St. Augustine grass in Clermont doesn't work (homeowners association, house)

[dcartier]

what other grass would be feasible? My neighbor keeps patching burn and dead grass areas, but complaints that the grass keeps dying We don't live in Fla. yet, but bought our retirement house there. The asociation keeps pestering us about the lawn, but our neighbors there say that it would be a waste of our money to get rid of the St. Augustine and replace it with something else. We just don't know what to do, any suggestions?

We also need some company or responsible person to go to the house 2-3 a week to mow, trim and take care of this ugly lawn we have there now, until we can take care of it ourselves. Where can I find a company or person for this job that doesn't charge an arm and a leg for 1 hour job in a small lot?

Many thanks

[annerk]

Originally Posted by dcartier

what other grass would be feasible? My neighbor keeps patching burn and dead grass areas, but complaints that the grass keeps dying We don't live in Fla. yet, but bought our retirement house there. The asociation keeps pestering us about the lawn, but our neighbors there say that it would be a waste of our money to get rid of the St. Augustine and replace it with something else. We just don't know what to do, any suggestions?

We also need some company or responsible person to go to the house 2-3 a week to mow, trim and take care of this ugly lawn we have there now, until we can take care of it ourselves. Where can I find a company or person for this job that doesn't charge an arm and a leg for 1 hour job in a small lot?

Many thanks

St. Augustine most certainly does grow in Clermont. You just have to water it twice a week and fertilize it now and then.

You don't need someone that often to care for your lawn, once a week is fine as long as the irrigation is working OK. If it's not, taht's your first step.

I'll PM you the company I use.

[Crane's Rooster]

Sometimes it's cinchbugs, I know alot of people that have chronic problems with that. It usually results in your lawn dying out in patches as opposed to the entire lawn at once. If you want to consider another type of grass, floratam and bermuda would be your options.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

Sometimes it's cinchbugs, I know alot of people that have chronic problems with that. It usually results in your lawn dying out in patches as opposed to the entire lawn at once. If you want to consider another type of grass, floratam and bermuda would be your options.

That too. Pretty easy to treat as long as you use a reputable service.

[theoldnorthstate]

and suggest that you check with your homeowners association if any. they may require certain types of turf, thankfully ours has added bahia to the st augustine option.

[totsuka]

S/A can be a real pain and takes more attention. A big problem is when it is first put down, the ground under it is dead. To do a good yard, you need to really lay a good foundation. I switched to a organic S/A lawn 18 months ago and have got pretty good results, no c/bugs, much fewer weeds, but still it's a chore that won't go away. There are other grasses that require less maintenance but your HOA might not approve of them. There are more lawn care companies here than you can shake a stick at so check with a neighbor that has a good lawn and see who he uses. Good luck!

[AONE]

FYI - if you have oak trees the leaves are bad for the grass. when cutting they should be removed. otherwise your lawn will need lime. Don't mulch them but rake them.

perhaps this is a reason it wasnt working in your area.

[mrFlaBound]

it also has to do with the PH and nutrients in your soil... I found out AFTER resodding that the UF tests done on it, they told me my PH was around 6.8 on their cheap test... after sending to a better lab after it wasn't doing great..it was really a 5.8 (needs to be closer to 7). I have sincebeen correcting my PH with lime and adding the needed nutrients and my lawn looks awesome.

[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

[kyle19125]

There are many different kinds of St Augustine grass so be sure to ask questions when re-sodding. The Floralawn varietal seems to do well in Central Florida.

Types St. Augustine Grass|St. Augustine Varieties|Seedland.com