Hi guys! New member, and new lawn questions. We will start building a new home later this summer and will be faced with what to do for the lawn. Trying to start figuring out options and getting advice now in case there are steps I need to take sooner rather than later.
This will be built on "raw land" in Jackson, MS, not in a developed community. Size of the lot is about 4 acre of rolling and gently sloped dry ground, a couple of ponds in back not included in that size.
Lot is mostly grassy and dotted with large but not old trees, mostly varieties of oak. I think this was all part of a larger pasture land decades ago, and someone deliberately planted these trees maybe 30 years ago, leaving a clear area for expected home site, but never built. Probably 20-30 such trees we will keep.
Anyway, current grass is mixture of bahiagrass, other "pasture" bunch grasses, and weeds. I've been mowing it periodically the past two years just to keep it under control as we made plans to build. The ground is looks smooth from a distance, but very bump and knobby up close, maybe because of the clumped grasses, maybe the underlying ground too. Not good at all for kids playing etc.
Scratching my head and Googling a lot trying to figure out what my options are for a lot this size. A few thoughts and/or questions I'd love feedback on.
- If I were to consider ditching all current grass and starting over, what grass varieties should I really consider that establish and grow well from seeds? Common in this area are Bermuda (not my favorite, and not sure it would tolerate all the shade), centipede (seeds?), some St Augustine and zoysia. I've wondered about some of the more heat tolerant tall fescues like Titan ultra. If an irrigation system were in place, is this even remotely possible? Remember, middle of MS, but lots of shade in larger areas of the lot.
- been reading on methods to replace a lawn. Roundup and tilling old grass vs scraping/sod cutting. Can't tell from what I've read so far which is better, easier, and/or most cost effective. Glyphosate to kill that much grass and weeds is still cheap. Not sure about the labor part of the two options.
- topsoil. See suggestions for new lawns of like 4" or more of new topsoil spread. Holy cow. I'd need like 500+ cubic yards of soil for every inch added, right?! Grass seed would only be a few $K, that much soil would be a non-starter. Is it possible to avoid that by testing the soil and just tilling in organics, fertilizers, old grass etc.?
- its entirely likely I just do something smaller scale around the house, maybe an acre or so, during initial build and then tackle the rest of the property at a later time. Would probably put in main trunks capped off at periphery of smaller area for future irrigation lines. Any other thoughts or suggestions on that?
- after considering all the options, I may decide bahiagrass is just fine! I grew up with it. To be honest, if it was uniform bahia I might be OK with it but most seems to be something else, and probably the majority is weeds anyway. Neighbors with similar situation just put in irrigation and kept cutting close for several years. Now it looks like... pasture grass cut closer. I guess it filled in a little between the bunches, but not much. Any thoughts on turning this into a more uniform, thicker and smoother "pasture" without nuking and starting over?
This will be built on "raw land" in Jackson, MS, not in a developed community. Size of the lot is about 4 acre of rolling and gently sloped dry ground, a couple of ponds in back not included in that size.
Lot is mostly grassy and dotted with large but not old trees, mostly varieties of oak. I think this was all part of a larger pasture land decades ago, and someone deliberately planted these trees maybe 30 years ago, leaving a clear area for expected home site, but never built. Probably 20-30 such trees we will keep.
Anyway, current grass is mixture of bahiagrass, other "pasture" bunch grasses, and weeds. I've been mowing it periodically the past two years just to keep it under control as we made plans to build. The ground is looks smooth from a distance, but very bump and knobby up close, maybe because of the clumped grasses, maybe the underlying ground too. Not good at all for kids playing etc.
Scratching my head and Googling a lot trying to figure out what my options are for a lot this size. A few thoughts and/or questions I'd love feedback on.
- If I were to consider ditching all current grass and starting over, what grass varieties should I really consider that establish and grow well from seeds? Common in this area are Bermuda (not my favorite, and not sure it would tolerate all the shade), centipede (seeds?), some St Augustine and zoysia. I've wondered about some of the more heat tolerant tall fescues like Titan ultra. If an irrigation system were in place, is this even remotely possible? Remember, middle of MS, but lots of shade in larger areas of the lot.
- been reading on methods to replace a lawn. Roundup and tilling old grass vs scraping/sod cutting. Can't tell from what I've read so far which is better, easier, and/or most cost effective. Glyphosate to kill that much grass and weeds is still cheap. Not sure about the labor part of the two options.
- topsoil. See suggestions for new lawns of like 4" or more of new topsoil spread. Holy cow. I'd need like 500+ cubic yards of soil for every inch added, right?! Grass seed would only be a few $K, that much soil would be a non-starter. Is it possible to avoid that by testing the soil and just tilling in organics, fertilizers, old grass etc.?
- its entirely likely I just do something smaller scale around the house, maybe an acre or so, during initial build and then tackle the rest of the property at a later time. Would probably put in main trunks capped off at periphery of smaller area for future irrigation lines. Any other thoughts or suggestions on that?
- after considering all the options, I may decide bahiagrass is just fine! I grew up with it. To be honest, if it was uniform bahia I might be OK with it but most seems to be something else, and probably the majority is weeds anyway. Neighbors with similar situation just put in irrigation and kept cutting close for several years. Now it looks like... pasture grass cut closer. I guess it filled in a little between the bunches, but not much. Any thoughts on turning this into a more uniform, thicker and smoother "pasture" without nuking and starting over?
