Is it ever going to rain again? (Austin, Happy: live, gardens)

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by love roses

I read that article in Sundays paper about John Dromgoole. He HATES St. Augustine grass (as do I). He says if you let it go dormant it does die, it has to have water. Like atxcio says, however, you can change that if you let it stay long, meaning don't cut it short. I just personally don't like St. Augustine grass. It's not good for the area and it isn't soft on the feet like drought tolerant grasses.

John Dromgoole's nursery, the Natural Gardener on the west side of town, is an excellent resource. It's pretty much all native or plants that thrive in this area, you can go there and see landscaping that remains green throughout any droughts we get. No artificial watering necessary. They'll set you up with stuff that is basically like xeriscaping, but without the typical gravel look that scares the neighbors. You can get grasses, ground cover, shrubs, flowering plants, etc that will be low maintenance and make a great looking yard.

Also, re: St Augustine... I water 1 time a week, on an even day per restrictions, for about 12 minutes per zone. In the front, where I mow once every two weeks, I'll water the day that I mow. That's when the grass is most likely to die without water. The back yard I let grow tall, and that requires watering *maybe* once every two weeks. If I'm having guests or a BBQ, I'll mow the back for the occasion and have a nice lawn, then let it go back to tall (and drought-tolerant.)

[twange]

Originally Posted by atxcio

John Dromgoole's nursery, the Natural Gardener on the west side of town, is an excellent resource. It's pretty much all native or plants that thrive in this area, you can go there and see landscaping that remains green throughout any droughts we get. No artificial watering necessary. They'll set you up with stuff that is basically like xeriscaping, but without the typical gravel look that scares the neighbors. You can get grasses, ground cover, shrubs, flowering plants, etc that will be low maintenance and make a great looking yard.

Exactly. That's the gist. Xeriscaping in the generic sense of "more variety, less maintenance, less water". Ground cover is the key. A "green" base without having to mow

[mimimomx3]

We have St. A, but our yard is shady, so we don't have to do too much watering.

[love roses]

I think you also have to train it by deep watering. Again, repeating atxcio We've been putting drought tolerant plants in our landscaping and so far, noone's complained...

[jread]

I need to do something with my yard. St. Augustine (which is actually a coastal grass) is the WORST grass EVER for this area! It has absolutely zero drought tolerance and needs tons of water, yet it's very popular around here for some reason. I've noticed my lawn being taken over by Bermuda as it's surviving in the lack of water/shade. Maybe I'll just let it overtake the St. Augustine and be done with it.

[johnpower]

Here in Shenzhen, finished the raining month.

[AustinTraveler]

Originally Posted by jread

I need to do something with my yard. St. Augustine (which is actually a coastal grass) is the WORST grass EVER for this area! It has absolutely zero drought tolerance and needs tons of water, yet it's very popular around here for some reason. I've noticed my lawn being taken over by Bermuda as it's surviving in the lack of water/shade. Maybe I'll just let it overtake the St. Augustine and be done with it.

jread, did you see your property before the lawn was installed? I'm asking because more times than not grass will just be plopped down on the existing soil. I have a feeling that's what happened in your case because you talk about how hard the soil is. The proper way of installing a lawn is to till first and then bring in good top soil before putting the grass down. Then it must be established with frequent, deep watering until the roots take hold.

I have St. Augustine and don't have any problem at all with it. Granted, I probably have more shade than you do and I live in a different part of town. But, I never have to water more than once a week and, of course, I don't have to water at all this week since we actually got rain!

It's been said before, but grass needs deep watering. If you water for just a few minutes, you are simply wetting the blades and not watering the roots. The grass will look wilted and bluish/grayish in color late in the afternoon, telling you it's thirsty, but if it looks okay in the morning, you still don't have to water it. Wait until it's looking wilted in the morning. Also, St. Augustine must be mowed at the highest setting on your lawn mower. But, you also shouldn't let it get so high that you are removing more than a third of the blade when you mow.

That's it for my grass rant. I really do have experience with this and actually did grass studies in college. Talk about watching the grass grow.

[TexasHorseLady]

Regarding the 'xeriscaping' - it can just add to the heat island effect and, to me, it looks so unnatural around here.

This comment is puzzling, in that a large part of xeriscaping is using plants that are natural to the area and its water resources and thus will thrive there. It's not at all about putting down a rock lawn and calling it done - it's about selecting landscaping plants and grasses that do not require a lot of care or water but are still pretty (and there are a jillion of them in this area).

So how could a lawn made up of the grasses and plants that are native to this area look "unnatural around here"? Color me confused! What do you mean by that?

[Trainwreck20]

Sorry, THL, I was thinking of the xeriscaping in El Paso, which involves nothing but rock and cacti. I realized my error a few posts later, but was hoping it would go unnoticed or forgotten

[mandib]

Natural Gardener is fab! They have beautiful gardens to look at for inspiration and the people are so helpful.

My favorite xeric plant... Rosemary! It loves heat and little water. Some water, but not tons. And it grows fast.