U_P_turf_newby – posted 09 September 2005 14:17
I plan on spraying roundup to my existing lawn right before spring time, tilling it, cultivating it to 6 inches, and then propagating the soil with either companion or zenith zoysia seed http://www.zoysias.com/seeding/index.html . I found a recommendation that the soil p.h. should be 6 to 6.5 for Zoysia to do its best, should I be concerned with that? I live in Southern Florida and believe our ph levels are around 7.5.
I understand that Zoysia is a slow developing species, but I am willing to wait it out & I believe by fall I will have a great looking lawn (with great care of course)!
I contemplated what grass to go with all day. I am on a very limited budget, so st. Augustine was out the door rather quickly (due to the lack of seed). Next, I thought of Bermuda but I noticed there is too much shade in my yard for Bermuda to be successful. It already exists in the front yard but only in a small area that gets sun all day long. So logically, I decided to go with Zoysia.
What do you think about that plan? Am I missing any crucial elements that will not allow me to be successful? Are there any other grasses that are shade tolerant, are able to be seeded, and can flourish in Southern Florida better than Zoysia? Remember I am on a small budget!
Thanks in advance!
[This message has been edited by U_P_turf_newby (edited 09 September 2005).]
cohiba – posted 10 September 2005 13:59
Soil test before you till. You may not want to till unless your pH is wacky and you need to adjust. Tilling brings up more weed seeds that will germinte next spring and this winter. Be fore warned you may not be happy having to treat weeds when you have tender new turf. Slit seeding after the round up is desirable.
Take Care………………….
QWERTY – posted 10 September 2005 16:31
http://www.ntep.org/reports/zg02/zg02_05-6/zg02_05-6.htm
I don’t know where Jay, Florida is but it’s the only florida testing site for zoysia grasses. Check it out and see how they do there.
I wouldnt till the ground at all because of possible weeds. Just kill whatever you have with round up and scalp them. Just make sure the seeds are in contact with the dirt. They will take a couple weeks to sprout though. If you have bermuda in your existing lawn then that’s another story. I’d much rather S-O-D than try to grow from seeds! Bermuda will somehow come back from dead!
Worrying about pH is a waste of time. Mine’s over 7 and zenith zoysia is growing just fine. Beautiful green. That 5×8 area is the best looking of my entire lawn. I practice organic lawn care so that pretty much make the soil right around 7 pH anyway (microbes do all the work for you). Occasionally, I use one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per gallon of water for the heck of it to bring pH down to see what happens. I don’t know if that works because I’ve had zenith zoysia for a little over a month. They look great so far.
I would just get EMPIRE zoysia sod (www.sodsolution.com). It seems to be getting more common in florida. If i were you, I’d scrap every penny till you can afford to sod, it’d be worth it. Just take your time. Trying to plant seeds might be more trouble than you’d bargain for. Get caught in hte middle of heavy rain, you’d see the seeds run off! It costs money to get something to keep them down. Use more chemicals to get rid of weeds which you might have serious problem because you have to water every day for 2-3 weeks and weeds love frequent watering. Expect them to thrive! in the end, you’d pay a lot more than you expected to.
turfrus – posted 12 September 2005 05:58
Tried Zenith on 6,000 s.f. and ended up sodding Jamur Zoysia. You have sand which holds little to no moisture, so unless you have the means to keep the top 1″ moist for at least a month, 24 hours a day, you can forget Zenith or Companion. Weeds WILL eat your lunch too.
Zenith is extremely slow to germinate, don’t believe the sales pitches. Maybe some seed will germinate within 2 weeks, most will take 4 weeks. You’re also a little late to be sowing a warm season grass, even in S. Florida. Competition from cool weather weeds will now be an issue.
Leave the seeding drill to the golf managers.
U_P_turf_newby – posted 12 September 2005 08:42
okay turfus, so what do you recomend for a cost affective method of obtaining some grass in a partially shaded back yard in florida? Remember that I cannot afford sod. All I want is some grass rather than a dirt back yard. What seed would you recomend?
Turfmiester – posted 12 September 2005 19:39
Sprig with some Sea shore Paspalum
turfrus – posted 13 September 2005 06:12
Ditto on the Paspalum, or since money is such an issue, you could plug with St. Aug. or Zoysia. I’ve plugged a backyard with Raleigh SA and it was alot of work. Did fine but it takes a while to grow in. Again, if you have the means to do Zoysia right, go for it. Hydroseeding would be the way to go, but it does cost some beans.
QWERTY – posted 13 September 2005 07:00
Try gulf annual rye grass as a winter temporary grass for now. Ive seen them at walmart for cheap price. Make your own compost to hold moisture in the sandy soil. How much area are we talking about?
Plugging SA will work well. Try palmetto SA variety if you can find it. I saw them at Lowe’s before but it’s usually Del Mar in my area. Isn’t that what your rest of the yard have, SA? They might require more water at first but when established Palmetto need a bit less water than most SA varieties due to deep root system. If you practice organic, it’d even work better to get more organic matter in the sandy soil, holding more moisture and nutrients.