Where is best place to get grass seed?

[longhornlump]

I am looking to seed a small lawn and was wondering if there are any local stores that offer better pricing/service over Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

[silverartfox]

The usual grass seed for lawns in the Houston area is winter rye, a quick-fix green-up variety that lasts for a few short months before dying out in the spring. Bermuda grass seed is available, but it isn't used much - makes a ratty-looking lawn, particularly in the summer. If you want to go this route, Southwest Fertilizer on Bissonnet might have some.

Our commonly-used lawn grasses here are varieties of Saint Augustine and zoysia. They are installed over prepared soil as a solid layer of sod and are not available as seed. This could be a DIY project if you have a small lawn.

If you are new to this part of Texas or have never had a lawn or garden before, please get some books written specifically for Texas Gulf Coast gardening - nothing you know or read about gardening elsewhere works here!!!

[GREASER]

silverfox is correct...call murff turff..a pallet of sod it is 75$, or wait a while and the big box stores will have it, but its twice the price.

[crunchtastic]

silverfox is correct...call murff turff..a pallet of sod it is 75$, or wait a while and the big box stores will have it, but its twice the price.

how much is on a pallet? I need to sod about 100 sq ft.

edit--nevermind, a pallet is way more than I need.

[longhornlump]

The usual grass seed for lawns in the Houston area is winter rye, a quick-fix green-up variety that lasts for a few short months before dying out in the spring. Bermuda grass seed is available, but it isn't used much - makes a ratty-looking lawn, particularly in the summer. If you want to go this route, Southwest Fertilizer on Bissonnet might have some.

Our commonly-used lawn grasses here are varieties of Saint Augustine and zoysia. They are installed over prepared soil as a solid layer of sod and are not available as seed. This could be a DIY project if you have a small lawn.

If you are new to this part of Texas or have never had a lawn or garden before, please get some books written specifically for Texas Gulf Coast gardening - nothing you know or read about gardening elsewhere works here!!!

Thanks for the info. Looks like I need to go do some reading!

[westguy76]

I used to get it at some after hours club next to Emo's, I can't remember the name.

[sarahiki]

Thanks for the info. Looks like I need to go do some reading!

Buchanan's in the Heights is a great resource. They have native plants and all manner of organic fertilizers, etc. They will give you good advice, as well. They saved my baby trees that were languishing last fall with some kind of miracle fertilizer.

[SaintCyr]

I have to disagree with the bermuda comment... I have a hybrid type and it looks great and loves the soil and full sun. Now my front yard is the common bermuda and it looks soso and has to be "de-thatched" from time to time...

[GREASER]

looks like I am going to buy a couple of pallets next week. I will post here and if anyone needs some they can pm me...wait till I post though

[flipper]

silverfox is correct...call murff turff..a pallet of sod it is 75$, or wait a while and the big box stores will have it, but its twice the price.

Ouch, they just quoted me $140 for a pallet delivered to 77035. Anyone want to split a pallet tommorow?

flipper

[Yankee_in_TX]

The usual grass seed for lawns in the Houston area is winter rye, a quick-fix green-up variety that lasts for a few short months before dying out in the spring. Bermuda grass seed is available, but it isn't used much - makes a ratty-looking lawn, particularly in the summer. If you want to go this route, Southwest Fertilizer on Bissonnet might have some.

Our commonly-used lawn grasses here are varieties of Saint Augustine and zoysia. They are installed over prepared soil as a solid layer of sod and are not available as seed. This could be a DIY project if you have a small lawn.

If you are new to this part of Texas or have never had a lawn or garden before, please get some books written specifically for Texas Gulf Coast gardening - nothing you know or read about gardening elsewhere works here!!!

So I just learned about St. Augustine today (no seeds). We may in the next year re-sod our small lawn. In the mean time, I'm going to try to revive it by caring for it.

We're going to remover the weed bed, errr flower bed (a small strip along the fence with dying hawthornes and a TON of weeds). What's my best best (other than sod/plugs) for trying to get the grass to grow on it? Or do I HAVE to sod it?

[Gary]

So I just learned about St. Augustine today (no seeds). We may in the next year re-sod our small lawn. In the mean time, I'm going to try to revive it by caring for it.

We're going to remover the weed bed, errr flower bed (a small strip along the fence with dying hawthornes and a TON of weeds). What's my best best (other than sod/plugs) for trying to get the grass to grow on it? Or do I HAVE to sod it?

You've got to sod it... One thing that can be done for the remaining problem areas is to go get several bags of compost (humus, etc,) and place it in the problem areas. This will add organic matter to the soil, help break down the clay, and also make it much easier for the grass roots to spread. It also doesn't hurt to drop the compost on good areas either.

Remember that if you get good sunlight, your St Augustine will spread quickly if cared for. Also, remember that St Augustine requires a lot of water, about an inch to an inch and a half per week, and it's much better to "deep water" (half an inch at a time) than to water daily.

Another note: Right now is the perfect time to put down a 19-5-10 slow release fertilizer. This will help during the summer when the grass is under stress and will really make a difference in the St Augustine's growth rate.

Check out the link below. It's great website from Texas ATM's Randy Lemmon. There's tons of good info.

http://www.ktrh.com/pages/gardenline-lawn.html

[Yankee_in_TX]

You've got to sod it... One thing that can be done for the remaining problem areas is to go get several bags of compost (humus, etc,) and place it in the problem areas. This will add organic matter to the soil, help break down the clay, and also make it much easier for the grass roots to spread. It also doesn't hurt to drop the compost on good areas either.

Remember that if you get good sunlight, your St Augustine will spread quickly if cared for. Also, remember that St Augustine requires a lot of water, about an inch to an inch and a half per week, and it's much better to "deep water" (half an inch at a time) than to water daily.

Another note: Right now is the perfect time to put down a 19-5-10 slow release fertilizer. This will help during the summer when the grass is under stress and will really make a difference in the St Augustine's growth rate.

Check out the link below. It's great website from Texas ATM's Randy Lemmon. There's tons of good info.

http://www.ktrh.com/...nline-lawn.html

I just put down a 15-5-10. It was hard to find anything in a 3-1-2 and I went to Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wabash (any more trips and I might have given up, lol).

[Gary]

I just put down a 15-5-10. It was hard to find anything in a 3-1-2 and I went to Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wabash (any more trips and I might have given up, lol).

The 15-5-10 is a quick release fertilizer and is designed for a quick greenup. The problem is that it's only good for few weeks. You still need to apply the slow release that I mentioned. It'll make a big difference in a few months. Try going to a Houston Garden Center, they have all of the good fertiilzers like Nitro Phos, etc. DON"T BUY SCOTTS BRANDS. They have WAY to much salt content and over time will cause problems.

HGC also has darn good deals on compost mixes, at least for the bagged variety. I think they want $11.00 for four fourty pound bags of any dirt they sell.

[RedScare]

So I just learned about St. Augustine today (no seeds). We may in the next year re-sod our small lawn. In the mean time, I'm going to try to revive it by caring for it.

We're going to remover the weed bed, errr flower bed (a small strip along the fence with dying hawthornes and a TON of weeds). What's my best best (other than sod/plugs) for trying to get the grass to grow on it? Or do I HAVE to sod it?

If you fertilize it, you won't need to resod. As for the flower bed and bald patches, remove the edging (if any), rough up the dirt if hard packed, water the lawn well, and watch it take over in less than a month.

[Yankee_in_TX]

If you fertilize it, you won't need to resod. As for the flower bed and bald patches, remove the edging (if any), rough up the dirt if hard packed, water the lawn well, and watch it take over in less than a month.

Doing that today - thanks. *edit* Done, despite rain and thunder Just need to convince myself it's ok to dig up and throw away some sickly hawthornes.

I wish we could merge these threads - why St. Augustine over Bermuda in Houston?

[Gary]

If you fertilize it, you won't need to resod. As for the flower bed and bald patches, remove the edging (if any), rough up the dirt if hard packed, water the lawn well, and watch it take over in less than a month.

Red's right, as long as you have adequate sunlight. Much of it also depends on how well you irrigate. I would still recommend putting down a good leaf/mold compost or at least top soil with humus. Also, like Red said, rough up the soil a bit about two days after watering. techinically using an aerater is the best way to open up compacted soil which allows oxygen to get into the soil/clay, but they are difficult to work with and are a pain to rent, especially if you don't have a truck. I aerate every Spring and it has made a huge impact on my lawn. Of course I'm putting down Gypsum, compost, and fertilizer afterwards and you may not want to go to that much trouble. It's just a hobby of mine that I push to the point of being excessive, at least that's what my wife says.

[Gary]

Doing that today - thanks. *edit* Done, despite rain and thunder Just need to convince myself it's ok to dig up and throw away some sickly hawthornes.

I wish we could merge these threads - why St. Augustine over Bermuda in Houston?

St Augustine is perfect for Houston because it's one of the best shade tollerant grasses in the world, and Houston has a lot of trees. Bermuda is fine here as well as long as you have a whole bunch of sunlight. Bermuda is actually a great grass if cared for properly. It's much more resistant to disease than is St Augustine and doesn't require as much irrigation. St Augustine on the other hand will stay far greener that bermuda during the Winter months, so there are give and takes with both.

[Yankee_in_TX]

St Augustine is perfect for Houston because it's one of the best shade tollerant grasses in the world, and Houston has a lot of trees. Bermuda is fine here as well as long as you have a whole bunch of sunlight. Bermuda is actually a great grass if cared for properly. It's much more resistant to disease than is St Augustine and doesn't require as much irrigation. St Augustine on the other hand will stay far greener that bermuda during the Winter months, so there are give and takes with both.

Considering our yard is about 26 feet wide and has a house on the east and an 8 foot fence on the west, I guess it is good we have St. Augustine.

On Gary's advice I am going to garden center today to buy more fertilizer (have a 10-5-15 down already) - and am going to return the big box store weed and fed. Then out to mow my weeds.

[Gary]

Considering our yard is about 26 feet wide and has a house on the east and an 8 foot fence on the west, I guess it is good we have St. Augustine.

On Gary's advice I am going to garden center today to buy more fertilizer (have a 10-5-15 down already) - and am going to return the big box store weed and fed. Then out to mow my weeds.

Good luck... Stay with it and I can assure you by the end of the summer you'll be looking good. Remember to irrigate, irrigate, irrigate. St Augustine needs a good inch of water per week during our Houston heat.

[Yankee_in_TX]

Good luck... Stay with it and I can assure you by the end of the summer you'll be looking good. Remember to irrigate, irrigate, irrigate. St Augustine needs a good inch of water per week during our Houston heat.

Got Phos someone or another 19-4-10. $5 more expensive at Buchanan's than the Garden Center price. They had a Phos someone or another pre-emergent, but it didn't specifically say fall?

[Gary]

Got Phos someone or another 19-4-10. $5 more expensive at Buchanan's than the Garden Center price. They had a Phos someone or another pre-emergent, but it didn't specifically say fall?

That's the stuff... The company is Nitro-Phos and they're local. They make the granules larger than most so that you don't get as much washout during heavy rains, and it's formulated specifically for our Zone. If your using a Scotts standard rotary spreader, set your dial at about 6. In general Nitro-phos doesn't have a spreader setting for the Scotts rotaries, just the drop spreaders.

Anyway, spend the extra few bucks on the good stuff. It's worth it now and in the Winter.