Landscaping question

[tonydahose]

i thought there were a few guys on here who do landscaping for a living....my question is what are your views on zoysia grass...i just dont have time to spend a couple hours a week on my lawn and the kids and the weeds are taking a toll on the grass. i heard this stuff takes awhile to green p in the spring and is the first to go brown in the fall but other than that it is indestructible...i am planning on getting some plugs...1 for every square foot sound good? does anybody here have it for their lawn?

[Orlando De Free]

Rumor has it that there is a fear that zoisia grass will creep onto your neighbors lawns making you a local object of controversy (think neighbors with torches and farm implements rushing your home )
:)

Anyway, that's just rumor ;)

[yablanowitz]

It depends on where you live. No worries about invasiveness here, since no one has yet gotten it to survive the first winter. That's about all I know about it.

P.S. Most warm season grasses don't take foot traffic well while they are dormant, so they quickly wear down to bare dirt (or mud depending on rainfall) in high traffic areas during cold months.

[KP]

Speaking of grass on knife forum. Knife are associating with blades and cutting to me. And I have completely newbie question in this regard.

Short of getting lawn mower what are the options of cutting grass? For what we have here, buying one is certainly not worth it, and maybe renting is not best way to go.

So, how would one cut grass? I really dont know a thing about this, but interested.

[ozspyder]

Tony,

I have planted a variety of soft leaf buffalo grass called "Sir Walter Raleigh". Not sure if you can get it there. It grows slowly, but fairly hardy. It can also grow in shady areas where most will grow brown or just plain don't grow. Slow growth means less maintenance :D

Sorry don't know much about Zoysia ???

[SeanH]

Speaking of grass on knife forum. Knife are associating with blades and cutting to me. And I have completely newbie question in this regard.

Short of getting lawn mower what are the options of cutting grass? For what we have here, buying one is certainly not worth it, and maybe renting is not best way to go.

So, how would one cut grass? I really dont know a thing about this, but interested.
Try this
http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/reel_mower_landing.htm?gclid=COH8tNed95ICFQL1PAodD hT70Q

[snuffaluff]

Zoysia is not condusive to being trodden down by kids etc. It will not survive it.

Zoysia should only be purchased from local growers and retail suppliers. It shouldn't be planted any way but solid sod. Any other way will be a weedy mess. Zoysia is a beautiful, lush grass that needs little mowing or edging compared to other summer grasses. It's a grass to look at rather than use. Because of its slow growth, it does not rebound well from wear and tear.

[Shike]

Can't tell never smoked the stuff:D

[Yuri Orlov]

Short of getting lawn mower what are the options of cutting grass? For what we have here, buying one is certainly not worth it, and maybe renting is not best way to go.

So, how would one cut grass? I really dont know a thing about this, but interested.I'm afraid there aren't really many options. Short of having someone come in to cut, a mower is really your only choice and probably the cheaper option.


Try this
http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/reel_mower_landing.htm?gclid=COH8tNed95ICFQL1PAodD hT70Q
A reel mower is a good idea. Don't go too cheap though, or it won't cut well and will be so hard to use you'll end up buying a more expensive one anyways.

Another option would be an electric mower. Even a cheap one would work well enough for a small patch of grass and won't cost much more than a reel mower.

http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B0015MH2U8/sr=1-3/qid=1209176768/ref=sr_1_3/105-2928196-4804458?ie=UTF8&searsBrand=core&mqnodeid=396779011

Or there's always buying used. You could probably pick up a used mower at a garage sale for $50. If you don't have much to cut it doesn't have to be the latest and greatest.

[Piercieve]

The lawn of the house I grew up at for 18 years is zoisia. I played in my yard every day, no adverse wear. The dogs can lay down a trail eventually, but it took ALOT of traffic. Its prickly :D and gives that temporary yard itch when it's dormant and not soft. Good grass though, lots of edging required... My sidewalk has slowly been getting more narrow. :D

It is a bitch to mow. frequent bag changes and the grass can be so thick and coarse that I've had the blades stall the mower and tear up grass because it was so dense

[mrappraisit]

I'm afraid there aren't really many options. Short of having someone come in to cut, a mower is really your only choice and probably the cheaper option.


A reel mower is a good idea. Don't go too cheap though, or it won't cut well and will be so hard to use you'll end up buying a more expensive one anyways.

Another option would be an electric mower. Even a cheap one would work well enough for a small patch of grass and won't cost much more than a reel mower.

http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B0015MH2U8/sr=1-3/qid=1209176768/ref=sr_1_3/105-2928196-4804458?ie=UTF8&searsBrand=core&mqnodeid=396779011

Or there's always buying used. You could probably pick up a used mower at a garage sale for $50. If you don't have much to cut it doesn't have to be the latest and greatest.

Electric weed eater, or one of the small rechargeable electric mowers.

[Andyjd]

Tony, what about Bermuda grass? it's what i have here andit seems low maintinance to me.

[tonydahose]

thanks for all the replies guys...i guess i should have mentioned that this is a short term fix. i plan on doing an addition onto my house in about 4 years and the grounds will be torn up big time so i will need to resod the whole yard then.

[KP]

Thanks for the help. Ran around yesterday between the stores a lot, including WMart, 3 HomeDepots.

Wanted to see what they have and educate myself. Once again, realized how little, if anything, salespeople know there.

[snuffaluff]

Tony. I don't know what the costs are, but isn't seeding less expensive than laying sod? (less pain on the back too) I'd say seed some non-evasive grass in if you're just going to tear it all out in a few years anyways. I don't know what non-evasive is in your area, but I'd ask a local garden center (not Lowe's or Home Depot).

[yablanowitz]

If you are up in Chicago or thereabouts, you'd be much better off with a cool season grass. The thin blade fescues (not to be confused with K-31 fescue which is a wide-blade bunchgrass) make nice turf, are more drought-tolerant than bluegrass, are less prone to grubworms, stay green longer and can tolerate winter traffic much better than the warm season grasses. The down side is, you'll have to mow more often.