Would you change the type of grass??

[SandrA9810]

Ok, so my aunt has the corner lot on a duplex, so her side lot is rather large, and a nice backyard. All of it (for the most part anyways) is bermuda grass.
For any one not familiar with lawns, thin blade grass fertilizer will kill off thick blade grasses in the lawn, and vice versa. Bermuda is thin, and St. augustine is thick.

The bermuda grows all the way around to the front sidewalk leading up to the house, and on the other side of the sidewalk is st. augustine grass. A good 30-40% of the lawn on this side of the sidewalk is dead. I don't really know the cause of it yet, but with winter approaching, I'm not worried about it.

I want know, should I change this patch over to bermuda grass to keep the fertilizer and up keep easier?? The only problem is, the neighbor's lawn is all st augustine, and about 10-20% of this section is the neighbor's. Which truthfully would only add one more pass through with a fertilizer spreader, so I wouldn't mind adding in the little extra upkeep on their side.
If I don't change it, then that means buying two different fertilizers to complete the whole lawn.

I know it's my aunt's yard/lawn and she can do whatever she wants. But having a small patch of st augustine will compete with the bermuda. And each fertilizer will kill off the other. I've already started going through my aunt's lawn and pulling up the patches of st augustine and crab grass.

 

[arminnie]

I personally do not like Bermuda grass. It is so invasive that it is almost impossible to keep it out of flower beds. It is very difficult to get rid of.

Dead St. Augustine is often caused by grub worms. You need a preventive with fertilizer.

 

[SandrA9810]

Cinch bugs are another possibility. But a good all around bug treatment should help solve that problem. I'm just waiting on my aunt to buy a new spreader. The one that was left here by the old owner, had a rusted axle and when I tipped it to the side to clean it, the wheel broke off.

But both kinds of grasses are runners. Meaning they shoot out runners to take root and the leaves grow from there. Neither one is sold in seeds. And trying to grow st augustine in the other part of the lawn would just be a huge hassle and cost a lot more money.

Since most of the St Augustine is already dead, next spring something is going to need to be planted there.

The other side of the neighbor's sidewalk is thick and healthy st augustine, but I don't think they do much to the lawn, since this side of their lawn is looking just as shabby. So I don't know if I put in bermuda, if that'll annoy them. And I have yet to even see them to talk to them. The former owner said the lady doesn't like talking, and doesn't come outside much.

 

[Mimi1965]

What state does she live in? The South?
I personally love our St Augustine

 

[SandrA9810]

it's in Texas.

Florida is covered with st augustine, so I'm used to it. But it's not my preference. I spent my summers up north with the rye grass, so I love the soft feel of the thin blade.

I just don't think the two types of grass could grow alongside of each other. Especially with such a narrow strip until the sidewalk. And my aunt wants the easiest thing possible, and some how telling her to use two different fertilizers would make her go , and she probably wouldn't be happy to buy two bags.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I am not a lawn person, but if I were, I'd probably go to the neighbor lady, explain that you're helping your aunt fix the bald patch of lawn in the spring, and would it be OK if you went right up to the sidewalk because it's easier. Say of course you'd do the follow-up watering and fertilizer on her strip too. She'll probably let you run with it to keep from having to do it herself!

 

[golfgal]

I don't think your grass type is the issue, it looks like you have a bug/fungus problem or it was overfertilized and killed the grass.

 

[BellvilleDad]

What state does she live in? The South?
I personally love our St Augustine

Me, too.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Only under pain of death. I hate Bermuda grass. It literally would make my dogs paws bleed when we lived in TX.

Your aunt just needs to learn how to care for her St. Augustine grass properly.

 

[SandrA9810]

The only problem is, bermuda is the dominate grass in the rest of the yard. It's just this one section. She's not an outdoor person, and won't even touch it. She pays some guy to mow it every other week, and leaves the rest up to me. I have no idea what killed the lawn, as I haven't been here to watch it die. If it was green and hardy, I'd leave it as St Augustine, but as it is, something is going to be put it.

And the guy that cuts the grass doesn't seem to know anything about maintenance of the lawn. She asked him to clean up the flower beds and get rid of the weeds. He found an old bottle of weed killer and told her to just spray it in the beds. Ummm... that's not what she asked, she ask you to take care of it. He also never put down the summer fertilizer that was supposed to be put on in May/June. So now she needs to buy a new bag of winter fertilizer to put down, that I will do before I leave. She's already planning my spring return to get the lawn going again, and sprucing up the flower beds for the growing season.