best dirt for seeding/leveling lawn

[reb]

Need advice on best soil/compost/other stuff mixture to use for reseeding a dead lawn (lack of water last summer), and reviving unhealthy soil.
Will be using bermuda seed (coudn't convince boyfriend to consider buffalograss, but at least convinced him st. augustine is not a good choice for dallas).
In addition, there are a few uneven areas in the yard. We plan to have several cubic yards of dirt delivered to accommodate the seeds and to level out yard. I have contacted three companies that deliver dirt: Living Earth, Rohde's, and AAA Sand & Stone. Living Earth and AAA are within budget requirements. Should one be considered over the other?

thanks

[Ray Brown]

I would'nt bring in just dirt. A better idea is to bring in a load of compost. Spread like dirt, add dry molasses, green sand, lava sand and corn meal. The only "dirt" you want is what is native to the site. The above products are much better for the existing soil and will feed the turf.
As far as where to get the compost, I know that Living Earth has quality compost. I had to bring in a load when i bought my new house

[Gar]

I used Rohde's to raise and level and slope my front yard because I got tired of having a lake every time it would rain hard. They used a mixture of 50% sandy loam and 50% compost. They did a great job, but a little pricey. Now I will be looking for a source to purchase inexpensive buffalo grass, since I read or heard that it it drought tolerent. I don't know where you live but Living Earth Technologies has an excellent compost that can be used. I don't know the price per load. I am thinking of making some raised beds for my wife's roses and flowers.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I would use a 50/50 mix of sand and compost. It shovels easily and has some residual bulk.

The reason buffalo grass is called drought tolerant is that it goes dormant in a drought instead of dying off completely. Please look at some buffalo grass lawns in your neighborhood before you buy and decide if that's what you want your lawn to look like.

[dav]

You can get some composted cow manure from R. J. Smelley Dairy.
It is perfect for leveling yards.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

The problem with using compost to level areas is that ultimately, the compost has no volume at all. It completely "evaporates" as the microbes eat away at it. When it is all gone, you are left with the exact same level conditions you started with. It only takes a year.

I prefer sand for leveling. I have great luck infusing microbes into the sand so the growth is pretty good.

I remember now that I had a question for the original poster. Why is St Augustine not a good choice for Dallas?

[JimKing]

I had posted a simular note in a earlier thread.

We aerated our yard this spring and put 1 cy of "rose soil" on it.
The rose soil has in it a small amout of compose. The yard is green and healthy and we haven't seen the decrease in volume yet.

It cost me $30 for a completely full pickup truck load.

[flowerlover]

reb -
I don't know where you live, but our neighbors have Buffalo Grass, which Gar and our Moderator mentioned. It definitely has a different look than other grasses, but my neighbors are retired folks who travel a lot and chose their grass specifically so they would not have to worry about mowing very often. They said it grows to a certain height and doesn't get any taller, also, until they return and mow again. It never looks unkempt, and we enjoy the appearance of their yard - a subdued green, with a soft and billowy effect.