AboutLong Island Gardener Expertise How to grow the Perfect Lawn? If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I have intelligent answers on grass selection, fertilizers, soil care, weed control, and lawnmowers. Although I have degrees in related fields, a person's real gardening skills are learned from trial and error. More important, I am strict about not using chemicals in the garden. Organic gardening is not just earth friendly and healthier for you, your children and your pets. It's less expensive and easier. You read that right. Less expensive and easier.
Experience Homeowner for 15 years, 30 years of gardening for personal pleasure, college credits in horticulture and botany, volunteer docent at the local botanical gardens, and a whole library of gardening and landscaping books at home some 100 years old.
Expert: Long Island Gardener Date: 5/29/2008 Subject: sodding St. Augustine and Neighbor has Bermuda
Question I just purchased a new house in new subdivision in Dallas, TX area. My yard has a poor Bermuda grass put in by builder. I am a St. Augustine fan. My question is what is the protocol for me putting in St. Augustine and my neighbor has Bermuda and our front yards join each others on one side? Will my St. Augustine run into his yard, and vice versa, will his Bermuda run into mine? What can we do to help prevent this from happening?
Thanks,
Jeff in Dallas
Answer Good question, and I am so happy you asked BEFORE you moved on this.
The answer to this is not as important actually as the answer to some other questions you did not ask.
Why did they pick Bermudagrass and you picked St Augustine?
Bermudagrass is talented at traffic tolerance. Augustinegrass is talented at slight shade. Both will grow beautiful, dense Lawns if you play your cards right.
Next, you have GOT to get your Soil tested. Everybody resists this, yet it is the most important factor to consider when you put in Sod.
Lawn Care Companies don't advertise those. There's no profit in a Soil Test. This is something they do at the Cooperative Extension Service for a modest fee. Real Scientists using real laboratory equipment to calculate the Cation Exchange Rate and the Sodium and the Potassium etc in your Soil. THIS is what you need for Grass. And you have one of the premier Agricultural Research Centers at Texas A&M Coop Extension to do that for you:
A soil test will tell you what is IN your Soil, and what is MISSING from your Soil. Then you can add what you need to grow beautiful, healthy Grass. And ignore the things you don't need.
As far as the High Traffic Areas, there are Grasses that are built to withstand feet and fun. But you may go farthest with a few well placed Flagstones, to keep feet confined to non-Grass areas.
