Question
QUESTION: I live in Raleigh, NC and am trying to decide what kind of sod to put down.  I am going back and forth between Bermuda and Emerald Zoysia.  Our summers are brutal.  My yard gets full sun and i have no irrigation system.  I do plan on manually watering though.  Money is not a factor in my decision.  Thanks in advance.

ANSWER: North Carolina unfortunately is a complicated state with a complicated geologic history and soil profile.  These make all the difference in the world in your decision.  But you did not provide your zipcode -- in the state that made Red Clay famous -- tsk tsk therefore we will have to give you some basic information pending your location release.

N.C.'s Cooperative Extension:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/

and their Lawns Publications links:

http://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/content/lawns&source=forsyth

If you followup with your location, I can help you narrow this selection down.  rsvp,

L.I.G.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sorry about that.

My zip code is 27526 and i actually live in Fuquay Varina, NC.

Answer
I am guessing your 'First in Flight' real estate is either somewhere around the Piedmont region or in Coastal Plain.  Soils there tend to be topped with deep layers of Quartz sand, and need an annual liming to manage the acid pH.  They can be high in K and Fe; low in Ph, Ca and Mg.  If so, note that any Ammoniacal Nitrogen fertilizer you use will lower the pH, and you need that like a hole in the head.  Best thing before you seed: Get a soil test.

You need to know the pH of your Soil to determine management practices.  May as well get the whole report while you抮e at it.  Don抰 assume you can use an all-purpose fertilizer to cover all the bases -- it does not work that way.  Too much Mineral 慩?can and will take up space used by Minerals 慪?and 慫?  The wrong pH can jinx nutrient uptake until, say, NO Magnesium is getting to the roots.  The soil test links are posted below.

You need to know the pH of your Soil to determine management practices.  May as well get the whole report while you抮e at it.  Don抰 assume you can use an all-purpose fertilizer to cover all the bases -- it does not work that way.  Too much Mineral 慩?can and will take up space used by Minerals 慪?and 慫?  The wrong pH can jinx nutrient uptake so that, say, NO Magnesium is going into the roots.

Now let's pick out your Grass.

Most limiting factor:  Your weather.  Last year抯 102.5 degrees F high in August was not typical of your Zone 7 climate.  Not to say that 98 degrees is not hot.  But this Summer may be less merciless.  It抯 the lack of rain that hurts more than anything.  The entire state of North Carolina is experiencing some level of drought.

Severe drought is forecast again this Summer for Wake County.  It could be worse; you could be among the 12 counties headed for 慐xtreme?drought this Summer.  And although you no doubt will make an admirable effort to keep your Grass irrigated, the thought of you standing outside in the Sun with a hose, or even a sprinkler, when the temps are near triple digits is simply not reasonable.  Plus there's the social pressure not to transgress by using too much water in hard times.  Drought tolerance is essential.

Both warm and cool season turfgrasses are grown in North Carolina.  I agree, Warm season Grass deals best with the searing temps.  Zoysia in fact grows better in your neck of the woods than any other region in North Carolina.  However, Bermudagrass is the more drought tolerant of the two.  I would go with Bermuda.

Among Bermuda choices, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program highest marks in its most recent report to 'Tifsport', 'Aussie Green' and 'Tifway' varieties.  Data is posted at the NTEP website:

http://www.ntep.org/states/nc1/nc1_bg.htm

I'd like to point out that 'Aussie Green' outperformed 'Tifsport' when they were tested against one another at a separate Las Vegas Grass study. As bad as it seems in N.C., you can see how drought would be an even bigger issue in Vegas.

For the record, Zoysia was also evaluated, although just between Zoysia cultivars, not against Bermudagrass.  Top Zoysias:  'Emerald', 'Zorro' and 'Dalz 9604'.

Note that names of these Grass competitors are often changed by the marketing departments after the grass is introduced.

North Carolina State University's 'Turfiles' website:
http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/

Soil testing:
http://www.agr.state.nc.us/agronomi/sthome.htm

Your followups invited.  Thanks for writing.