i need grass
hello to all.hope i get some responses wit different oinions. i live in mobile al/last year i laid down 4 pallets of cut bermuda grass.none of it has grown at all.my yard consist of sand and red dirt,very little brown dirt.the side of my driveway is washing away for there’s no grass there.??? is can i lay down rye grass,then when it comes up put seeded grass over it so it’ll take?? any info would be preciated.thanks
One can not lay down sod and expect it to grow without proper soil preparation. All vegetation should have been killed with herbicide. A soil test should have been done to determine what amendments need to be made. Your local Cooperative Extension Agent can help with this and make the recommendation for amendments. Soil is tilled. Amendments added on second tilling. If soil consists of ’sand and red dirt, very little brown dirt,’ then you may need organic material tilled in. One can not eyeball soil and determine what amendments need to be made. You may also need topsoil.
Once soil is prepared, slope and drainage issues address, and no low or high spots, then seed or sod can be applied. A deep watering of soil a couple days prior to seeding or sodding, so soil we be damp (not) wet is recommended. Sod should be rolled to make sure roots make contact with the soil. Seed must be kept moist until germination and watering gradually tapered off as seedlings become established. Same for sod, keeping moist until established and tapering off until deep watering once a week in order to encourage strong roots that seek out moisture and nutrients.
If side of driveway is washing away, grass would help with the erosion. Slope and drainage issues need to be addressed first. These can be addressed when preparing the soil.
Your local Coooperative Extension Agent can recommend what grass variety is best for your area. Most seed and sod are a mixture of grass species for greater durability and survival of turf.
“.??? is can i lay down rye grass,then when it comes up put seeded grass over it so it’ll take??” Again, grass varieties can be area specific. There are cool season and warm season grasses. Cool season grass is used where temperatures get cool/cold. Warm season grasses are grown where climate is warmer.
Your Bermuda is a warm season grass. Only common Bermuda can be seeded. The other varieties are plugged, sprigged, sodded. If your lawn is shadey, then Bermuda is not for your lawn, as it requires full sun. If you laid your Bermuda sod too late in the season, then roots could not have gotten established before cold weather. Roots needed to store enough energy to survive winter dormant period. If that is the case, sod would likely die. Bermuda will not grow until weather gets warm. If grass is not dead, water. Bermuda does not grow until temperatures reach 90-100 degrees during the day.
If seeding with a certain mixture, then it’s usually best to overseed with the same mixture. Rye grass is grown as an annual or a perennial. Perennial rye is used in cool climates. Annual rye lives for one season and then dies. Many do not recommend overseeding warm season grass with annual rye because it competes with established grass for moisture and nutrients.
Annual maintenance of warm season grass is best done in the spring. Bermuda seed is best planted in spring after soil temperatures get to about 70 degrees. That means after you have moved into several days of 80 degree air temperature.