Grass

March 14, 2017 

Question: I sent you a picture of my front yard and would like to know the best way to fill in the bare spots under the pecan tree.

Brad

Hobbs, NM

Recommendation: I needed more points of view to assess before I gave a workable solution or answer to the problem, and decided to make a house call to Brad's home. Irregular, dead spots were noted from the previous grass out to the edge of Bermuda grass in the sun. The area is under heavy shade during the summer from the pecan tree's canopy.

Yes, I do make house calls and follow-up contacts where needed. An irrigation system was in place and seemed to be working with adequate head spacing to cover the grass area.

Brad and I discussed some options, that being laying new fescue sod and cranking up the water for the grass. There is competition for nutrients and moisture from the pecan tree's roots and shrubbery in the foundation planting.

On further discussion, I had made recommendation to utilize St. Augustine grass in this area as another shade tolerant grass. Brad had a back yard of St. Augustine turf. As a simple fix to his gardening question I recommended to take 2-inch plugs from the existing St. Augustine and plant these plugs of turf into a checkerboard grid under the pecan tree. Plugging in grasses can be a quick fix in mending a turf problem area.

To fully establish the St. Augustine grass plugs, increase the watering time, put down a balanced turf fertilizer to stimulate the newly planted plugs. Add some compost over the plugs to hold soil moisture while runners establish and take root. Lastly, keep the new turf in-place mowed short to promote horizontal vegetative growth to fill in the bare spots. This area should be covered St. Augustine by mid-summer.

Get out and grow something!

Dr. Dirt