Planting Grass

[justfishin]

I live in Chesapeake and have replanted the front lawn twice in 5 years to watch it come in nice and green then die by the end of summer. I have tilled it up and put new top soil down but that didn't help.I water daily but it doesn't help and I don't think the city water is all that great for it either. Any advice on the best grass seed for the type of soil here and how to keep it growing ? Thanks for any replies.

[ccx2]

If your planting Fescue the spring is not the season to start it, it is a cool weather grass and will germinate and grow well until it gets hot and dry and then die because the spring planting doesn't enable a deep root system to avoid the hot,dry stress.
You should have started Fescue last septembr or in the fall,that way it germinates,grows in the cool weather and then over the winter it develops the deep root system needed to hopefully make it thru the hot summer months. Most people with a established Fescue lawn will over seed (put seed down) in the spring just to thicken the already established lawn.
Fescue is pretty grass but I think its a pain in the arse and a poor choice for our area va beach, you really have to spend a lot of time and money on it to keep it looking good,a lot of water at the right time of day wen it gets hot,And then it's susEptable to So many Problems it's not worth the effort unless you want to make grass tending you full time hobby.

[justfishin]

ccx2 ,

My neighbor just stopped and told me the very samething you just said so i'm holding off until the fall. Is there a better type of grass other than fescue that would be more suitable for this area ? Another big problem is the 3 huge trees in my front yard that suck up all the water ! I would rather be fishing then "grass tending" . Lol Thanks for the reply

[ccx2]

ccx2 ,

My neighbor just stopped and told me the very samething you just said so i'm holding off until the fall. Is there a better type of grass other than fescue that would be more suitable for this area ? Another big problem is the 3 huge trees in my front yard that suck up all the water ! I would rather be fishing then "grass tending" . Lol Thanks for the reply
Yep, save your money and wait till the fall. But in the time until then you could be reserching how to make your soil good for when the planting time comes in the fall.
If You have big trees and lots of shade fesue is about all that will grow well in the shade and your soil probably is not the best so you would need to get that tested to see what needs to be added,lime,organic matter,ect.
Bermuda and Saint Augustine are summer grasses that can be started now,Burmuda with seed and on,ce you have it it's hard to get rid of,Saint Augustine is my favorite and started with plugs purchased at garden centers but it to has it's problems, both summer grasses turn brown and look dead in winter and some people don't like that, they green back up in the spring. Both will tolerate some shade, Bermuda being the easiest to care for of them all but not a very pretty lawn IMO.

[justfishin]

More great advice Ccx2 thanks man I appreciate. I think the soil is a big problem too so I will get it tested like you said.