Spring is almost here

DMS General
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Yesterday, I planted some seeds in my germination trays. I’m planning to grow mostly herbs and peppers this year, but perhaps a vegetable or two also. I’m also revitalizing my wife’s rose garden which all but died in our 2021 freeze. We didn’t replace them in 2022 for a number of reasons, but I’m planning to replace them this year.

Our yard has also been neglected for a number of years. As a result it is getting patchy in places, particularly in shady areas. It is all St. Augustine grass but it is thin in places.

So here’s my questions:

  1. Are there any master gardeners at DMS?
  2. Is it worth aerating my lawn? Home Depot has an aerator for rent but it it $110 a day.
  3. What grasses do well in shady areas. My neighbor’s trees have shaded part of my side yard so that no St. Augustine grows there anymore. I’m planning on seeding Tall Fescue, but wanted to solicit other’s experiences.
  4. Lastly, plants have gotten outrageously high at the nurseries so I wondered what the interest would be in a plant swap. Calloways used to put one on every spring, but I’ve not seen one in years. I’m afraid I don’t have a lot to swap, but was curious what the interest was in doing one on the back parking lot at DMS?

May all your plants prosper this spring.

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I know you asked about DMS experts, but just saying…Neil Sperry is the man when it comes to Texas horticulture. He has a weekly newsletter that one can sign up for that has a “gardening this weekend” section. It keeps me well on track, in general.

Aerating your lawn every year or two before fertilizing or top dressing is always a good idea. Best not to do it within the active time frame of any application of pre-emergent, though…it will corrupt the barrier necessary to stop weeds from germinating. Find a neighbor or two to split costs of rental and to help manhandle that thing in and out of vehicle/truck bed.

NS usually recommends ground cover like asian jasmine for problem areas under trees. It’s mowable, hardy, and grows like crazy. Or mondo grass, but it’s expensive. Fescue might work, but the “root” (he he) problem with trees, as you indicated, is not much sun, and trees suck up most of the moisture in their root vicinity.

Check it out:

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Thanks a bunch for the tips. I registered for the Newsletter just now. I own an old copy of his Texas Gardening book.

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Love listening to him. He’s got me donating $100+ each Christmas for Denton State Supported Living Center. Its become my Christmas tradition . . . some will understand the irony.

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A smart guy I know likes to quote a relevant proverb:

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

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He saw another couple great quotes/advice today:

  • Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
  • Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.

I love listening to Neil, he seems like a very very nice person

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Of course he is. He’s a wood turner.

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Like I said “Seems” like

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I had decent success with fescue under a tree in my front yard. You do need to keep it well watered.

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I just googled Buffalo Grass (a drought-resistant grass), and apparently there are now a couple of variants that tolerate shade pretty well. I don’t have any experience with it myself, but I was considering it, back when I had a lawn.

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Was it already shady when you planted the fescue, or did it become shady after the fescue was already established?

I’ve had success with St. Augustine planted in an area that became shady after the St.A. was already established. But I can’t get St.A. to start and “take” in dense shade. So I’m wondering the same question about fescue …

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I meandered off to look up dichondra, because my grandad used to have some in his yard. But it’s another sun-lover.

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Zoysia, wide blade like St Augustine but better about water and shade, according to Astrud. One of the common names is ZoyBoy? Just double check it’s good for the climate location in question.

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In most cases in this part of texas, usually not. A good way to tell if you need to aerate your lawn is to get a hand trowel, and see how much effort it takes to push into the soil. Did you take about as much effort as lifting a big sack of potatoes. If it’s significantly more than that, or you take up a sample, and it’s difficult to break apart, then look into it

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It was already shady. My Bermuda had died under there and the fescue was to remediate that area.

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