3 most common upstate grasses
From seed or from sod. We know how to give you a thick, lush, green lawn.
Proper grass selection
Selecting the right grass for your lawn is important. Blue Dot Landscaping has
the experience and talent to help you grow your best lawn. There are literally
thousands of different options and different types of grass seed. Most of what
does well in our area can be categorized into one of three grass types.
Fescue is our most prevalent cool season grass, the other two are warm
season grasses:
Zoysia and Bermuda We can install your lawn by
laying sod or by seeding. We also can handle your lawn care. We offer an all encompassing
program.
One in which we take care of your entire yard. Mowing, pruning,
fertilizing, etc. Email us for a free
initial consultation.
Along with creating your green grass we can help with your other back yard
ideas in Greenville and Spartanburg. We can build you a
fence, a
walkway or
patio, or even a beautiful
garden pond.
Fescue
Fescue
can give you the most beautiful green grass 10-11 months a year. It
also can be the most frustrating and most difficult. The most important factor
in your fescue lawn's success is to begin at the right time. September 15 thru
October 15 is normally the right time in our area. This is the time for soil
prep, fall fertilizer and seeding your new fescue lawn. This is the time for
aerating and overseeding your existing fescue. Soil preparation is more
important with Fescue than with other grasses. Also, there are many varieties
and different quality levels of fescue seed.
Zoysia
Zoysia might be the most versatile of our grasses. Different varieties grow well
in the shade as well as in full sun. It is a hardy, thick growing grass that
takes less care than most of our grasses. It also is not readily available as a
seed and is normally installed as sod. It is usually the most expensive of our
choices. Hybrid choices of zoysia like Emerald or Meyer have been around a while
and are popular in the upstate. There are other new varieties as well such as El Toro
Zoysia which was developed in California and is a variety that has the best reputation for
shade tolerance of the Zoysia grass varieties and also has good drought resistance..
Zoysia can give you an early
green up in the spring and a late dormancy in the fall. We think the dormant
zoysia looks good even in the winter.
Bermuda
Bermuda grass is most certainly the easiest to grow in our area - as long as you
have ample sunlight. Common Bermuda grass is a naturally occurring grass in our
area.
You can also purchase bermuda grass seed. Just like most grass, timing is
important. In the Greenville, Spartanburg, Simpsonville area you should
plant your bermuda grass seed between May 1st and June 15th. Several varieties
and differing qualities of bermunda grass seed may be purchased. For a more lush bermuda that is
a dark green and disease and weed resistant; you can use a hybrid like Tifway
419. Tifway 419 needs to be installed as sod.
Fertilizing and care
Fescue
I can't tell you how many times I have seen what could have been a beautiful
fescue lawn ruined by lack of proper care. We do offer a fertilization program.
Feel free to call us for a free estimate. Here are the vital steps if you are
doing all or part of the work...
Summer - A good time to spread lime in your lawn area. You could
take a soil sample and get good information from Clemson, but after 25 years of
basically getting the same results from soil samples I can tell you that you
need lime in upstate South Carolina.
August - A good time to kill existing undesirable weeds and
grasses in your lawn area. For killing anything you spray, use roundup. For
killing lawn weeds, but not the grass, use a lawn weed killer that has 2-4-D in
it. Note: You can use roundup up until the day you seed, but 2-4-D should not be
used within 4 weeks of seeding time. 2-4-D can hurt the new seed germination.
Late September - Prepare your lawn for seed. Generally aerating is
good enough. Sometimes in rough areas you need to actually till the ground.
Certainly if you have not much established grass and are going all out for the
perfect lawn - tilling and adding compost, then hand raking to a smooth finish
is the way to go. Aerating with a core aerator is best. This needs to be
thorough, we spend about 3 hours per 10,000 square feet of lawn. Then you spread
about 3-5 lbs of seed and about 5 lbs of fertilizer per 1,000 sq. ft. The seed
needs to be a high quality and drought resistant. You can use 16-4-8 or any
number of starter fertilizers. We slightly prefer an organic fertilizer with
high phosphorus.
6 weeks after seeding - Time for the 2nd fall fertilizing. 5 lbs
of 16-4-8 per 1,000 sq ft will work fine.
Late February - Apply a preemergence (also called "crabgrass
preventer")
March - Fertilize again
10 weeks after preemergence - Apply preemergence again. Other
important factors: To aid in the germination in September, water often (as much
as 3 times a day) but lightly. After lawn is established, water not so often,
but thoroughly. Mow often and mow high. We slightly prefer mulching the cut
grass, not bagging. Watering in the early morning is a far superior time than in
the afternoon or evening. Using a lawn weed killer with 2-4-D is ok if used
sparingly and never when the temperature is above 85 degrees.
Other online articles regarding lawns and grass care by Rich:
How to create...Fescue Lawn
Irrigation systems, how long and how often.
6 steps to less weeds.