I wouldn't try tall fescue there. Zoysia has nice color but is difficult to cut cleanly. In some sandy soils you will need more (like2x) fertilizer than recommended. This doesn't apply to centipede. All the southern grasses can be overseeded if you want to mow in the winter.

 

Thank you. I've always seeded a lawn but I guess that's gonna be out of the question down here.

 

New homeowner here, but have been a lawn are enthusiast for a looking time. However, my lawn care experience has been in Pennsylvania. Moved down to NC last year and have very little knowledge about warm season grasses and the transition zone lawn care. I especially am unfamiliar with growing grass on the sand soil. I've read through the NC State Extension and saw that tall fescue is able to grow in the area. Does anyone have experience growing it in a similar soil and climate? Or should I just go with seeding Zoysia?

Also, if you have any resources, it would be greatly appreciated.

Hey, not sure if you've already decided on what to do with the lawn yet, but I'll second what windflower mentioned and would stay away from any fescue in the Sandhills, especially if you're anywhere south of the Sanford area. The heat stress and sandy soil tends to not be a good mix for fescue. You'd need to have a very good watering plan in place and would also need to amend the soil to get it to work. I've seen tall fescue do well in some areas around Sanford where soil is also naturally sandy, so I know that it's possible, but those are usually shaded areas and I've noticed that the further south typically the sandier the soil and the more prone to problems that may be encountered. Centipede is by far the most sand friendly turf with it even tolerating a lower ph level, but it takes so long to grow from seed. We typically resort to sod for any centipede work.

Zoysia is a very nice type of grass but typically requires more maintenance than Centipede. There's a few varieties out there that are better suited for different conditions (drought tolerance, shade tolerance, etc.) so research is definitely needed to best suit your lawn needs. From experience, the zoysia seed that is mostly available is Zenith Zoysia and is currently running for over $100 a pound, so the cost and time needed to make sure that the seed does well plays a big factor in choosing whether to seed zoysia. St. Augustine is another grass that I've seen do well in the Sandhills/Eastern part of NC, but it also has it's maintenance requirements and can be prone to fungus problems in our very humid summers, plus it's not available in seed - only plugs or sod.

Bermuda is another common grass around the Sandhills, but similar to zoysia, there's a few varieties to fit different conditions but the number one requirement for any kind of Bermuda is plenty of sunlight exposure. If seeding bermuda, I'd recommend seeking a hybrid blend since those are what turf farms typically use to grow sod.

Best of luck in your renovation endeavors!

 

Hey, not sure if you've already decided on what to do with the lawn yet, but I'll second what windflower mentioned and would stay away from any fescue in the Sandhills, especially if you're anywhere south of the Sanford area. The heat stress and sandy soil tends to not be a good mix for fescue. You'd need to have a very good watering plan in place and would also need to amend the soil to get it to work. I've seen tall fescue do well in some areas around Sanford where soil is also naturally sandy, so I know that it's possible, but those are usually shaded areas and I've noticed that the further south typically the sandier the soil and the more prone to problems that may be encountered. Centipede is by far the most sand friendly turf with it even tolerating a lower ph level, but it takes so long to grow from seed. We typically resort to sod for any centipede work.

Zoysia is a very nice type of grass but typically requires more maintenance than Centipede. There's a few varieties out there that are better suited for different conditions (drought tolerance, shade tolerance, etc.) so research is definitely needed to best suit your lawn needs. From experience, the zoysia seed that is mostly available is Zenith Zoysia and is currently running for over $100 a pound, so the cost and time needed to make sure that the seed does well plays a big factor in choosing whether to seed zoysia. St. Augustine is another grass that I've seen do well in the Sandhills/Eastern part of NC, but it also has it's maintenance requirements and can be prone to fungus problems in our very humid summers, plus it's not available in seed - only plugs or sod.

Bermuda is another common grass around the Sandhills, but similar to zoysia, there's a few varieties to fit different conditions but the number one requirement for any kind of Bermuda is plenty of sunlight exposure. If seeding bermuda, I'd recommend seeking a hybrid blend since those are what turf farms typically use to grow sod.

Best of luck in your renovation endeavors!

Thank you for the insight. I basically decided to go with bermuda for the front but still trying to figure out what to do for the back yard. There is a ton of shade and more than half is bare sand so I highly doubt I'll be able to grow much back there. Do you have any idea on what to grow in heavily shaded areas? I don't care if it's turf type but just something to limit tracking sand into the house.