New to Tampa FL area and need to reno the lawn...Plug St. Aug or seed options?

[1FASTSS]

Hello All,

We just bought a new house in Seminole, FL outside of Tampa and are in the process of renovating the inside and outside. Since the yard is mostly weeds and dirt/sand is being dragged into the house daily so I need to get some type of yard in this spring/summer.

Currently the yard has a couple patches of St. Augustine left in it so I'm wondering if I should:

A - kill off everything minus the St. Augustine and then plug whats left over into other areas and then add more new plugs or
B- kill it all off and start all over with Bermuda seed? What are the best options for seed? I'm assuming Scotts big box store seeds isn't the best option?

being very new to the warm season grasses I need all the help I can...on starting and maintaining. I did read the Bermuda grass maint. link and is very doable here...our sprinklers system is on a well and some yards around us are green all year thanks to water and warm temps (minus right now)

Thanks!

[killerv]

A.

SA in your neck of the woods is awesome and after it is established will be less maintenance than bermuda. I plugged my backyard on 18'' centers with SA and it filled in about 3months time.

[1FASTSS]

A.

SA in your neck of the woods is awesome and after it is established will be less maintenance than Bermuda. I plugged my backyard on 18'' centers with SA and it filled in about 3months time.

Thanks for the info. After Irma hit here and the debris was stacked on top of SA yards most people up and down the block lost there yards between the side walks and streets...some plugged and some just threw down fescue for winter but it will be interesting to see how quickly it fills in. SA has stopped growing here for the most part.

Only thing with SA is that it isn't the best for the kids to play on with it "tougher" blades compared to the KBG we are used to which is why I was thinking Bermuda? Not sure if Bermuda will fill in before next winter or not?

[killerv]

Don't know where you got the info about not being good for kids. SA with bare feet is awesome. I got a 6 and 9yo with no complaints

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

There are some differences between bermuda care and SA care. The main thing that is the same is watering. All grasses need water at the same rate to look good.
Bermuda is mowed low and has to be mowed every week (sometimes 2-3 times). SA can skip a week or two.
Bermuda needs fertilizer monthly or every 6 weeks to remain deep green and dense. SA gets fertilizer 3x per year.
Bermuda can be sprayed for weeds with the ordinary sprays. SA requires an atrazine product and only once (max twice) per year.
Bermuda cannot tolerate any shade. It needs 6 hours of unfiltered direct sunlight per day. SA can grow with no direct sunlight under trees.
With proper care, SA will dominate all the other grassy plants including bermuda. However, broadleaf weeds can encroach into SA and push it out.

Bermuda will definitely fill in quickly, but don't put seed down now and expect it to spring to life. Bermuda seed needs HOT soil. Wait until May in your area and then put the seed down. Level the area first, scatter the seed, roll the seed down, and start watering short duration, 3x per day for 3 weeks or until you get 80% germination. All you are doing is keeping the seed moist, not drenching the soil. Another way to do bermuda is by sprigging. You can get a very expensive turfgrass for a few dollars using DIY sprigging (search this forum).

Is there a reason you're thinking of bermuda seed instead of rolling out a sod and having an instant lawn? The sodded varieties of bermuda are far superior to the seeded varieties. Actually the same goes for SA. We don't have plugs here; we have pieces of SA about 3 square feet each. We buy it by the pallet and lay it down for an instant lawn.

[keatre]

I'm new to the Tampa area as well, and have been wondering the exact same thing as OP. I have just started taking a soil sample to be looked at in the soil forum, but my plan is to scrap the backyard (mostly dead St Augustine and weeds) and start over with Bermuda seed. My dog and wife are constantly back there and there's an obvious "runway" down the center of the yard that drives me nuts. No amount of cultivation and care can keep that St Aug runway nice and green, it's just a flat, squashed brown area.

Bermuda will be more time intensive, but I think will be worth it for a clean-looking backyard.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

keatre, there is a big difference between seeded bermuda and sodded bermuda. Seeded bermuda is almost always a variation of common bermuda. It gets seed heads and will look shaggy after a week without mowing. Sodded bermuda does not get seed heads and has a deeper green color. The sodded varieties can be mowed lower and become more dense than seeded. You should be able to find TIF 419 sod for $50 to $60 per pallet. If sodding the entire yard is out of the question, search this forum for the topics on stolonizing bermuda. A guy from Australia came up with a very economical way to have a very expensive lawn. Basically you prep the sand to perfection, buy a very few pieces of the expensive sod, chop it up, and scatter the pieces of chopped grass. I would roll that down, but he covered it lightly with more sand. I don't remember his coverage rate, but the result was beautiful. It's a little more work, but for what you end up with, I would do it.