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Topic Title: Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?
Topic Summary: Looking to replant/replace my lawn, and ...
Created On: 03/24/2020 04:06 PM
Linear : Threading : Single : Branch
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - RegularJoe - 03/24/2020 04:06 PM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - SlimyBritches - 03/24/2020 05:49 PM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - tom - 03/25/2020 02:21 AM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - garcia - 03/25/2020 07:45 AM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - RiddleMe - 03/25/2020 10:05 AM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - since65 - 03/26/2020 09:10 AM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - paddleout - 03/26/2020 10:30 AM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - ww - 03/26/2020 12:49 PM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - scombrid - 03/27/2020 11:04 AM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - seaspray - 04/12/2021 01:54 PM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - dab - 04/13/2021 01:25 PM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - WG - 04/14/2021 07:45 AM  
 Grassy alternatives to St. Augustine grass?   - TATTOO74 - 04/14/2021 08:38 AM  
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 03/24/2020 04:06 PM
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RegularJoe

Posts: 3679
Joined Forum: 11/20/2011


YES, I would like to eliminate grass and fertilizer altogether.

Does anyone know of an affordable, artificial turf product and installer?

Is there another "real" grass product that grows slower and lower than St. Augustine, doesn't require as much fertilizer or mowing, and would survive well in Satellite Beach if watered with salty well water? Golf course fairway texture and color would be fine.

Considerations:

1) I like green!

2) I've seen some nice artificial turf, and might use it in small patches, but at $8 per square foot installed (quotes I got), I can't afford to use it everywhere. (0.25 acre corner lot, plus median strips front and side).

3) I'm already planning to do about $10K in pavers.

4) I don't want pea gravel (or tennis-ball-sized river rocks that will fly in a hurricane)

5) I don't like the crushed shell/sand, because it's ugly and sticks to your feet. Still might use it in a few patches.

6) I will be doing mulch in most of the landscaped areas.


Any brilliant ideas, recommendations?

Thanks in advance.
 03/24/2020 05:49 PM
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SlimyBritches

Posts: 6462
Joined Forum: 01/08/2016

We put 90% clover in ours with 10% grass eed. After the plumber fugged our yard replacing crap pipe, nothing would grow, even sod. We put a small layer of top soil and thru a load of clover/grass seeds down at the end of last year. We's be covered with greenery. Even got to use the lawn mower to do something other than blow out dirt. Clover doesn't get very high and some wasn't cut when finished.

Edited: 03/24/2020 at 05:51 PM by SlimyBritches
 03/25/2020 02:21 AM
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tom

Posts: 8013
Joined Forum: 07/25/2003

I've been adding starts of sunshine mimosa to bare spots in my mixed St. Augustine lawn. Mows easy, fills in nice. This thread had a lot of pics, links broken now but members still active. https://www.2ndlight.com/fuset...AR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

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add a signature since I'm here in profile anyway

Edited: 03/25/2020 at 04:20 AM by tom
 03/25/2020 07:45 AM
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garcia

Posts: 1470
Joined Forum: 03/12/2007

Plastic "grass" has a lot of problems -
- It holds more bacteria (dog poop and pee, etc)
- It doesn't allow percolation [so everything, including fresh rainwater (which is a pollutant in the river because it is freshwater), bacteria, etc that falls on it ends up in the river
- It LOOKS like plastic because it IS plastic
 03/25/2020 10:05 AM
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RiddleMe

Posts: 5810
Joined Forum: 07/21/2011

i thought that newer synth was different and handled many of those issues
 03/26/2020 09:10 AM
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since65

Posts: 350
Joined Forum: 09/12/2004

Mimosa is great, it's green, it flowers, and the bees love it. Covers well and survives with no watering. Dune sunflower rocks, but grows really fast. Look into hardwood chip mulch. It lasts way longer then the shredded mulch in bags, that stuff usually turns to dust in days. Hardwood chips cover well and any weed that grows roots in the chip, not the soil and pulls out easy. Once you get rid of your mower, weed-wacker, gas, oil, irrigation pump, sprinkler heads, fertilizer, weed killer, etc..... you will have more time and room in your garage. PM me and I can meet you and show you what has worked really well for me beachside.
 03/26/2020 10:30 AM
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paddleout

Posts: 11810
Joined Forum: 07/31/2003

Slimy-

I'm interested in your clover experience. I put some down in a dead area about a year ago- it all sprouted and looked great for awhile then it all died back- seemingly when it got hot.

The area had irrigation though.


How long has your clover persisted? Is it green now?


Where did you buy your seed- was it white clover or red?



Edited: 03/26/2020 at 09:30 PM by paddleout
 03/26/2020 12:49 PM
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ww

Posts: 16088
Joined Forum: 08/17/2007

Sunshine mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa) tends to go sort of dormant in winter. You might mix it with Phyla nodiflora, a common lawn "weed" actually native, just like the mimosa.
 03/27/2020 11:04 AM
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scombrid

Posts: 18021
Joined Forum: 07/24/2003

Our mimosa front lawn is spectacular right now. Looks like pffffttttttt in the winter. Actually started declining in late summer, especially when the wet season shuts down in August like it has in 2016, 2018, and 2019. But, it goes to sleep and then comes roaring back with no fuss. I want to mix in Phyla nodiflora and some other weeds to keep some green in the winter. Does anybody sell P. nodiflora plants or seeds?

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...

 04/12/2021 01:54 PM
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seaspray

Posts: 647
Joined Forum: 05/10/2012

I got several bare spots on my front lawn and I'm thinking about putting in some grass plugs. I don't have a high maintenance lawn but the patches are starting to take over.

But after reading this thread, I am contemplating mixing in some mimosa for additional groundcover. Like the OP, I'm just aiming to cover up the bare spots as much as possible with greenery. Is it a good idea, and should I plant them simultaneously?

Gracias!
 04/13/2021 01:25 PM
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dab

Posts: 1200
Joined Forum: 08/08/2003

I advocate Empire Zoysia if your set on having turf. It will tolerate a sandy soil and the typical coastal deep well irrigation that has salinity at 2500ppm. I suggest amending the sandy substrate soil with organic compost (Sarno EarthWise Co has cheap compost)to inoculate it with bio activity. It takes a year to set deep roots if you follow a consistent deep watering plan. The only downside is if you over water it is prone to fungus. Which should not be a problem on a sandy substate.

Another ground cover is Asiatic Jasmineonce established it is drought and salt tolerant.

Lastly, African Iris will seed and spread in beds after it's established. It looks great when you use it to encircle palms in landscapes beds.


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Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

 04/14/2021 07:45 AM
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WG

Posts: 37257
Joined Forum: 03/10/2005

I have a side yard that I added mimosa too about 5 years ago, on top of patchy St Aug.
After a year, i stopped watering it. It's now 80% mimosa, along with most of my neighbors sand patch.
But there is still St Augustine "grass' left, comes back in rainy season.

It's very pink this morning.

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"The truth is incontrovertible.
malice may attack it,
ignorance may deride it,
but in the end,
there it is." -Sir Winston Churchill
 04/14/2021 08:38 AM
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TATTOO74

Posts: 2407
Joined Forum: 10/26/2005

Is there anything one can put down that will grow with no sprinkler system? My Dad rents, sprinkler system is down and not working. He wants to throw something down to fill in the dirt patches and not have to worry about watering that much.
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