[Grass Clippins]

Alright! Here we go...

I live on roughly 3 wooded acres in Marietta Ga with my wife and 7 week old son. I want a nice respectable lawn so a couple years ago I decided to take out a few pine and sweet gum trees to make way for the sunshine. I ended up taking out around 40 trees. I roped them, cut them down, limbed them and burn them all on my own. About a year ago I had someone do the stump grinding for me. Two water oaks and a hickory tree remain in this area.

Below is a picture taken before I started cutting (1/18/2019 Edit: The Phase 1 area is around 18,000 square feet, not 27,000)

 

[TigerinFL]

man that's a whole lot of trees

 

[Greendoc]

Good man. Either you have a lawn or else you live in a cottage in the middle of Sherwood Forest. Keep cutting!

 

[pennstater2005]

Is the area marked set to be all lawn?

 

[Grass Clippins]

Here is a picture from the street near the upper right corner of the property, you can barely see the house in the summer.



And here is a picture taken last night, same location.

 

[Grass Clippins]

and here is a picture from the house looking toward the upper right corner of the property.

 

[Grass Clippins]

man that's a whole lot of trees

Exactly....whole lot of work. People ask me what I do for exercise and laugh when I say "yard work". I have to get serious and say "no really, I do some pretty intense yard work."

 

[Grass Clippins]

Good man. Either you have a lawn or else you live in a cottage in the middle of Sherwood Forest. Keep cutting!

Thank you. Cutting is done in Phase One brother, except that nasty looking dog wood by the telephone pole, that's bothering me. This summer the goal is to finish pulling up the roots with my box blade and prep for bringing in a lot of dirt. Once that's in place I may do irrigation, if I have time, and then throw her down this fall.

 

[Grass Clippins]

Is the area marked set to be all lawn?

yes, for the most part. I have not decide on what to plant though. Which is one of the reasons why I'm here. I like the idea of tall fescue, but realize that it may not be realistic in this climate. I'm beginning to lean towards bermuda and a winter overseed to keep the green.

 

[Grass Clippins]

In addition to taking out all those trees I've also removed the overgrown shrubs and monkey grass. This place is laced out with monkey grass and I really don't like the way it looks. Everything must go!

 

[pennstater2005]

Is the area marked set to be all lawn?

yes, for the most part. I have not decide on what to plant though. Which is one of the reasons why I'm here. I like the idea of tall fescue, but realize that it may not be realistic in this climate. I'm beginning to lean towards bermuda and a winter overseed to keep the green.

That's a big lawn! Are you grinding all the stumps down? Bermuda would be nice as it spreads aggressively and lots of members here have beautiful bermuda lawns. I imagine TTTF would be tough down there but I know @social port grows it in Tennessee and it's beautiful.

 

[Grass Clippins]

Is the area marked set to be all lawn?

yes, for the most part. I have not decide on what to plant though. Which is one of the reasons why I'm here. I like the idea of tall fescue, but realize that it may not be realistic in this climate. I'm beginning to lean towards bermuda and a winter overseed to keep the green.

That's a big lawn! Are you grinding all the stumps down? Bermuda would be nice as it spreads aggressively and lots of members here have beautiful bermuda lawns. I imagine TTTF would be tough down there but I know @social port grows it in Tennessee and it's beautiful.

Yes, I had the stump ground last fall. In all it was around 60 stumps, I snuck down a few in the back as well. They did a pretty good job grinding but some of these trees were massive, for the area. Sweet gum tree roots are girthy and will run forever. The only way to get them up is wait for the rain to soften the ground and pull them up with the tractor. I have since forked up most of the wood chips and am now working on the rocks...and roots.

 

[pennstater2005]

60 stumps :shock:

 

[social port]

First of all, that is a nice property and house that you have there.

I think that a warm season grass makes all the sense in the world. That is the reasonable thing. But...if you are getting rid of all of those trees, I'd spend so many nights dreaming about running ridiculously long passes on a mower--from your house, all the way down to the street with no obstacles--and in the process leaving stripes on fescue grass so pronounced that they would show up on a satellite. Long, straight passes on cool season turf = and Bliss.

If you have financial comfort, are willing to invest in fungicides (and apply them), can install irrigation, and are willing to tolerate an experiment for a year or two, I'd try my luck with fescue.
If it's a flop, a bermuda lawn can look exquisite. I've been tempted in that direction after seeing so many nice looking bermuda lawns on this forum. But once you go bermuda, you're going to have a hard time going back if you wanted to. Not so with fescue. It will die when you ask.
FWIW

 

[Colonel K0rn]

But once you go bermuda, you're going to have a hard time going back if you wanted to. Not so with fescue. It will die when you ask.
FWIW

:rofl:

 

[Tellycoleman]

I am a Bermuda guy and you have done alot of work.
What type of trees do you have left?
I can also see bermuda struggling in the areas around the trees you have remaining ( especially when they get older). You have done a great Job !! But You might do better with zoysia or St Aug if your wanting to keep a more uniform lawn in the shaded areas. Remember Bermuda Does Not Like Any Shade. and growing bermuda around trees, even if its just a few, will not be successful in the long run. When you look at these awesome Bermuda lawns on this forum you notice one thing in common No Trees. Whatever decision you make will be awsome because you have the time and dedication.
On a side note if you get bermuda with that size yard and possible expansion your gonna need a Triplex reel mower if your gonna cut it low.

 

[dfw_pilot]

+1 @Tellycoleman

 

[Grass Clippins]

First of all, that is a nice property and house that you have there.

I think that a warm season grass makes all the sense in the world. That is the reasonable thing. But...if you are getting rid of all of those trees, I'd spend so many nights dreaming about running ridiculously long passes on a mower--from your house, all the way down to the street with no obstacles--and in the process leaving stripes on fescue grass so pronounced that they would show up on a satellite. Long, straight passes on cool season turf = and Bliss.

If you have financial comfort, are willing to invest in fungicides (and apply them), can install irrigation, and are willing to tolerate an experiment for a year or two, I'd try my luck with fescue.
If it's a flop, a bermuda lawn can look exquisite. I've been tempted in that direction after seeing so many nice looking bermuda lawns on this forum. But once you go bermuda, you're going to have a hard time going back if you wanted to. Not so with fescue. It will die when you ask.
FWIW

I hear you, I'd have stripes for days...

 

[Grass Clippins]

I am a Bermuda guy and you have done alot of work.
What type of trees do you have left?
I can also see bermuda struggling in the areas around the trees you have remaining ( especially when they get older). You have done a great Job !! But You might do better with zoysia or St Aug if your wanting to keep a more uniform lawn in the shaded areas. Remember Bermuda Does Not Like Any Shade. and growing bermuda around trees, even if its just a few, will not be successful in the long run. When you look at these awesome Bermuda lawns on this forum you notice one thing in common No Trees. Whatever decision you make will be awsome because you have the time and dedication.
On a side note if you get bermuda with that size yard and possible expansion your gonna need a Triplex reel mower if your gonna cut it low.

Good suggestion. I'll correct a previous comment, I have One Hickory and two Water Oaks in the Phase One area. There is another big Hickory, but it's near the property line and cast it's shadow toward my neighbor. Those three trees should take off now that they don't have any competition. They are going to put out a lot of shade in the coming years but the house is East to West facing so hopefully entire yard should get some sun throughout the day. With that being said fescue would probably do better in the long run.

 

[social port]

Actually, now that I am connecting dots, I believe that you and @FlyMike live in the same area. He grows fescue, and it looks awesome.