Question
QUESTION: Ok, so I am a novice, my wife and I just bought a home in Dallas, and it is our first.  We have a great yard, but there are some things that I don't know what to do.  I have been researching "Winterizing", and I know that I need to put down some fertilizer that is Nitrogen Rich, and to aerate (spelling...), but is there anything else that I can do to make sure my lawn survives and flourishes during the winter?  Also, is there anything to do with High Traffic Areas, where the grass is thinning because of this?  Should I seed something, please help!  Thanks!

ANSWER: First, John, relax.  Growing Grass is one of the easiest things you will ever, ever do, my friend.  There is no big secret to this and it is not complicated.  This is E A S Y EASY!!!!  Trust me.  I know.

It does not seem Easy.

Why is that?

Because advertisers like to make it look like a challenge.  They want to create all sorts of potential problems.  They want to make it look like you have a new kind of piece of machinery that needs special care or it will break down and never work again.  It's their job to scare you, and then 'educate' you to buy their product, and then you're hooked.

Most people in the USA get their Lawn knowledge from commercials.  They watch TV and that's ALL they know about their Lawn.  Half of them are so freaked out, they don't even want to try it, and although they are not made of money they'll pay someone else a few hundred dollars every month to act like they know what they're doing when they come over and work on their Lawn.

What a racket.

John, you just bought a house.  That was hard.  Believe me, I know how hard that is.  Paperwork up the gazoodle.  A thousand signatures on this that and the other thing.  Numbers and points and figures.  That was NOT easy.

Grass ... is nothing!

So relax.

This is so easy it is ridiculous.

Do you have a Lawnmower?  I'll bet you do.  The previous owner left one, or you bought one on sale just a few weeks ago.  Right?  How much property do you have with Grass on it?  What kind of Lawnmower do you have?

If you don't have one, we'll discuss that.  Because a Lawnmower is a very important tool for growing Grass.  You need a great Lawnmower.  You're going to be using it a lot.  Especially since now you're stone broke having paid all those closing fees and the first few payments etc., the water bill and the electric bill are coming in, you don't want to be wasteful.  So you can get up close and personal with your Lawn.  Get to know your Grass.  Mow it right.

Next, do you have any idea what kind of Grass is growing there?

Yes you spelled aerate correctly.  Congratulations.  You're good at this.

See if you can find out what Grass you are growing.

Next:  NO FERTILIZER, NO WINTERIZER, NO NO NO!

Yes, the ads tell you that.  No, it is not a good idea.

You need a Soil Test.  They don't advertise those.  There's no profit in a Soil Test.  This is something they do at the Cooperative Extension for a very 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:

http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/webpages/thelab.html

The price: less than the cost of a tank of gas.

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.

Your average annual minimum temp is 10 to 15 degrees F.  That puts you smack in the middle of Zone 8a.  Warmer than my Long Island, New York, garden.  These temps are perfect for Cool Season Grass.  Keep your Grass mowed to around 2 inches on a regular basis and LEAVE THE CLIPPINGS ON.

rsvp and we shall continue.  Any questions, ask away.  Hope you got some sleep.

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

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your help, and I intend on sending in a soil tests to Texas A&M to see what is missing/or have too much of, in my lawn.

I have St. Augustine grass, and my lawn is quite large, it is approximately 1/2 acre.  It is quite nice, on a creek, and many large trees (so there is A LOT of shade).  In many places it is growing fine, and it is extremely healthy, but in the really shady areas, it seems to have a problem with growing.

I have a great lawnmower/edger/blower, I went and bought all of that stuff before we actually moved in, I was excited to try to keep a really nice lawn!

Also, thanks for the ideas for the "High Traffic Areas", although I should have been more specific... I have 2 big dogs, and the way that the lawn is shaped (big on the side, small in the back, and large in the front), they run right through the middle, and I am starting to see a path that they run through.  So unfortunately, flagstone won't really work.  That is why I have thought about putting up little borders for part of the time to let the grass regenerate (after all, during the winter, I just know that it is going to get torn up).

Thank you for all your help, and I will be sure to let you know what happens, but if there is anything else that you can think of that can help, please let me know.

Have a great day!

Answer
Your Texas Cooperative Extension professionals sum of St Augustine thusly:

'St. Augustine grass is used primarily for lawns as it does not tolerant traffic as well as some other warm season species. It produces satisfactory turf at moderate levels of maintenance, effectively competes with weeds and other grasses and has only a few serious pests.'

Read their St Augustine cheat sheet at their website:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/turf/publications/staug.html

Which Warm Season Grass is the premier Traffic Tolerator?  Let's read what the Mississippi State Extension Service says:

'Bermudagrass forms a dense, attractive sod. It spreads primarily through stolon growth, although rhizomes do play a part in its aggressive growth habits. It is not unusual for a stolon to grow 6 feet in 1 year when spreading over bare ground.  This aggressiveness makes Bermudagrass the preeminent turf for areas of high traffic, since it can spread quickly to cover damaged areas.  Bermudagrasses also have good wear tolerance.'

So it would appear you want Bermuda.  Right?

Not so fast.

There's one problem with that.  Bermudagrass needs to soak up Sun ALL DAY.  Growing Bermuda in the shade is like Tea without Sugar.  Breakfast without Orange Juice.  Minnie without Mickey.

What can you do about the demands you and your Dog(s) are making on your St Augustine Lawn?   This is an ongoing challenge for Dog-loving Southern homeowners.

Of all the Warm Season Grasses, St Augustine takes more shade than other Warm Season Grasses.

But in DENSE shade, most cultivars will grow weak and spindly.  Some kinds of St Augustine do a little better in shade than others.  So we have to find one that is the  best for you.

None of these will thrive without at least 6 to 7 hours of full Sun.

Let's look at the University of Florida Coop Extension website for the latest word on Florida shade Grass, 'St Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns':

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH010

They list some top shade performers: Dwarf varieties AMERISHADE; BITTERBLUE, CLASSIC, DELMAR and SEVILLE.

Worst for shade: FLORALAWN and FLORITAM (which Univ of Fla points out is  'the most widely produced and used St Augustinegrass in Florida').

This Grass is almost always grown with sod, plugs or sprigs. It spreads and grows by using stolons -- stems above the ground -- at the leaf nodes.  So when it grows, St. Augustine creeps along the ground.

Now, any list you look at of Grass to Grow in Texas is going to be packed with a lot of warnings about chinchbugs, diseases and grass health problems.  The most important variable for you -- the ONLY important variable for you -- is going to be your sun situation.  You want a Grass that grows in partial shade.  I can help you with all the other problems.  In fact, I can tell you how to keep from getting them.

That step begins with your promise not to let anyone put down a 'pre-emergent weed control' or a 'grubkiller' or 'chinchbug killer' or 'fungicide' WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER.  Because these are almost always worse than other things you can do.  They just are not very profitable.  And most people don't want to think about them.

Last Grass to work with:  Zoysia is not a popular Florida grass, but there is one worth trying that I have read is new to the market, developed at University University of Florida, called 'Ultimate'.  If you have shade section of the day, this, or a St Augustine grass, may be the answer you're looking for.

I can't stand out there with you, John, to see the shade you are talking about under those trees.  Frankly, trees are a wonderful thing to have -- like the poem says, Only God can make a tree.  So we should probably think of a Plan B here.

PLAN B - GROUNDCOVERS

You're lucky.  Because in Texas, in your part of the world,
there are some beautiful things to grow under Trees.

Since water is an issue, you may as well select one that gets thirsty less than some of the other groundcovers.   Purple Heart (Setcreasea pallida 'Purple Heart' variety) and, if you can water them enough, Wandering Jew (Zebrina pendula) and Boston Fern, Nephrolepsis exaltata, grown as houseplants here in the North, thrive in shade.

Liriope ('Liriope muscari'/'Liriope spicata') almost seems like a Lawn Grass.  It will take a reasonable amount of foot traffic, unless most of the other groundcovers here.  English Ivy (Hedera helix) will grow up the side of the trees you plant them under.  I think these represent the
best choices on the short list of under-tree mass plantings.

Others qualify.  Take a look at Cryptanthus, Algerian Ivy (Hedera canariensis), Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) and Florida Arrowroot (Zamia pumila/Zamia floridana).

Dwarf Gardenia jasminoides and Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium
sempervirens) are grown as greenhouse plants up here for their lovely flowers, so may need more light than you can provide.  But I list them because I happen to love them so much and if you can get them to bloom you will be luckier than I am because we need special greenhouses to do that.  You do not.

If you can water regularly on the very hottest day, Patridge Berry ('Mitchella repens'), Leatherleaf Fern ('Rumonra adiantiformis') and Selaginella ('Selaginella involvens') will do well under your trees.

For more help, see the advice posted at the University of Florida Extension website, 'Minimizing Traffic Damage to your LFlorida Lawn':

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/EP/EP07100.pdf

This, I am afraid, is HARD.