is it impossible to have a nice green lawn in Tampa? (St. Augustine: maintenance, estate) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

signe3526 · 03-03-2011, 05:40 PM

i moved here about 11 months ago from Virginia, where i had a lush green lawn (i think it was fescue) half the year (the other half of the year it was dormant b/c of the winter cold) and i did not have to do anything to the lawn but mow it. no chemicals, no lawn services, no seeding, no resodding, etc.

now i see in Tampa that 99.9% of people's lawns look terrible, or at least not what a lawn is supposed to look like IMHO. the yards here are full of weeds, brown stuff, empty patches of dirt, etc. i did not understand why.

now my neighbor says having a nice lawn in florida is basically impossible, which is why he covered his front and back yards in mulch and native plants. he said he got tired of spending 2-3k every year to put in new sod. (i would too.)

can someone advise on whether i should bother spending 2k on re-sodding, or just forget having a nice lawn in tampa?

when i say "having a lawn", i am talking about having a lawn that looks like this. if this is not possible (notice in the picture no weeds, empty patches, brown patches etc.), PLEASE TELL ME.

[URL]http://bestrealestatelakenorman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/p1000806.jpg[/URL]

CrowGirl · 03-03-2011, 06:17 PM

I am slowly converting my lawn to native plants. The lawn grasses are not native down here and struggle to survive. I don't think it is possible to have a nice lawn without horrible chemicals and constant watering. I can't wait to get rid of mine and have all native plants.

LKJ1988 · 03-03-2011, 07:55 PM

Pretty much a lost cause thanks to less and less rain as the years go by. If ya have lots of money to spend on grass then good luck.

Maggi07 · 03-03-2011, 08:15 PM

Throw in the towel now and save yourself a bunch of time, money, and aggravation. Native plants are nice and much easier.

Innertuber · 03-04-2011, 05:42 AM

I've removed our entire front yard, back coming up next.

I've replaced and maintained too many yards.

There are two solutions that may allow you to have a green yard. Hire a maintenance company or prepare to work. Think mowing up to 2 times per week, chemicals warfare and irrigation.

The conflict as I see it boils down to to the grasses that can handle drought, the Florida pests, the rains and foremost the sun need water. Water is becoming more precious and expensive. Depending upon your water district you may need to violate the watering policies to maintain a lawn. That can get you fined.

The grasses that don't need as much water won't stay green.

There are alternatives like jasmines, crawling vines, rhizome based plants, etc.

Then toss in all the equipment and time you will spend or need.

But why fight nature?

If you choose to put in the effort carefully choose the type of grass you plant as each yard may have different sun conditions and the grasses are actually picky as to where they grow.

1coolcustomer · 03-04-2011, 07:10 AM

Anyone tried Bermuda grass? I bought some Bermuda seed and was wondering do you just spread it out over existing, (I think i have Zoysia now) and it takes it over , or should I till my whole yard up and then seed it?

Zone 9 in Citrus County and Bermuda is supposed to take the cold and drought real well. I noticed Florida Field (where the Gators play is Bermuda) and it always looks good. Don't know what Raymond James has but whatever works there ought to work in your yard also.

I definetly don't want any of the St. Augustine, Floratam, Floratine species.

num1baby · 03-04-2011, 07:15 AM

Our FL sun is HOT. It likes to kill grass. I know that it gets hot up there too, but the sun bakes here. Add in the fact that FL soil has a lot of sand in it, and you will have a hard time keeping it green.

My parents are having better luck than me because they have a lot of mature trees that shade different parts of the yard in different parts of the day. Whoever planted those trees was really smart if they planned it this way. Each area of the yard gets some sun and some shade each day. It really helps to keep it green. Their sprinkler system is also on reclaimed water, so they can water more often and cheaper than those on city water. They used to have some spots that were much harder to keep green, but they realized that section of the yard was sandy soil, so they replaced with better soil in that section.

One tip I have heard is to not water too long. It helps the roots to grow longer and then you wont HAVE to water as often.

num1baby · 03-04-2011, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1coolcustomer

Anyone tried Bermuda grass? I bought some Bermuda seed and was wondering do you just spread it out over existing, (I think i have Zoysia now) and it takes it over , or should I till my whole yard up and then seed it?

Ooh. Good question. I have some seed and I was going to try to just spread it over the top of my current whatever-it-is splotchy grass and hope for the best. It is much cheaper than re-sodding, and I seemed to have some success in a small area of my back yard last year after spreading some seed and just leaving it. However, that was over an area that was dug up and the dirt (actually almost pure sand) was completely bare.

wiltznucs · 03-04-2011, 07:34 AM

My lawn looks fantastic, but I pay to keep it that way. I have St. Augustine grass and have a professional lawn service which visits us 6-10 times a year. Mow it every week during the summer and every other week during the fall. Water only once a week at 30 mins a zone and thats about it. Watering gets expensive in my area but thats my only complaint.

Most crummy looking lawns in the Tampa area are the result of laziness and a lack of maintenance, rather than poor growing conditions.

Sumermarie · 03-04-2011, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiltznucs

My lawn looks fantastic, but I pay to keep it that way. I have St. Augustine grass and have a professional lawn service which visits us 6-10 times a year. Mow it every week during the summer and every other week during the fall. Water only once a week at 30 mins a zone and thats about it. Watering gets expensive in my area but thats my only complaint.

Most crummy looking lawns in the Tampa area are the result of laziness and a lack of maintenance, rather than poor growing conditions.

I would love to see what your lawn would look like if you didn't pay people to do it for you. I seriously doubt that crummy looking lawns are a result of people being lazy.

Lack of maintenance, time or finances sure, but just because a person's lawn isn't green in a state that is known for giving its residents difficulty in growing a lawn, doesn't mean its a result of laziness.

To the original poster, hiring someone or putting in the money and effort are the correct answers. The only other option I can give you is to use either mulch or have a rock/sand yard with native plants.