Best recommendation for SW Florida Lawn

Barbarab – posted 09 July 2005 16:04

Great site! We need a new front lawn and major help in the back. We live on salt water canal with water restrictions 2x a week. The front is full sun western exposure. The rear has 2 trees (I think they are giant weeds, but anyway…) We need help. Suggestions, pros and cons of best lawn types, maintanence etc would be appreciated. We have a price to lay Bahia sod in the front but I’m not sure if that is the best and nicest looking lawn. I want something that looks lush.Thanks for your help.Barbara

guest – posted 13 July 2005 10:00

from your description, it sounds like you might be my neighbor. I live in the cape coral, where are you?

Anyway – an unprofessional opinion based on experience and observation. It boils down to floritam or palmetto. I’m not sure why noboby uses bermuda. I have been told that bermuda creates random brown spots as the grass goes into a self-imposed dormant period. Palmetto looks better with a richer shade of green, it has deeper roots and requires less water, it hugs the ground more closely, it is easier to mow with a generic lowe’s mower, and it creates a better edge on the driveway. It also seems to do a better job of choking out sedges (the tall skinny weed that looks like a cross beween grass and onion – also the source of sand spurs).

Floritam does a better job of choking out weeds that try to spread by growing out on top of grass and stuff like clovers. Floritam is hardier and more resilient. For example, it is less likely to die if you leave a pile of leaves (or hurricane debris) on top of it. Floritam does not attract as many root-eating bugs and grubs, is slower to die when attacked, and recovers more quickly after an attack. Floritam grows okay in shade but doesn’t hold it’s green color as well.

In short, Palmetto looks better and grows thicker but flortiam requires less care and is more resistant to pests and abuse.

Alex_in_FL – posted 15 July 2005 17:43

Go somewhere and look at Empire Zoysa. Zoysia is salt resistance and lush looking. I do not like Bahia because of the high seed heads. The St Augustines work (as previous poster mentioned).