Grass Suggestions

Like many Texans, I have very little grass left after last summer. I would like to know what type of grass you have that might have made it through the drought. I have a mostly sunny yard, 2.5 acres, so watering it is out of the question. I had a small patch of St. Augustine in area that is shady in the afternoon.. it is gone. The centipede I had been trying to get going is gone, it grows so slowly. A little bermuda here and there, but it's not my favorite because it loves my flower beds.
Just curious as to what others may have found that can stand up to a Texas summer.

I've got that blue grama/buffalo grass mix. I let it grow long and wave in the wind, but if you mow it it looks just like a regular lawn. But not sure how NE you are, that might not work.

http://www.wildflower.org/nativelawns/

I'd skip the grass and convert everything to a flower or veggie garden. :)

realbirdlady - do you have a picture of your lawn? I would love to see what it looks like in a real setting. We put in Zoysia (sp?) because it supposedly used less water......but after last year it is a mess with a huge amount of weeds.

Realbirdlady-thanks for the link! Good information. I think I will try the blue grama/buffalo grass mix in a portion of the yard and see how it does this year.

Of course, I would love to take Stephanie's advice.... more flowers and gardens.

Thanks!

Well, after a little more research I see that buffalo grass doesn't like our sandy, acidic soil. Looks like centipede is still the best choice. I suppose after a summer like we had last year, starting over is the only option.

There is a grass designed especially for Texas. There are 2 varieties, one for shade and one for sun. It was developed by Texas A&M, I believe. If I remember correctly, it doesn't get very tall, so you don't need to mow often. I can't remember the name, but I've seen it at a few nurseries around here. I'll try to see what I can find on it.

Please do, I need help also!

Finally found it! It's called Turffalo and the brains behind it have also created another grass specifically for shade called "Shadow Turf".

http://www.turffalo.com/

http://today.ttu.edu/2008/06/new-texas-tech-grass-made-for-the-shade-2/

Thanks Stephanie! I will look into that. I live on top of a hill - so need to find something.

This message was edited Mar 18, 2012 8:10 AM

Thanks Stephanie..........I'll give this to my DH.

This is what I would pick - Habiturf. A blend developed at Lady Bird wildflower Center.
http://www.wildflower.org/howto/show.php?id=11&frontpage=true

I don't know Lynne.....it has Bermuda in the mix......so bad for all our flower beds!

That habiturf stuff is buffalo grass, blue grama, and curly mesquite - all natives, no bermuda.

Turfalo is a type of buffalo grass. The wildflower center's experiments are that a blend of species provides the best consistent lawn. So even if you choose that kind of buffalo grass, they say best include the other species. I think photos of their test plots are online somewhere, but I'm not finding them right now real quick. But not sure if any of them are in your type of soil.

http://www.wildflower.org/nativelawns/

We need for sun and drought tolerant. It's still looking pretty bare out there. I may take some plugs from the back and transplant to the front. The back looks fairly good.