My new house is almost complete and we are putting in a new yard. Front has two large oaks and faces north so plenty of shade in 75% of yard. Back is maybe 10% shade and gets intense sun. So opposites. Would you go St. Augustine or Zoysia? I am used to lush green Bermuda in Arkansas

Localbear said:

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My new house is almost complete and we are putting in a new yard. Front has two large oaks and faces north so plenty of shade in 75% of yard. Back is maybe 10% shade and gets intense sun. So opposites. Would you go St. Augustine or Zoysia? I am used to lush green Bermuda in Arkansas

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I'd go with Zoysia (like Zeon or Emerald variety) for your whole yard. It'll handle a sunny back area quite well while still doing decent in your shady oak-covered front. Zoysia gives you that lush green look you're used to from Bermuda but with better shade tolerance, less maintenance, and better drought resistance (which seems to be more and more common around here with each passing season). My two cents, anyway.

Are you in city limits? Good luck with that lush lawn given current seasonal water restrictions.

One thing I miss about living on the river is the lush lawn from pump irrigation. In August without fail the pest control, electrician, plumber, whoever came to house would question how we had a green lawn.

Localbear said:

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My new house is almost complete and we are putting in a new yard. Front has two large oaks and faces north so plenty of shade in 75% of yard. Back is maybe 10% shade and gets intense sun. So opposites. Would you go St. Augustine or Zoysia? I am used to lush green Bermuda in Arkansas

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I'll echo Hams here.

I have St. Augustine. It is my favorite. After a cutting and edging, it is gorgeous. It can't be beat for aestitics; HOWEVER, it is a water-wh0re. It is subject to Chinch bugs, fungal disease, and dead spots. When your trees fully mature, the lack of sun is brutal on it. I followed Neal Sperry's advice for years and then switched to organic fertilizers. None of that mattered with St. Augustine. I mulched for years and finally realized that it was building to much thatch. I aeriated the lawn. It didn't matter. Now I bag the clippings because our growing season is too long here. The mulchings don't have enough time to breakdown properly.

I used to have the best lawn (IMHO) in our neighborhood for nearly 10 years when I put it in. I lost about 70% of the front one year due to fungus, chinch bugs, and drought. Watering is WAY cheaper (and easier) than going to Barrera's and buying a couple of pallets of grass and then having to dump tons of water to get it to take root.

If we ever move and build again, I'm going either Zoysia or Bermuda. I'll miss the St. Augustine, but not the hassle.

Thanks I think I am going Zoysia. I live in Woodway and we have full size mature oaks. We tore down an old house and built a brand new one. So only thing that survived was the two large oaks in the front. Along with various other trees on sides

Zoysia is the best. It is very thick and weeds have a hard time growing. It is good in shade and requires less water. It is 50 percent more expensive but is worth it.

I built a house in 2006 on a wooded lot, and I put in zoysia. It still looks great. Water a little and fertilize regularly.

As I recall, it is called PallisadesZoysia. Developed for shade.