At the suggestion of several homeowners, your West Meadows Board of Directors reviewed various types of grasses that could be acceptable for our lawns. At our June Board of Directors meeting, it was approved to grow the following for lawns in West Meadows:
St. Augustine, Bahia, Bermuda, and Zoysia.... as well as, green vegetative ground cover such jasmine minima, kept under 6 inches tall.
Whatever you choose to grow for your lawn, you are responsible for your choice and for maintaining it in a clean and attractive manner.You are responsible for keeping it trimmed, mowed, free of weeds, bugs, and dead spots. You will spend a considerable sum replacing your sod. It is highly recommended that your research your options so that you do not have to spend an additional considerable sum replacing a mistake.
St. Augustine is often used in coastal areas because it is very salt-tolerant, but it requires more fertilizer and water. It also can be prone to pests, such as chinch bugs.
Bahia requires the least amount of maintenance, but it is not salt-tolerant. Bahia also is prone to damage by mole crickets.
Bermuda, which is used on golf-course greens, requires the most fertilizer, pesticides and water, plus careful mowing. It requires intensive maintenance.
Zoysia grass exhibits a dark green color, and wide bladed leaf. It performs well in the hot, humid environment as is in the State of Florida. It performs well in the sandy, clay soil. It requires less maintenance than say Bermuda, and has a pretty good shade and cold tolerance.Zoysia grass is a turfgrass used in Florida for both commercial and residential landscapes. Zoysia grass is adapted to shade, salt and traffic. It is slow-growing (less mowing!) and forms a very dense carpet.
Jasmine minima is an evergreen groundcover that grows six inches tall and will spread up to ten feet. It can be grown in the sun or the shade and is easily maintained with an edger. It is a low maintenance, drought tolerant groundcover that is best used in shady situations were turfgrass will not grow.
