new house, new yard, & questions.....

[PWN]

I just build a house on 4 acres that was given to me by my dad. We have 420 acres that we run cattle on, and I cut out 4 acres off to one side in a high spot. So basically, I just built a house in a cow pasture! Anyway, my yard is really big. I layed st.augustine sod around my house out to about 20'-30'.

Now my project.....The rest of the yard is just a cow pasture, with natvie grasses and weeds, and it is really bumpy. Its pretty smooth for a cow pasture, but bumpy for a yard! Its really too big to sod the whole thing IMO. So, since I have the equipment, I am thinking the best thing to do is just disk it up, and drag it until I get it level. I also have a good sized roller that I can use to compact it if needed. Im not real sure about what to do after Im done leveling it. Can you plant st. augustine? That is what everyones yard is around here, and it handles the south texas climate pretty well. I have a few spots of it growing in my "cow pasture" yard, so I will probably try to salvage those if I can. If I just leave it as is after I level it, I will most likely see bermuda grass fill it all in. That stuff grows wild out here. Anytime you turn the ground over out here, that stuff come back like crazy. Pretty quick too. Bermuda grass isnt too bad, and over time the st.augustine might take it over..........Maybe I just answered my own question....LOL

I think I have a direction to go, but would like some other ideas....Thanks.
Phillip

[cgaengineer]

I just build a house on 4 acres that was given to me by my dad. We have 420 acres that we run cattle on, and I cut out 4 acres off to one side in a high spot. So basically, I just built a house in a cow pasture! Anyway, my yard is really big. I layed st.augustine sod around my house out to about 20'-30'.

Now my project.....The rest of the yard is just a cow pasture, with natvie grasses and weeds, and it is really bumpy. Its pretty smooth for a cow pasture, but bumpy for a yard! Its really too big to sod the whole thing IMO. So, since I have the equipment, I am thinking the best thing to do is just disk it up, and drag it until I get it level. I also have a good sized roller that I can use to compact it if needed. Im not real sure about what to do after Im done leveling it. Can you plant st. augustine? That is what everyones yard is around here, and it handles the south texas climate pretty well. I have a few spots of it growing in my "cow pasture" yard, so I will probably try to salvage those if I can. If I just leave it as is after I level it, I will most likely see bermuda grass fill it all in. That stuff grows wild out here. Anytime you turn the ground over out here, that stuff come back like crazy. Pretty quick too. Bermuda grass isnt too bad, and over time the st.augustine might take it over..........Maybe I just answered my own question....LOL

I think I have a direction to go, but would like some other ideas....Thanks.
Phillip

First I would like to say I wish my dad had 400 acres and could give me 4.

I would till, level and smooth the whole area. If you leave spots you will have a "transition" spot that may be more compacted or rocky.

I think if Bermuda fights St. Augustine that Bermuda will win, it beats anything around here. I also think Bermuda is a bit more drought tolerant then St. Augustine so if you are not planning on watering then go with Bermuda. Keep in mind that there are 2 main types of Bermuda, those you can seed and those that are sprigged or sodded. What you have in the wild is common Bermuda and can be seeded, the sodded or sprigged varieties are hybrids.

[PWN]

First I would like to say I wish my dad had 400 acres and could give me 4.

I would till, level and smooth the whole area. If you leave spots you will have a "transition" spot that may be more compacted or rocky.

I think if Bermuda fights St. Augustine that Bermuda will win, it beats anything around here. I also think Bermuda is a bit more drought tolerant then St. Augustine so if you are not planning on watering then go with Bermuda. Keep in mind that there are 2 main types of Bermuda, those you can seed and those that are sprigged or sodded. What you have in the wild is common Bermuda and can be seeded, the sodded or sprigged varieties are hybrids.


Well...I am very blessed. It's been in the family for a few generations.

Thanks for the info. My new sod (10 pallets) has been down for 2 weeks now. Its starting to take hold...

[RAlmaroad]

Think about Zoysia. St. Augustine is wonderful but cannot be grown from seed as there are no seed available. It's all stolon produced. However Zoysia can be seeded and looks a whole lot like St. Augustine if you let it grow. Go by a sod farm and look at it before you choose and see what it looks like in the field. Roy

[hotshot4819]

you could prepare the area you havnt touched yet and have it hydroseeded.
Will take root quickly and be alot cheaper then sod.
If you maintian the hydroseed correctly you can have a healthy lawns quickly and alot less back breaking.
I have many people that do work in that area, so if you want, contact me and i can get you in touch with them.