St. Augustine or Zoysia for a shady yard?
austennut
11 years ago
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texas_weed
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Empire Zoysia vs Floratam St Augustine
Comments (14)jimmygiii I used to try to time my watering with the wilting of the blades. I was using a rotary impact type sprinkler like all the magazines told me I was supposed to use. Unfortunately those things leave a lot of lawn unwatered. I spend one day watering and the rest of the week trying to catch up with the wilty spots that didn't get watered. Last year I went back to the oscillating type sprinkler. I've had every sprinkler at least twice and the oscillator at least four times. Now I have two of them and love them for my yard. I don't get enough wind down under the tree canopy to blow the water around so it works great for me. But as to wilting, I don't wait that long anymore. Everyone should adjust their watering by something and I prefer to anticipate the wilting and water a little early. When I waited for the grass to wilt, it never developed the density I was looking for. Now it does. 2.75" is a little short for the best appearance and least overall maintenance in my opinion. I mow at my rotary's highest setting and I'm seeing a lot more lawns mowed up high. If the grass is not dense, mowing high allows it to fall over so there is that to consider. If your density is good then mowing higher allows deeper root development, longer water retention in the soil (less evaporation), and less chance of weeds. I get my quiet serenity, such as it is, from an electric mower. I can't quite have a comfortable conversation with it running, but I can at least know if someone wants to talk without shouting....See MoreGrass that is not St. Augustine (and where to get it)
Comments (1)Burmuda grass? Suppose to resist chinch bugs....See MoreSt. Augustine sod or seeding with bermuda?
Comments (15)Buffalo requires full sun like bermuda to perform best so stratch that out.. Zoysia prefers a lot of sun, nowwhere as good shade tolerant as st augustine. If anything, I'd suggest coarse bladed type over fine type. Easier to mow with rotary mower at 3 inches. Empire and Palisades are my two recommendation. Actually, now that it occurred to me, Palisades has somewhat good shade tolerance and looks like mini-st augustine grass. keep in mind, they are like bermuda, They will take over plant beds, etc if left unchecked but not as aggressive. They spread underground so it makes it a bit tough to control and get rid of where it's not wanted. It should be fine somewhere that gets 6 hours of sunlight. Don't be fooled that they are drought tolerant. They still do need same amount of watering as st augustine to look good. The only difference is that st augustine will die if it doesn't get water over a long period of time while zoysia simply goes dormant and will come back once they receive water. Believe it or not "Floratam' st augustine outperforms all zoysia varieties when it comes to drought tolerant... Unfortunately, it has wimpy cold tolerance. Only for zone 9, MAYBE zone 8b. I think I have it up here but the sod place told me its not. Maybe it mutated from palmetto? Who knows... it seems to do fine up here. More aggressive for sure....See MorePalmetto St. Augustine
Comments (6)Lou, I am unaware of any city ordinance against particular grass varieties, although a lot of HOA's have prohibitions along those lines. I have seen a few older yards here where the St. Augustine (don't know what variety) has completely died out for lack of water, which would quite understandably turn some opinions against it. I'm not the type that is going to go with Bermuda just because it will *survive* without water; an unwatered Bermuda lawn doesn't look any better than an unwatered St. Augustine lawn. My take is that *both* St. Augustine and Bermuda require some water to look good, so if I'm going to be watering anyway, I'll take the St. Augustine that looks better overall in my opinion (and will grow in the shade I have). In my experience, St. Augustine doesn't require more water than Bermuda does--but again, I'm speaking of water requirements for looks vs. for survival....See Morelou_spicewood_tx
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agotexas_weed
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaustennut
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agotexas_weed
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agonearandwest
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agorager_w
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agotexas_weed
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agotexas_weed
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agotexas_weed
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoysiaSod
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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