St. Augustine grass in Clermont doesn't work (how much, maintenance)

[Soup Not See]

Originally Posted by dcartier

I will check with the HOA to see what my options are concerning which grass to put down I meant to say (in my first post) 2-3 a month for the maintenance (the less, the better).

For now, I just need to keep the S.A. looking decent (groomed), until I can go and spend some time there and fix all the little problems. The biggest problem is the lawn because it's more obvious and the HOA police pesters us about how it looks which I absolutely understand. We want the neighborhood to look presentable and cared for.

The S.A. does grow there, sure, but from what I can see and hear from my neighbors, it's a pain in the neck to maintain and keep looking healthy. I'm looking into other grasses that doesn't demand so much care and money (water bills) to maintain. From what I understand so far, they all (grasses) have their pros and cons. I just have to see what I can live with

So, I'm looking for someone to mow the lawn, do the edging and trim the bushes until I can make arrangements to bulldoze the S.A. and replace it completely, since I doubt it will be better to just treat it and bring it back to beautiful and healthy.

Weird, I have left messages to lots of companies to call me back and only 1 person did You would think that in this economy, people would at least call to see what the job entails, right? Then I hear people say that there are NO JOBS in Florida I don't get it

When we bought in Orlando, we ditched the S.A. and went with Bermuda. If you spend any time on your lawn or have kids that like to play on the grass, either Bermuda or Zoysia is the way to go. Thinner blades, easier on the feet etc. Not sure about Zoysia, but Bermuda needs to be mowed with a reel mower to keep it looking good. I believe that Zoysia is more shade tolerant, although there are new strains of Bermuda (Celebration) that do well in the shade too.

I hear Bahia is a low maintenance grass, but might not look so great.

[theoldnorthstate]

also suggest you check with you county extension agent/master gardener. bring in some dirt samples and grass samples and they will tell you what insects fungi, etc you may have and can recommend the best grasses.

[dcartier]

Thanks I don't have human children, but my fur-kids did hate the S.A. grass. I think it rubbed their belly the wrong way (they're Yorkies).

I got bit around the ankles by something out in the yard last year and what ever it was it left red, bumpy, pimple-like marks, which every now and then itches and gets swollen even now. My doctor said he had seen a few cases of other patients when they returned from their vacations in Fla. He thinks it's sand mites and I think they're monsters I'll have the dirt tested to see what else is there

[theoldnorthstate]

i had nematodes. microscopic insects that suck the life out of SA. It took a lot to kill them off. or rather kill them back.

[nb_mitch]

There are lots of different types of grass that grow here in Florida, but as previously stated first you need to check with your HOA as some require SA. There are also many different variates of each grass.

The 4 basic grasses that are found in this area are Bahia, Bermuda,Zoysia and Saint Augustine. I have had Zoysia in the Atlanta area and loved the lawn, which likes to be cut much shorter, they recommend a reel type mower, but it was fine with a rotary style mower.

We plan to put it in the back yard of a home we are currently building as our small dog hates the SA too, almost as much as I do.

Bahia is the cheapest, good lawn, takes very little care, just hate the long seed pods that grow instantly, but very drought tolerant, doesn't like shade, something like the SA. This is also the most common Florida pasture grass, can be cut short or let grow long, I think about 2" is normal.

Bermuda also is a nice grass, the seed pods aren't quit as noticeable, also very drought tolerant, I believe it likes to be cut about 1 1/2" tall.

Both these grasses can survive without any or little watering and aren't real bug traps.

Zoysia is the finest of the grasses, used on allot of golf courses, I never had any issues with it. The variation I had didn't like traditional high nitrogen lawn foods, it would kill it. I was told to only use a 14-14-14 general purpose fertilizer and keep the PH correct. That worked well and it was cheaper too. It liked to be cut about 3/4" high, making it great for small dogs.

All 3 of the above grasses will go dormant in the winter, something I enjoy as the one cares for his own lawn, but some people like it to be green year around.

SA will stay green with allot of water and care, it also likes to be cut much higher than the other, at least 3"+. From my experiences with this grass over the last 30 years in Florida, it takes the most care, can be buggy and have issues with fugues, but causing major issues.

My preferences in order would be Zoysia, Bermuda, Bahia and anything other than SA.

[kyle19125]

Something else not mentioned in the thread regarding sod is the need to basically kill off all weeds before replacing any sod. Crabgrass, Sedge and other nuisance weeds will just reappear in the new sod otherwise. Another consideration is the source of your St Augustine sod. I have driven by sod farms where I see sod stacked for transport that have weeds galore growing out of the brand new sod. The more I think about it the more I'm inclined to switch over to Bahia grass, which is native. It browns out in the winter but doesn't die off like St Augustine. It's also more drought tolerant and subsequently requires less watering to keep it green which is far more eco-friendly, as well as dollar-saving.

[blueridgerider]

We switched this year form S.A. to Zoysia and really like. It's a much thicker grass, very dense, slow growth in height which is great as don't have to mow as often. Wonderful to walk on. Must watch out for army worms but easy enough to control with various spray on insecticides from Lowe's or Ace. Long term insecticide we also used. Haven't had any problems since. We were advised to use Howard's Palm Special from Ace to fertilize.

[champa]

SA is a joke. You have to baby that puppy and since the ground is pretty much sand it is always starving for water in the dry months. You can even see it's blades close when the weather is too hot (don't even walk on it at that point 'cause you can damage it), you can't cut it too short 'cause it dies and you have to time your pest and fertilizer to the day so that it works (too early and the bugs don't die, too late and the bugs are happy hunting). Go with Bahia, you can't kill that stuff and will survive even without sprinklers.

If you must have SA and have a temp house there you most likely will need someone to cut it and keep an eye on the sprinklers, and someone to kill the pests and fertilize it. It's like rasing a small child. Also a key mistake people make is that they user high nitrogen fertilizer (if you are buying at the big box store you are getting the wrong kind). That justt promotes lovely leaves but in Fl that SA needs big roots to get to some water. Get a low nitrogen, high potasium fertilizer and your grass will thank you for it (I recommend Lesco which is what the pro's use).

The problem is that with SA you have to very vigilant and notice the problems before they get out of hand. By the time so see dry patches the bugs have already eaten all the roots in the area surrounding the patch and moving on to the next batch.

[Zoro22]

Originally Posted by nb_mitch

There are lots of different types of grass that grow here in Florida, but as previously stated first you need to check with your HOA as some require SA. There are also many different variates of each grass.

The 4 basic grasses that are found in this area are Bahia, Bermuda,Zoysia and Saint Augustine. I have had Zoysia in the Atlanta area and loved the lawn, which likes to be cut much shorter, they recommend a reel type mower, but it was fine with a rotary style mower.

We plan to put it in the back yard of a home we are currently building as our small dog hates the SA too, almost as much as I do.

Bahia is the cheapest, good lawn, takes very little care, just hate the long seed pods that grow instantly, but very drought tolerant, doesn't like shade, something like the SA. This is also the most common Florida pasture grass, can be cut short or let grow long, I think about 2" is normal.

Bermuda also is a nice grass, the seed pods aren't quit as noticeable, also very drought tolerant, I believe it likes to be cut about 1 1/2" tall.

Both these grasses can survive without any or little watering and aren't real bug traps.

Zoysia is the finest of the grasses, used on allot of golf courses, I never had any issues with it. The variation I had didn't like traditional high nitrogen lawn foods, it would kill it. I was told to only use a 14-14-14 general purpose fertilizer and keep the PH correct. That worked well and it was cheaper too. It liked to be cut about 3/4" high, making it great for small dogs.

All 3 of the above grasses will go dormant in the winter, something I enjoy as the one cares for his own lawn, but some people like it to be green year around.

SA will stay green with allot of water and care, it also likes to be cut much higher than the other, at least 3"+. From my experiences with this grass over the last 30 years in Florida, it takes the most care, can be buggy and have issues with fugues, but causing major issues.

My preferences in order would be Zoysia, Bermuda, Bahia and anything other than SA.

Great info. Thanks

[Zoro22]

When is best month or time of year to seed and start with new grass?