The Grass Doctor

What is the best type of grass to grow on GA clay?

I've planted Zoysia plugs before and some grass seed before. The Zoysia is still alive after 4 or more yrs. I have a place that is hard packed clay & rocks on a slope & need to put some grass there. With the watering ban & the drought I don't want to waste my money on some grass & have it die off or not be able to take root. What do you recommend?

Public Comments

1. Tall Fescue its drought resistant and pretty tough I have it planted in my clay yard :) and its pretty steep in some spots. First I would rototill the area thought so the clay wont be so hard packed while the grass first roots, even if you dont do this it should still grow
2. i wish you had a picture of the yard in question. the clay is not a very fertile soil to start with. landscape grass such as fountain grass would do the trick. needs little or no watering and if planted with a design in mind you will not have to cut it either. but if you need to cover a large area you should have top soil hauled in and spread 3 to 6 inches deep. then and only then would i place and sod on the area. by the way im in MACON GA what about you.
3. Zoysia was and is probably your best option. What I'd recomend doing is investing in about 100 feet of soaker hoses. Place them in rows with about 3 foot spacing and about ten minutes of watering is out of sight and a LOT better than airial watering.
4. Zoysia is a decent choice, however Bermuda is better able to handle drought, clay, and over-watering (once the rains come). However, since this is a slope do you really want to have to mow it? Why not try ground covers? You could plant liriope (aka Monkey grass) or mondo grass (low growing monkey grass) or another ornamental grass that would require little if any maintenance. Hope this helps.
5. Hi: I am a landscaper and designer, and you do have some options instead of grass on your slope. You can plant some dwarf or other evergreen shrubs on your slope. Once the plants get established, they won't need to be watered as much. There are some low maintenance evergreen shrubs available today. You can use Zoysia on a slope. This is a warm weather grass and will die out in the winter. Tall Fescue is good, but does require some a good watering schedule to get established. I will link you to the simple solutions section of my website. There is a page on slope planting with evergreens that may give you some ideas. I will also link you to the outdoor feature section of my website. There is a page on sod versus seed that may give you some information on grass seed. I will also link you to the site map, as this page has everything that is on the website. Browse through and see if you can find any other articles, tips or techniques that may be useful to you. I live in South Carolina, and understand the clay issue. Good luck to you and if you need further suggestions, feel free to contact me at the website. Have a great day! Kimberly http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com/Solutions.html http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com/Outdoor.html http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com/Site.html