Whats up with all the dead grass? (Austin, West: Home Depot, subdivision)

[AustinGuy]

The City of Austin determines your yearly waste water bill based on how much water you use during the winter months. So... if you do decide to water your lawn in the winter, you'll be in for a huge shock when the water bills come for the rest of the year and your waste water charges alone are $100+

[cub77cub]

Originally Posted by Stormgod

I have been looking at homes for a while now in the Cedar Park/Round Rock/Pflugerville area and cant help but notice that in the pictures that everyones grass is brown and dead. Whats up with that? Is there some sort of water restriction to prevent watering your lawn?

I live in Southern California and during the summer its blistering and well over 100 many days during the months of July/Aug/Sept, so I realize that heat is an issue as we have it here as well, but peoples grass here is green as they water it every day when its that hot, sometimes twice a day.

Can anyone explain whats with all the dead grass?

--==StormGod==--

Being a former Southern Californian...I appreciate not having to mow this huge yard for a few months. Yes, you have to get used to the dormant grass, but it's better than the enormous amounts of water we wasted in CA to keep green grass. Austin is not CA.

[Stormgod]

Thanks for all the information. I am curious off hand what is a typical water bill in the Austin area for a family of 6? What would be your guess (rough estimate).

Thanks for the explination on the grass issue

--==StormGod==--

[cphs]

Wouldn't it be great if we had green grass in Austin all year?? I know the mowing thing gets old, but it would be great. Actually, if you water once a week, deep, your lawn would stay happy. And, if you are seeing brown lawns it just might be because its February!!

[Phisch]

We got lost somewhere in Austin (maybe Enfield area?) and someone's lawn was painted! I have no idea whose house that was, but I noticed they spray painted a Moroccan-style pattern in red and yellow on the lawn.

I wished I had my camera at the ready!

The grass seems to be coming out of dormancy this week. My poor hubby has to go back to mowing soon, I think, and time to lay out the pre-emergent weed preventative stuff.

[HappyTexan]

Move to Florida..the grass is green and growing 12 months a year
Austin does have a winter though and the grass goes dormant. It's just like a winter up north except ours is shorter.

Might as well get used to seasons.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

It's winter.

Exactly... Grass doesn't die in the winter but it goes dormant in temperate environments. And as mild a winter as Texas has, it's still cold enough for grass to go dormant.

[jwb123]

It's just like a winter up north except ours is shorter.

Uh, have you ever been "up north"? "Winter" in Austin is nothing like a winter up north.... and the grass there doesn't go dormant.... that's just a southern thing, I think. The grass that grows in the north, may be a different kind than what grows down here.... I know in the Seattle area, our grass was the healthiest in the winter (rain). No dormancy.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by cphs

Wouldn't it be great if we had green grass in Austin all year?? I know the mowing thing gets old, but it would be great. Actually, if you water once a week, deep, your lawn would stay happy. And, if you are seeing brown lawns it just might be because its February!!

The same thing twelve months out of the year would drive me absolutely crazy. But that's just me; why I couldn't live in a place like South Florida. I have to have change every few months, even if the Summer in Texas is six months long.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

Uh, have you ever been "up north"? "Winter" in Austin is nothing like a winter up north.... and the grass there doesn't go dormant.... that's just a southern thing, I think. The grass that grows in the north, may be a different kind than what grows down here.... I know in the Seattle area, our grass was the healthiest in the winter (rain). No dormancy.

By up north..I meant the northeast.