Is it time to outlaw St. Augustine grass? (Austin, Lago Vista: neighborhood, live in)

[centralaustinite]

i have zoysia and it definitely uses less water, I would not go back to St Augustine! Right now, I am also watering mainly to save my trees and to maintain my soil, I would love a gray water system that would send my shower water and sink water to the lawn!!

[G Grasshopper]

Now, getting back to the topic, which was St. Augustine grass and water consumption, I have noticed that there are developments that require grass lawns, and not of the native varieties. This sort of old fashioned thinking needs to be reversed. People should be encouraged and rewarded for putting in low water consuming/native landscaping. I think that is the way to go right now.

I do agree that we need to, as a country, start to look at overpopulation and its solutions, but that is so long term.... Changing attitudes about the big grass lawn and encouraging a culture of conservation and use of native plants is much more immediate and doable. After all, Texas has a long tradition of water saving. I always point to Texas as having many beautiful old water tanks. I love that about Texas; the traditional culture knew how to live within its means.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

Now, getting back to the topic, which was St. Augustine grass and water consumption, I have noticed that there are developments that require grass lawns, and not of the native varieties. This sort of old fashioned thinking needs to be reversed. People should be encouraged and rewarded for putting in low water consuming/native landscaping. I think that is the way to go right now.

I do agree that we need to, as a country, start to look at overpopulation and its solutions, but that is so long term.... Changing attitudes about the big grass lawn and encouraging a culture of conservation and use of native plants is much more immediate and doable. After all, Texas has a long tradition of water saving. I always point to Texas as having many beautiful old water tanks. I love that about Texas; the traditional culture knew how to live within its means.

How about what metro Phoenix does?

Water in the Desert - Phoenix water supply

Plus an interesting article re national water use..

Water Use in the United States

[love roses]

Originally Posted by woodinvilleguy

I've have family members killed in each of those. :-(

I don't know if I have had relatives killed in the inquisition but I did have one killed in WWII. His plane was shot down over England. His sister helps me with genealogy research.

I have no love for St. Augustine grass. We have had drought tolerant grass in Denver and here as well. Actually, thankfully, our HOA strongly recommends that people xeriscape or use native plants/grasses.

[jobert]

You would have to fight the HOA/industrial complex. They're almost as bad as the Yakuza.

[orngkat]

There are several elderly people in my neighborhood whose St A lawns are green and lush. I think they secretly turn on their sprinklers before dawn as there is no way they can be so green. It is hopefully a generational thing to have wide swaths of lawn. Our children will probably look back someday and say what were they thinking. Definitely time for change...

[jread]

Having St. Augustine in a place like Austin is absolutely STUPID! My house came with it so that's the only reason I have it. St. Augustine is a coastal grass that requires lots of water, so whoever decided to make it the standard in a semi-desert region that is hot and dry for much of the year needs to be shot. Bermuda and Zoysia are much better choices if you're going to have a lawn. Xeriscaping is even better.

[achtungpv]

Never (knowingly) walked on a zoysia yard until a couple of weeks ago. It is so superior looking and better feeling under barefoot to St. Augustine. I may end up resodding my front yard next year and that'll be the way I go if it can handle shade through mid day and intense sun in the afternoons.

[Schnaiy]

Originally Posted by kiacook

You know, I could actually see the city, county, or state gov't providing incentive to people to replace their grass with more drought resistant kinds. Kind of like they provide the programmable thermostats and rebates for energy efficient appliances.

Do you think they might offer an incentive for replacing grass altogether?Here's a photo our our front yard - we don't use any water, except for our two trees and a couple of shrubs (hand water a couple of times a week): red mulch, costs a little more than the ordinary, but it sure looks great with our house colors.

[capcat]

St Augustine performs well on a shady site. If the OP is serious about outlawing it, I'm opposed, as suitability will vary from site to site. I can see that in newer developments with fewer and younger trees, another type of grass would be preferable. But, we're not all in the same situation wrt that.