Talk of The Villages Florida
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Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   Landscape Talk (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/landscape-talk-129/)
-   -   Done with Saint Augustine - Can I Replace it with Zoysia? (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/landscape-talk-129/done-saint-augustine-can-i-replace-zoysia-361449/)

nn0wheremann 09-24-2025 06:58 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by idlewild (Post 2462683)
I hate our St Augustine "lawn" and am strongly considering replacing it with Zoysia turf which our friends up in CDD 10 have. We're only 8 months into this new lawn and already fighting invasive Bermuda and torpedo grass (I can address). But both our dogs and guests have refused to walk on it - how embarrassing - since it's really not a grass IMHO.

Has anyone done this successfully?

I understand how it's not recommended as both St. Augustine and, to a lesser extent, Zoysia can penetrate into neighboring yards but we're on a corner lot Veranda with a wall (solid bottom) behind us. And our lawn's only direct contact with our neighbor's lawn is under the mock fence for which we are likely landscaping with metal and 2' of rock to create a barrier between the yards. I also mow and treat my own yard so no issues with contractors equipment spreading seeds/weeds.
I tried putting Zoysia turf next to my driveway to replace some Flortam that Massey killed when they fouled up my lawn. The Zoysia spread under the StAugustine and under some concrete flower bed borders, and under the driveway, but it did not spread over the StAugustine next to it.

rwcw 09-24-2025 07:06 AM
All the green grass along the interstate and most other roads in FL is Bahia. Bahia roots go down 4 or 5 feet. No watering required. With a minimum of care Bahia can be beautiful. Builders in Deltona and other places use Bahia .I had a beautiful Bahia lawn in St Pete. Both varieties of grass that are used by the Villages are the latest and greatest patented University of Florida grasses. When builders go to U of Florida ag people for recommendations, that’s what you get. My parents had a beautiful Bahia lawn with no sprinklers when they retired to Florida 59 years ago.

BostonRich 09-24-2025 07:41 AM
Funny to read this today. Yesterday my lawn service guy said they could control the weeds and crabgrass better in Zoysia than in St. Augustine which is looking terrible. I should consider switching. Not sure what I'm going to do.

TomSpasm 09-24-2025 08:43 AM
I've lived in Florida for 40 years with several different type grass lawns and the Empire Zoysia grass I have had for 13 years in the Villages is easily the worst lawn ever. Don't do it.

JRcorvette 09-24-2025 08:57 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by idlewild (Post 2462683)
I hate our St Augustine "lawn" and am strongly considering replacing it with Zoysia turf which our friends up in CDD 10 have. We're only 8 months into this new lawn and already fighting invasive Bermuda and torpedo grass (I can address). But both our dogs and guests have refused to walk on it - how embarrassing - since it's really not a grass IMHO.

Has anyone done this successfully?

I understand how it's not recommended as both St. Augustine and, to a lesser extent, Zoysia can penetrate into neighboring yards but we're on a corner lot Veranda with a wall (solid bottom) behind us. And our lawn's only direct contact with our neighbor's lawn is under the mock fence for which we are likely landscaping with metal and 2' of rock to create a barrier between the yards. I also mow and treat my own yard so no issues with contractors equipment spreading seeds/weeds.
Zoraida is no better than… both horrible.

Cassieb 09-24-2025 09:06 AM
You can change your grass but if a complaint is made that the grass type is different than what it originally was the CDD can make you replace it. If you request a change of type of grass they will deny it as it is against the deed restrictions to change the type of grass originally installed, at least that's the way it works in CDD 6. It's a gamble I would not want to have to deal with.

midiwiz 09-24-2025 09:07 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by idlewild (Post 2462683)
I hate our St Augustine "lawn" and am strongly considering replacing it with Zoysia turf which our friends up in CDD 10 have. We're only 8 months into this new lawn and already fighting invasive Bermuda and torpedo grass (I can address). But both our dogs and guests have refused to walk on it - how embarrassing - since it's really not a grass IMHO.

Has anyone done this successfully?

I understand how it's not recommended as both St. Augustine and, to a lesser extent, Zoysia can penetrate into neighboring yards but we're on a corner lot Veranda with a wall (solid bottom) behind us. And our lawn's only direct contact with our neighbor's lawn is under the mock fence for which we are likely landscaping with metal and 2' of rock to create a barrier between the yards. I also mow and treat my own yard so no issues with contractors equipment spreading seeds/weeds.
hate to tell you this but you will still have the same problems.... and by the way that St aug. only gets cut at 3" no higher or lower. ....but you'll still have the problems of Bermuda and the other crap in anything you put in.

jimjamuser 09-24-2025 11:48 AM
No one has mentioned Centipede grass ?

jimjamuser 09-24-2025 11:58 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by merrymini (Post 2462999)
I have had zoysia for 10 years. My son in Minneola has st augustine. I prefer the zoysia. Every grass has different issues. My neighbor had his whole lawn removed and replaced with a form of st augustine and it looks good but mixing grasses is probably not a good idea. They look different and grow at different rates. St augustine looks weedy and rough and seems to take a long time to recover. As a matter of fact, the state of Florida does allow lawn substitutions, such as sunshine mimosa, which supersede local ordinances although you rarely see anyone doing it. It also allows people to install synthetic turf which I would prefer to see instead of rocks.
If Florida ALLOWS synthetic turf, why is it seldom seen in The Villages? And what is the story on Sunshine Mimosa (which sounds like a drink at a bar)?

Babubhat 09-24-2025 01:09 PM
Scotts Viridian St Augustine Grass New In 2025
– LawnCareNut

New improved Scott’s st Augustine grass

Quote:
Originally Posted by idlewild (Post 2462683)
I hate our St Augustine "lawn" and am strongly considering replacing it with Zoysia turf which our friends up in CDD 10 have. We're only 8 months into this new lawn and already fighting invasive Bermuda and torpedo grass (I can address). But both our dogs and guests have refused to walk on it - how embarrassing - since it's really not a grass IMHO.

Has anyone done this successfully?

I understand how it's not recommended as both St. Augustine and, to a lesser extent, Zoysia can penetrate into neighboring yards but we're on a corner lot Veranda with a wall (solid bottom) behind us. And our lawn's only direct contact with our neighbor's lawn is under the mock fence for which we are likely landscaping with metal and 2' of rock to create a barrier between the yards. I also mow and treat my own yard so no issues with contractors equipment spreading seeds/weeds.

Velvet 09-24-2025 04:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2463134)
If Florida ALLOWS synthetic turf, why is it seldom seen in The Villages? And what is the story on Sunshine Mimosa (which sounds like a drink at a bar)?
Not sure if it is allowed in the first place but the reason I would not do artificial turf because no matter how much it costs, it looks cheap and low class. In the winter when everybody’s grass is mostly brown, mine would be artificially emerald green. No thank you.

coleprice 09-24-2025 04:42 PM
We have Zoysia and have found that weeds and invasive grasses grow quite well in it. I have to combat weeds regularly to keep the lawn looking nice. My next door neighbor has a St. Augustine lawn and it looks much nicer, with less work to maintain it. St. Augustine is much hardier than Zoysia. However, we find Zoysia nicer to walk on than St. Augustine. Our dog likes to run and play on both Zoysia and St. Augustine.

Schmitth 09-24-2025 07:28 PM
I had the original St. Augustine ProVista grass since we purchased new in 2020. Last year for some reason it died out from either chinch bugs, or over watering. Either way Fertigator came out to see if they could bring it back. No such luck. They recommended a complete sod replacement.
I contacted Chessari Sod (their family owns a sod farm) for an estimate on complete replacement. He told me that the ProVista variant is new, and not doing well here in The Villages. This variant tends to break down from all the fertilizers that are placed after a few years.
He suggested the St. Augustine Floratam sod. This variant has been around for some time, and can handle fertilizers much better.
It’s been over a year since I had it installed, and I must say I probably have the nicest lawn in the neighborhood.

ROCKETMAN 09-25-2025 09:22 AM
Sod
 
I just replaced some sod in front yard with zoysia because that’s what the rest of it is. Have st. Augustine in most rest of yard. Had lots of dead spots plus quantum not replacing what they dug up. Got it from Cottoms A-1 sod in Weirsdale. $1500 installed. The owner said Zoysia is a dying bread around Florida. Needs more water and more insect prone. He has to go to the panhandle to get zoysia while st. Augustine around Orlando. He said in a couple years st. Augustine will be king.

jimjamuser 09-25-2025 10:56 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Velvet (Post 2463186)
Not sure if it is allowed in the first place but the reason I would not do artificial turf because no matter how much it costs, it looks cheap and low class. In the winter when everybody’s grass is mostly brown, mine would be artificially emerald green. No thank you.
There would be a lot of advantages to plastic grass, which has improved in quality and looking real in recent years. One advantage would be less fertilizer RUNOFF into the lake, which would make the lakes cleaner with less plant scum on the surface. Also home owners would save money on no noisy professional grass cutters, which would reduce the speeding trucks with trailers racing around the neighborhoods. Air quality would be improved. People could concentrate on putting nice looking flowers and shrubs in their yard. Instead of spending excess money on boring and often ugly grass. And did I mention less pollution from noisy lawnmowers. Both plastic grass and stone yards are beautiful to me because I also see the environmental improvement factors.


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