Can someone help me with my grass or "lack of grass"?

CAROL H
by CAROL H
Grass is not my thing. I could care less about having a lawn but my husband wants some grass. He attemped planting winter rye last winter, which didn't look very good because he didn't amend the soil. Now it's all dead and we have nothing but weeds and dead grass. Can someone please help with recommendations for our Georgia sandy, clay soil, type of grass to sow, soil amendments, etc. He wants to hydro-seed but I really don't want to spend money on grass, I'd rather spend it on my plants.
  6 answers
  • Walter Reeves Walter Reeves on Jun 03, 2012
    You have lots of sun in Evans. How about seeding with Zenith zoysia? Just need to keep the soil moist until it comes up in 10 days...then a little water afterwards until it is well established
  • CAROL H CAROL H on Jun 03, 2012
    Walter, Should we amend the soil first? Add topsoil or compost? Also, when we used straw to cover the seed we got a lot of weeds, any suggestions? thx!!
  • Walter Reeves Walter Reeves on Jun 03, 2012
    it would be great to add soil amendments. www.soil3.com is good material if a vendor is nearby. wheat straw is a good cover. Even if the wheat germinates, it will quickly die in the heat.
  • CAROL H CAROL H on Jun 03, 2012
    Great advice as always. Thanks, Walter!!
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Jun 30, 2012
    We have Zoysia Emerald Green and LOVE IT! Some people believe it should be mowed down almost to the dirt...like a golf green. I do not agree. I love my grass best when it needs mowing! There are different kinds of Zoysia but the kind we have requires mowing only about 5 times a summer...6 if you get lots of rain! We killed off the old grass with Roundup, resprayed in 7 days and waited 10 more days. We raked off the dead grass, spread out a layer of top soil and laid sod. We put in large pine islands to have a place to capture the leaves which left us a small yard. We watered, watered, watered. It is too hot to be laying sod...or putting in any kind of grass...usless you plan to water every night. Purchase ground stakes for plumbing (they have a connector for hose on each side just above ground)...there are caps for the end and short hoses connect them. Add a piece of 1" galvanized pipe (like that used in the home plumbing) and a sprinkler head on top. You will be limited to the number of how many you can connect only by your water pressure. You can move these around!
  • Jane Waldmann Jane Waldmann on Aug 26, 2013
    Didn't know you could buy seeds for it. Always see ads for plugs and they say it will take a yr or two to fully grow in the yard. Also if we use seed do we have to rip all the other grass and weeds out or can we seed over it. thanks. BTW I live in hot hot most of the time dry Florida, is it good for there?