By Stephanie Schupska
University of
Georgia

Most lawns still lay sleeping, waiting for the sporadic weather
to turn warm and stay there. But when those first few shoots poke
out of the ground, homeowners across Georgia will be hunting for
the easiest route to the perfect lawn.

For research-based information, they can turn to University of
Georgia turfgrass experts for solutions to their problems — from
the best grass for a lawn makeover to ground cover under an oak
tree.

When a client called a UGA Cooperative Extension office recently
about problems with thinning grass in an increasingly shady lawn,
state turfgrass specialist Clint Waltz had to think about his
answer for a moment. Georgia covers three plant hardiness zones,
making it impossible to pick one grass that would work for the
whole state.

“The best grass for their lawn would depend on where they live in
Georgia,” he said. “If you live south of Macon, St.
Augustinegrass would be the best. Our most shade tolerant
warm-season turfgrass is St. Augustinegrass. If you live near
Atlanta, tall fescue would be an option, and possibly St.
Augustinegrass, depending on the cultivar.”

“Sometimes as landscapes grow up, you may want to think about
removing tree limbs to let sun in,” said Extension specialist Tim
Murphy.

Before planting any new grass, though, the best starting point
would be to submit a soil sample to a local Extension agent for
testing. This allows the homeowner to properly fertilize and lime
the lawn, without the usual guesswork.

“If your yard has bare spots because of nutrient imbalance or
shade, you’re going to need to do something besides seed or add
new sod or grass plugs,” Waltz said. “If the problem is soil
compaction, you need to aerate the ground to make it conducive
for growth.”

Before laying grass seed or sod, Murphy said to prepare the bare
soil by lightly tilling it. Then prepare a smooth seed-bed and
seed or sod it.

Sometimes a homeowner may consider overseeding a sparse lawn.
This tactic can be beneficial or harmful, depending on the type
of underlying grass.

“If it’s a warm-season grass like centipedegrass, zoysiagrass or
St. Augustinegrass, or even bermudagrass, my suggestion would be
not to overseed,” Waltz said. “If it is summer and tall fescue,
which is a cool-season grass, that’s to be expected. If it’s
sparse in spring and fall, then you can overseed.”

The best time to seed and establish cool-season grasses like tall
fescue is between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. It can be established in
the spring, but summer’s heat can put extra stress on tall
fescue, making it hard for the grass to survive.

Survival will not happen, though, if the grass does not get
enough light.

“Not all situations are conducive for grass,” Waltz said. “Under
an oak tree, for example, you may want to consider mulch or
another shade tolerant vegetative cover. Grass will not grow
under an oak tree because of the low light environment. That
winds up being the prevailing reason. All grasses need some kind
of light.”

He suggests using a shade-tolerant ground cover instead of trying
to get grass to grow right up to the tree’s base.

(Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University of
Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)