Stage 2 Water Restrictions - They're still on?!?!!? ... Should I just kiss my lawn goodbye? (Austin: home, landscaping)

[JERiv]

Sooo, my wastewater averaging period is about to end.

I'm looking at when I should go about turning the sprinklers on again. So I go to the Austin City website, and find out we're still on Stage 2 Water Restrictions. Which means I can only water the lawn 1 day a week.

...

I understand that we're still in a drought and everything, but seriously? We're still doing just 1 day a week this year?

If that's the case, why even turn the sprinklers on at all?

With just 1 day of sprinklers, the grass is almost guaranteed to die this summer. I mean, last summer was hot. Very Hot. 3 months of 100+. Grass barely made it. And last year we could water twice a week.

Just don't see why we should even try to keep it alive when it will likely be gone in just 4 months.

How expensive is it to xeriscape a front lawn? Not too big... maybe 20' x 40'? Thinking that's my best option at this point... Or is there a grass that will take to the heat with minimal watering? And if so, why in the world isn't that the one used to begin with?

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by JERiv

Sooo, my wastewater averaging period is about to end.

I'm looking at when I should go about turning the sprinklers on again. So I go to the Austin City website, and find out we're still on Stage 2 Water Restrictions. Which means I can only water the lawn 1 day a week.

...

I understand that we're still in a drought and everything, but seriously? We're still doing just 1 day a week this year?

If that's the case, why even turn the sprinklers on at all?

With just 1 day of sprinklers, the grass is almost guaranteed to die this summer. I mean, last summer was hot. Very Hot. 3 months of 100+. Grass barely made it. And last year we could water twice a week.

Just don't see why we should even try to keep it alive when it will likely be gone in just 4 months.

How expensive is it to xeriscape a front lawn? Not too big... maybe 20' x 40'? Thinking that's my best option at this point... Or is there a grass that will take to the heat with minimal watering? And if so, why in the world isn't that the one used to begin with?

water for 30 minutes once a week. Your grass should do fine. It may be your soil isnt thick enough. Our front yard looked great although our back yard died. You can also handwater whenever you want

[Trainwreck20]

Or is there a grass that will take to the heat with minimal watering? And if so, why in the world isn't that the one used to begin with?

Mr. Smarty Plants - Low height, drought tolerant grass for Central Texas

Part of the reason that St. Augustine is so popular is that it looks very nice (if watered enough) and handles a wide range of light amounts - from fairly high levels of shade to full sun - again, if watered enough.

[owlman]

I had a sort of brown lawn last summer and I expect to have a REALLY brown one this summer. Lowered expectations are the key to happiness

[calel]

I'm starting to think I should give up and learn to embrace burr clover.

[OpenD]

Yes, kiss your grass goodbye. If they have to go to Stage 3, which is still a possibility, you will not be allowed to water your lawn AT ALL. And long range, this issue is not going to go away, as the population grows and demands on the declining water supply increase.

Since the average home normally uses about 1/3 of its total water on the lawn, banning lawn watering is the fastest way to reduce overall water usage. Get used to it.

At least it's not as bad as having to cut back on the next biggest user of water for the average home... flushing toilets.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Mr. Smarty Plants - Low height, drought tolerant grass for Central Texas

Part of the reason that St. Augustine is so popular is that it looks very nice (if watered enough) and handles a wide range of light amounts - from fairly high levels of shade to full sun - again, if watered enough.

St. Augustine is also popular because it costs about half what a grass like Zoysia costs. And builders will typically choose the cheapest.

I don't think ANYONE should be planting St. Augustine in central Texas.

[CptnRn]

See my comments in blue below:

Originally Posted by JERiv

I'm looking at when I should go about turning the sprinklers on again. So I go to the Austin City website, and find out we're still on Stage 2 Water Restrictions. Which means I can only water the lawn 1 day a week. I understand that we're still in a drought and everything, but seriously? We're still doing just 1 day a week this year? Yes.

If that's the case, why even turn the sprinklers on at all? To keep your shrubs and trees alive, and to control soil shrinkage around your foundation, which could cause foundation cracking.

With just 1 day of sprinklers, the grass is almost guaranteed to die this summer. I mean, last summer was hot. Very Hot. 3 months of 100+. Grass barely made it. And last year we could water twice a week. I was able to keep my grass mostly green last summer watering only 1 day per week, but I'm using more water then I'm comfortable with, even though it is 1/3 of what I used 7 years ago. I do have a sprinkler system, I would not want to have to try and do that dragging hoses and sprinklers around. I set my system to water twice every Saturday morning, instead of once, to give the water more time to soak in.

Just don't see why we should even try to keep it alive when it will likely be gone in just 4 months. If yours is already seriously struggling, you might be better off letting it die and put the money you save towards xeriscaping in the fall. I just ask that you consider putting in wood chips and bark mulch instead of gravel, its more natural and does not add to the heat island effect.

How expensive is it to xeriscape a front lawn? Not too big... maybe 20' x 40'? Thinking that's my best option at this point... Or is there a grass that will take to the heat with minimal watering? And if so, why in the world isn't that the one used to begin with?

Buffalo Grass, Zoysia and Tiff Bermuda all survive the heat pretty well and need a lot less water, they may still turn brown and go dormant during the heat, but they survive and come back when things cool down, which I think is OK. See the City of Austin landscaping resources here Grow Green Resources | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin Check out the "Lawn Care" brochure.

Also study the Landscaping Design Overview http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/def...andscaping.pdf for excellent ideas on how to convert your lawn into an attractive drought tolerant landscape.

I think something like the photo below makes a lot of sense for Austin, and it can all be done with drought tolerant, native plants.

[HappyTexan]

Go with native bermuda. Takes the drought, turns brown and then revives when rains come.
I actually had to mow this weekend.

[calel]

HappyTexan, any recommendations on where to find native bermuda? I'm thinking about doing plugs in the front yard to fill in some really patchy spots where the previous bermuda is failing to fill in. I don't want to fiddle with seeds.

My front yard is mostly bermuda of some kind (fine blades) with the neighbor's portion being St. Augustine. The St. Augustine is verrrry slowly encroaching into my yard, but given my watering habits, probably doesn't stand a chance of taking over.