[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Twice per week is good, but 20 minutes per zone is probably too much. I would cut it back to 5 or 10 minutes. Just my opinion.

Agree ! 20 min. per zone definitely did not work out well for us, but different landscapes, difference elevations... I'd just keep a CLOSE watch... it may be working for you (meaning not get over saturated, etc.)

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by rwcw

If we all had bahia grass, the grass that the builders mostly use in Deltona and many other communities in Florida, we wouldn't need to ever water our grass. That's the grass that you see along all the main highways. Never watered, never fertilized, just mowed. No sprinklers in those Deltona lawns. I had bahia grass in St Pete in the 60's and 70's. Beautiful lawn. No maintenance except mowing. U of Fl accepts grant money from sod industry, fertilizer industry, etc, and develops the Zoysia and st Augustine varieties that the builders are advised to use by them. Floratam as an example. Just saying. With 130,000 homes we could have saved millions of gallons of water over the years. One day it will probably be mandatory that we don't use those high maintenance grasses.

Amen ! ! From another south Florida family, Amen !

[Nana2Teddy]

Originally Posted by rwcw

If we all had bahia grass, the grass that the builders mostly use in Deltona and many other communities in Florida, we wouldn't need to ever water our grass. That's the grass that you see along all the main highways. Never watered, never fertilized, just mowed. No sprinklers in those Deltona lawns. I had bahia grass in St Pete in the 60's and 70's. Beautiful lawn. No maintenance except mowing. U of Fl accepts grant money from sod industry, fertilizer industry, etc, and develops the Zoysia and st Augustine varieties that the builders are advised to use by them. Floratam as an example. Just saying. With 130,000 homes we could have saved millions of gallons of water over the years. One day it will probably be mandatory that we don't use those high maintenance grasses.

I wonder if we can change our grass to Bahia? I think we’ll ask ARC. We are moving in to a new home next week, and don’t want lawn at all, but since we’re stuck with it maybe we can change to this Bahia grass. Thanks for the info.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I agree, but you can try a shorter time and see if it has a negative effect on your lawn. I cut back my watering from 20 minutes to 5 minutes and I didn't notice any effect. Now, I am considering turning the whole system off. I have a friend who doesn't even have a sprinkler system and their grass looks good.

We don't have a sprinkler system. I believe that a lot of people hope to bring their soft, beautiful northern low maintenance lawns down to Florida with them. To try and recreate their northern lawn effect they overwater and over-fertilize. Then the fertilizer runs off into the residential lakes and causes problems of too much nutrients. It is better to accept that their lawns will have some brown spots during the winter and not hope for perfection.

One solution for too much water use is to plant Florida-friendly trees and have stone and wall rings around them. After the trees mature they will need zero water - and neither do the stones. Solar lights shining up the trees make for a more attractive yard than a solid grass yard and cuts down on water, fertilizer, and lawn mowing area. Those yards are less boring!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Worldseries27

water never leaves the planet. The foulest pond water is eventually strained by mother earth that we drink daily

True ........about water never leaving the planet. The problem is a gradually warming planet, which causes FRESHWATER glaciers to melt and end up in the SALTWATER ocean, which is slowly rising. The Florida coastline and cities like Miami will be affected in our grandchildren's lives. So, the conservation of FRESHWATER is a legitimate concern.

[FL2021]

Originally Posted by drbobw123

We have a courtyard villa with all rocks and some bushes in the back.
We have shut off the water last year and everything stays green!

Interesting! As a result, did you find less need for trimming your bushes, especially in the Summer/Spring?

[Flyers999]

Originally Posted by birdawg

I turn mine off in the winter and my grass looks great

Where do you live, New Jersey? What type of grass do you have?

[MorTech]

Thousands of gallons of water leave earth due to space flights. If we don't stop these space rockets, earth will become a barren planet in like 12 years. Call your gubbermint and tell them we need space travel lockdowns.

1/2 inch (40 minutes with Hunter MP rotators) every 5 days.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by rwcw

If we all had bahia grass, the grass that the builders mostly use in Deltona and many other communities in Florida, we wouldn't need to ever water our grass. That's the grass that you see along all the main highways. Never watered, never fertilized, just mowed. No sprinklers in those Deltona lawns. I had bahia grass in St Pete in the 60's and 70's. Beautiful lawn. No maintenance except mowing. U of Fl accepts grant money from sod industry, fertilizer industry, etc, and develops the Zoysia and st Augustine varieties that the builders are advised to use by them. Floratam as an example. Just saying. With 130,000 homes we could have saved millions of gallons of water over the years. One day it will probably be mandatory that we don't use those high maintenance grasses.

After reading about Bahia grass it seems a really good alternative to present strains of grass..
Problem is the dormant period, when grass turns brown.
Will the Villages allow brown yards.
Maybe not the Stepford image the Villages would want?
Shame, as it seems a big time saver of the need for watering and fertilizing.

[MrChip72]

I set mine to 12 minutes per zone just for the heck of it and it's been like that since June. My lawn looks exactly the same as all of the adjacent lawns of my neighbors.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Bob.Betty

I water my lawn twice a week for 20 minutes per zone. Should i cut it back to once a week and 20 minutes per zone for the winter?

thanks

It is not a matter of minutes but how much water YOUR system applies in that zone per minute. Solution is simple collect several Tuna Fish type cans. Wash them. Spread them out around your lawn and measure water applied. You may well discover uneven application. Missing heads. Buried heads and improperly adjusted heads. Needed water
depends on type of grass, quality of soil.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

After reading about Bahia grass it seems a really good alternative to present strains of grass..
Problem is the dormant period, when grass turns brown.
Will the Villages allow brown yards.
Maybe not the Stepford image the Villages would want?
Shame, as it seems a big time saver of the need for watering and fertilizing.

Type of grass is different is different sections of the villages. Putting in a different type of grass is planting WEEDS for your neighbors.

[NoMoSno]

Originally Posted by DAVES

It is not a matter of minutes but how much water YOUR system applies in that zone per minute. Solution is simple collect several Tuna Fish type cans. Wash them. Spread them out around your lawn and measure water applied. You may well discover uneven application. Missing heads. Buried heads and improperly adjusted heads. Needed water
depends on type of grass, quality of soil.

This ^^^^^
All GPM outputs are not the same for every system.
The cans should collect 1/2 to 3/4" per watering.