the more hot, humid parts of the warm-season grass zone. In Texas, the vast majority of the lawns are of the St. Augustine variety. For more information on how to install a new lawn, improve soil quality, or care for your current turf grass, please visit our other lawn articles to learn how you can create your own thriving yard. This only leaves bare patches of soil, which is prime real estate for weed seeds to germinate, compounding the issue. Bermuda is a lot easier to get control of. The following was written by my friend Randy Lemmon of radio station KPRC 950 AM in Houston. St. Augustine can’t survive short mower heights (source). Then rototill lightly and seed the area with Bermuda grass. Topic Author. Always use "SHARP" mower blades for best results. I was planing on replacing my back yard with Empire Zoysia. There are many factors to consider wh… They will also plant St. Augustine sprigs along with the seed. I want to replace what’s left of my Bermuda with St. Augustine. If you live in the subtropical/tropical area of the United States, you will likely want a St. Augustine lawn while keeping the Bermuda grass at bay. The only way to effectively manage invading grasses is to tailor your lawn’s maintenance schedule to help your own turf thrive. Large areas of our yard are partially shady. She has an A.A.S. In your situation, it is recommended to spot treat the Bermuda with Round Up and kill it directly, and then replant St. Augustine … Water then seed in well and keep the soil moist until the … Only sharp blades will give you this look. Thriving Yard is a privately owned website. All he did was cut the bermuda as low as he could with a mower and leveled it out with some white sand and threw the St. Augustine over that. Stolons grow across the ground filling in bare patches of soil, while rhizomes grow underneath the ground establishing root systems that spring up new leaves. This helps to hold freshly-prepared soil in place, and allows the lawn to take in water without creating mud puddles. I encourage homeowners to keep their lawn healthy and a little Bermuda grass will not be an issue. With Palisades Zoysia and the St. Augustine grasses, you will end up pulling those grasses out of your flower beds because they are so aggressive and they do spread so rapidly. Plant the zoysia sprigs in the late spring to early summer and allow at least two years for the new grass to begin to knit in. Q: We are investigating the replacement of our bermuda grass with zoysia or a more shade-tolerant bermuda. Mow the lawn on your mower's highest setting. A good fertilization and pre-emergent weed control program, which we offer. This allows it to spread quickly and repair itself easily. Still, in any climate where St. Augustine and Bermuda thrive, maintenance practices and microclimates will determine how successful the turf will be. In addition, St. Augustine grass is affected by freezing temperatures, pests and turf buildup. I thought that the logical thing to do would be to replace the bermuda with St. Augustine. It depends on your climate, soil, and maintenance practices. Replacing St. Augustine with Bermuda - Knowledgebase Question. Mow the lawn on your mower's highest setting. racng69 Posts: 27 Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2020 3:42 pm Location: Lake Worth, FL Grass Type: unknown Lawn Size: 1 acre Mower: lawn service. Regular mowing, fertilizing, and supplemental watering keeps sod dense, green, and weed-free. There are some Bermuda-based lawns, however, along with some of Zoysia, and very few (if any) Centipede. There are some Bermuda-based lawns, however, along with some of Zoysia, and very few (if any) Centipede. Once the St Augustine is dead, then start watering once per week, mowing twice per week, and fertilizing with high nitrogen synthetic once per month. But that’s usually just for extreme cases where the Bermuda is absolutely solid. It would kill St. Augustine without harming bermuda. It’s grown in thick with Palisades Zoysia and it’s grown 20 or 30 feet, six or seven feet wide, back along the side of our building here. Zoysia is a tough grass that requires a clean cut to look good. Pulling grass is almost as damaging. Replacing St Augustine grass with Bermuda. We can help with our sod removal and replacement services featuring Bermuda, St. Augustine and Zoysia "Texas-friendly" grasses. It is expensive to establish St. Augustine because it can only be planted with sprigs, plugs, and sod. Getting Rid Of Your Grass. As for overseeding bermuda onto st.augustine it will not give you the results you are looking for. Here are the two options when it comes to resolving the Wild Bermuda grass issue.. Ridding St. Augustine of Bermudagrass. St. Augustine also requires good drainage, which means a silty or sandy soil and higher amounts of organic matter. The grass dies, and weeds take over. The term over seeding means to create a thick turf of rye on top of an established bermuda or zoysia turf. A pallet of sod costs $130 to $360 for bulk wholesale or $450 per pallet retail, which covers 450 square feet. Use a hand spreader for a small area of grass, or a mechanical one for a large lawn. I have a 400 ft.² front yard that I plan on replacing the Bermuda grass with Saint Augustine this coming spring. Whatever the reason, once the decision has been made to remove an old St Augustine lawn, the next question arises how to do this quickly and effectively. It sounds like it needs less water and is more attractive. Can you recommend which grass is considered the best? You may have to spot-treat with a glyphosate herbicide to kill the St. Augustine, even though it will also kill the bermuda that it hits. When I first purchased my home there was bermuda in the front yard that was very sparse. You may have to sod any areas that are completely riddled with Bermuda to get a good start. This adds nitrogen back into the ground, and it also helps to shade out the Bermuda grass. 2 posts • Page 1 of 1. If an existing bermuda lawn is not working out and fescue seems to be the better choice, there's no harm in replacing it. With bermuda it will not matter, but if you are going to fertilize St Augustine once in the spring, you should do it late in the spring. This grass can tolerate a pH of 5.0-8.5 , giving it a larger range than zoysia. However, under nourished St. Augustine is more susceptible to damage by insects and disease and when those problems exist St. Augustine can go into decline allowing for encroachment of weeds. Please let me know if I should do it this way. Asked November 28, 2015, 4:07 PM EST. Question by treyday March 7, 2010. Replacing St Augustine grass with Bermuda.Is it a good idea to replace St Augustine grass with Bermuda? My question is should I go ahead and scalp now and then kill the grass in late February and completely remove the Grass with a sod remover. Most people with St. Augustine yards have bits and pieces of Bermuda, but some are overwhelmed with it. When it left the market, however, we were left with no selective herbicide that would do the same job. … How to Replace a Bermuda Grass Lawn With Fescue Lawn Sod. *For high-traffic areas, try installing a patio or placing a lawn mat on the ground to prevent weeds and other grasses from taking hold. Unfortunately, there are only two options to deal with it. Many grasses will sprout from small pieces of roots left in the soil, meaning each time you pull one plant, you may be creating five. St. Augustine has long been the standard grass in Texas and is often referred to as "carpet grass". Will it eventually overtake all of the St. Augustine? Primarily in our area, Bermuda is used for golf courses and football fields. This can be difficult since Bermuda is more aggressive and cold-hardy, and cannot be sprayed without damaging the turf you wish to keep. I have one … Active in the summer, dormant in the winter, it still looks tidy even when a little bit brown. Sod in Florida is able to … These stolons make St. Augustine an aggressive turf that is able to choke out weeds and other grasses if it is maintained properly. St Augustine is the dominant species between the two. The soil at the property was actually very good so no soil replacement or improvement was necessary. Click Here to see the latest deals (link To Amazon). St. Augustine. However, there are some climates where Bermuda is planted on purpose in order to make way for St. Augustine. But, it is possible to establish St. Augustine in spite of its aggressive counterpart. Tall Fescue: A low maintenance sod that handles high traffic well. Are you frustrated with Bermuda taking over your lush St. Augustine lawn? Step 1 Remove some of the Bermuda grass plants and thatch by aerating or running a dethatching rake over your lawn. I live just north of Dallas TX. My Father a couple of years ago replaced bermuda with St. Augustine.