Good Grass for Southern CA? (new home, landlords, maintenance)

[James T]

What's a good grass for a Southern CA lawn?

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by James T

What's a good grass for a Southern CA lawn?

Depends.

Tall Fescue - plush, water hungry, high-maintenance
Bermuda - short, scruffy, low water use, low maintenance

I have about 1000sf fescue lawn, it is a TON of work.

[James T]

I'm considering Kentucky Bluegrass perhaps. Is that the kind most new homes have lately?

[JerZ]

I was going to suggest Astroturf. Bwah hah...

I'm not sure what kind of grass we have in my yard, but it doesn't look like anything special or unusual...as long as you're willing to water and water and water, I think most types of lawn cover-grass will grow. I mean that's what grass does; it grows like, well, a weed. It networks underneath in roots like crazy and covers fast...but again, you need the water. Holy Hanna, our first year here we made the mistake of trying to keep this stuff not-brown and got verbally spanked by our landlords for the FOUR HUNDRED dollar watering bill. Holy crow.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by JerZ

I was going to suggest Astroturf. Bwah hah...

I'm not sure what kind of grass we have in my yard, but it doesn't look like anything special or unusual...as long as you're willing to water and water and water, I think most types of lawn cover-grass will grow. I mean that's what grass does; it grows like, well, a weed. It networks underneath in roots like crazy and covers fast...but again, you need the water. Holy Hanna, our first year here we made the mistake of trying to keep this stuff not-brown and got verbally spanked by our landlords for the FOUR HUNDRED dollar watering bill. Holy crow.

if it turns brown in the winter it is most likely Zoysia or Bermuda. Fescues and Bluegrasses do not cover ground laterally with a root network. You can't keep it green in winter, it goes dormant.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by James T

I'm considering Kentucky Bluegrass perhaps. Is that the kind most new homes have lately?

Most in CA use tall fescue. Many of the turfgrasses do not do well with the dry and heat of CA, almost all the plush grasses like shade. Tall fescue has good sun tolerance but is water hungry. Plan on installing sprinklers if you haven't considered that already.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

if it turns brown in the winter it is most likely Zoysia or Bermuda. Fescues and Bluegrasses do not cover ground laterally with a root network. You can't keep it green in winter, it goes dormant.

Okay...yep, lateral crossing here. However, it is now wintertime...I guess...and a little of it has gone brown, but not much. It does get greener in summer...it goes more "electric green"....but it's fairly green right now in February.

[James T]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Most in CA use tall fescue. Many of the turfgrasses do not do well with the dry and heat of CA, almost all the plush grasses like shade. Tall fescue has good sun tolerance but is water hungry. Plan on installing sprinklers if you haven't considered that already.

Okay, I'll look into a tall fescue.

[wanderingwaldo]

skunk grass is good too...

[JerZ]

How about marijuana? I see a TON of that type of grass out here! (Not necessarily on the front lawn, though, unless it's in somebody's hand.)