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Need ideas for a good grass for Austin, Texas.

14 years ago

Howdy there,

I created a small enclosed area, with a few chairs, a table and vines growing on the structure. The ground is freshly tilled, and I created a path made with stones. All the rest of the exposed soil is bare (Freshly tilled). I know that in a matter of a few weeks,months, weeds are going to take over. I am looking for an advice of what can I plant between the cracks, and the rest of the soil in the enclosed area.

Its semi shaded, the soil is nice dark and fertile.

The grass, ground cover would need to have

Robust (Low upkeep, fast sprouting), Perennial (Don't want to reseed it every year), Relatively short (Don't want to mow it), Durable of stepping on it (will walk through it).

I live in Austin, Texas.

Will appreciate any ideas or leads.

Thank you and have a great day,

Reed

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Comments (4)

john_clark
14 years ago
Here ya go....

Here is a link that might be useful: Shadow Turf Link
steveatzoysia
14 years ago
You may also want to consider zoysia. It is great for wear and tear, and it can survive in semi-shady conditions. It goes dormant in the winter, but comes back each spring, so you wouldn't have to worry about reseeding. It is low maintenance because it doesn't require a lot of watering or weeding.
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lou_spicewood_tx
14 years ago
Zoysia does need deep water occasionally, preferably at least every 2 weeks if you want them to stay green and looking decent. Same for any grasses.

Go with Palisades variety.
dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
Shadow Turf is a zoysia. I have some and that is not the grass you're looking for. It grows tall fast once it is established. It needs weekly mowing and is fragile to traffic.

You're looking for some fantasy grass that doesn't exist. You must be new to Texas. There is only one grass that comes close to some of your requirements. St Augustine is THE grass for South Texas. The Floratam variety is the one you might like the best. You can mow it short but you will have more weeds. Mowing it at the highest setting on your mower is going to work best.

Have you considered growing dwarf Mondo (monkey) grass? It does what you want but it is not a grass. It cannot take too much traffic but otherwise, it is pretty good. It's a little slow to get established. One season is not very long to Mondo grass.

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