Complete novice

Maureen W – posted 18 March 2004 19:26

Hi all,My husband and I are building a new home(our first) in Central Florida and have no idea as to what options as far as types of grass are avaible to us in this area. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. The only type of grass I know is from the Las Vegas area(loved it but don’t know what kind it is) and I’m not sure if this type of grass would be an option. We are looking for a low maintainence type of grass since the lawn will be quite expansive. Thanks for your time.

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 19 March 2004 09:56

The lowest maintenance lawn is shrubs with a ground cover. Every time I see someone putting in an “expansive” lawn, I have to put in a plug for true landscaping to include a mix of things. You never see 100% grass in Lawns and Gardens magazine. You always see at least a 60:40 lawn to shrubbery ratio. I think a 40:60 looks better still. Anyway, you still will have lawn to deal with.

I’m not going to suggest one, but I am going to suggest something you make absolutely sure of before they get to the lawn part. Far too many people see the contractor drive away and turn around to see pot holes, buried construction trash, mounds of who knows what, etc. The last machine to visit your property should be a tractor with a box blade/ripper. The driver will be an experienced finish grader who will level your landscape or mound it or swale it or whatever it takes to provide drainage of rainwater away from your buildings and from any neighboring buildings. The resulting surface should be perfectly smooth with no ruts, holes, hills, or anything unless you asked for them as interest spots in your landscape.

Then the day this guy leaves your property, the sod should arrive (assuming you use sod). The sod should be laid as soon as it arrives for best results.

Good luck!

ted – posted 19 March 2004 14:36

i think st. augustine is the answer to your question. you probably had bermuda in vegas, although i’ve seen some fescue at the casinos in high maintenance situations.

cohiba – posted 19 March 2004 15:00

Maureen, Before you put down the sod or seed make sure your soil is is tested for proper pH. A pH of 6.2 is perfect for nutrient uptake by the turfs roots. When you decide which turf you will be going with do a little home work to find out what pH is right for your type of lawn. Correcting now is easier than after the lawn is laid. Also, if you are starting from seed you can choose the best varietie by looking at recent reports on the web at www.ntep.org. This is a national testing organization that reports on all types of seed varieties. If you haven’t gotten to that point yet start by going to your local Cooperative Extention Office and asking for information about the best grasses to plant in your county. They can also provide info on fertlization, pH, weed control and disease problems specific to your area. P.S Don’t forget to consider irrigation.

Good Luck and let us know how you make out.

Alex_in_FL – posted 19 March 2004 19:35

The easiest way to find a good grass is to grab the yellow pages, find the nearest sod farms and go visit them. You can see the grass and feel it and decide which one you want.

Agree with Dchall_San_Antonio on landscaping. My only add would be to consider landscaping that needs little water.

Best of luck!

Lex