[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by simpkinp

If we have watering restrictions and are worried about over drafting the retention ponds and water table, why is the county and water district still allowing thousands of new building permits?

As far as I know, the whole state of Florida has water restrictions.

http://miami.about.com/od/natureenvi...eringrules.htm

http://www.occonservewater.net/regul...ing-guidelines

http://www.wcjb.com/local-news/2012/...ns-gainesville

http://www.tampagov.net/water/info/w...e-restrictions

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by simpkinp

If we have watering restrictions and are worried about over drafting the retention ponds and water table, why is the county and water district still allowing thousands of new building permits?

Hi simpkinp: There was a referendum in Florida in 2012 drafted to create smart growth. The developers and real estate lobbyist, well threw water on it to burn it out. If passed residents would have had a say in growth.

You ask the same question many of us have asked since moving here. By the way I do not believe every county in Florida has a three tier pricing system but this development has a lot of pull with our water district. In fact an ex-president of the VHA is/ or was on the board and of course there is Sumter One under the developers tutelage

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Hi simpkinp: There was a referendum in Florida in 2012 drafted to create smart growth. The developers and real estate lobbyist, well threw water on it to burn it out. If passed residents would have had a say in growth.

You ask the same question many of us have asked since moving here. By the way I do not believe every county in Florida has a three tier pricing system but this development has a lot of pull with our water district. In fact an ex-president of the VHA is/ or was on the board and of course there is Sumter One under the developers tutelage

Water is so much cheaper than where we came from. I think it wise to have two kinds of water: one for drinking and one for watering the lawn.

[Marigold]

Great topic.....Recently our lawns have been the main subject of discussion when the neighbors get together. We live in Buttonwood where Zoysia grass was laid down four-five years ago as the homes were built. This "Southern" variety of Zoysia requires a lot of water and does not kill the weeds or invading grasses. Here Bermuda Grass reigns supreme and our lawns are unsightly with bare spots. We are watering the requested two times a week.
So what have we as a neighborhood found out?
1. Our Zoysia sod was laid on top of builders sand, concrete pieces and even a two by four.
2. There is no soil or very little here that can support the root systems.
3. One neighbor recently complained to The Villages Warranty office who sent out the original landscaper who laid the sod at his home. The landscaper said he can remove the dead sod and replace it with new Zoysia sod to the tune of $3,000.00. Wow, dead Zoysia sod replaced every four years for that amount! Still not the solving the problem.

I have never heard my friends who have St. Augustine grass that they have bare spots, invading weeds/grasses and have to water a lot.

So can those of you with St. Augustine lawns tell us how often you have to water to maintain those GREAT looking lawns? Just curious.

[buzzy]

My ground is almost rock-hard. The lawn guy said that a deep root system doesn't apply around here. Also, over-watering just runs off, wasting the water that I am using and paying for. He recommended light watering 10-12 minutes per zone, four times a week. Also, I used to water before dawn, so the grass would not stay wet all night. He recommended watering before midnight so it does stay wet. Go figure. So far, after two weeks, I am seeing improvement.

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

Interesting since Deans just told me to go to 3 times per week, also in sumter county.....

Massey told me the same and said cheaper to spend more on watering than replacing sod that has died. I did this the past 5 years and had good results turning off the system if we had a good rain instead. Buy a rain gauge at Walmart for a couple bucks and you'll know how much your sprinklers put out and how much rain you got.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Marigold

Great topic.....Recently our lawns have been the main subject of discussion when the neighbors get together. We live in Buttonwood where Zoysia grass was laid down four-five years ago as the homes were built. This "Southern" variety of Zoysia requires a lot of water and does not kill the weeds or invading grasses. Here Bermuda Grass reigns supreme and our lawns are unsightly with bare spots. We are watering the requested two times a week.
So what have we as a neighborhood found out?
1. Our Zoysia sod was laid on top of builders sand, concrete pieces and even a two by four.
2. There is no soil or very little here that can support the root systems.
3. One neighbor recently complained to The Villages Warranty office who sent out the original landscaper who laid the sod at his home. The landscaper said he can remove the dead sod and replace it with new Zoysia sod to the tune of $3,000.00. Wow, dead Zoysia sod replaced every four years for that amount! Still not the solving the problem.

I have never heard my friends who have St. Augustine grass that they have bare spots, invading weeds/grasses and have to water a lot.

So can those of you with St. Augustine lawns tell us how often you have to water to maintain those GREAT looking lawns? Just curious.

It is ALL laid on sand. Sand is what is the base soil for most of the villages. Ours is doing fine. I saw our Zoysia laid on sand. You have to FEED it and water it just like that guy in the kilt says. Also kill the bugs that eat at it's little roots.

[Marigold]

I have Massesy for lawn and shrubs....pests and fertilizer for over $700.00 a year so yes it is being fed.

We are not talking about sandy soil, this is PURE SAND.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Marigold

I have Massesy for lawn and shrubs....pests and fertilizer for over $700.00 a year so yes it is being fed.

We are not talking about sandy soil, this is PURE SAND.

Ours would be great in a sandbox too. Glad to hear your soil is being fed. I hate when it gets all hungry.

[dbussone]

The sand is missing specific ingredients needed by the grass. The spray fertilizer doesn't replace all the required nutrients. Pellets may be necessary in many cases to provide what is needed.

[LndLocked]

Originally Posted by redwitch

Given the dry conditions and the early heat we've experienced, most lawn companies are recommending at least three times a week. However, the water company has decreed that two times a week is the max and if you use more, your bill will quickly skyrocket. The reclamation ponds do not have an infinite amount of water in them and Florida has just gotten out of a drought situation. As has been mentioned, you can always hand water (your outdoor spigots are linked to the house water, not the reclaimed water, of which there is more water). Of course, those in the northern part of TV are not quite so limited since they don't use reclaimed water.

As suggested elsewhere in this thread ..... water for the same amount of mins per week, just divided into 3 or 4 times a week and not 2.

However, we also pay the sewage surcharge on every gallon that goes though the irrigation system.

[LndLocked]

Originally Posted by Marigold

Great topic.....Recently our lawns have been the main subject of discussion when the neighbors get together. We live in Buttonwood where Zoysia grass was laid down four-five years ago as the homes were built. This "Southern" variety of Zoysia requires a lot of water and does not kill the weeds or invading grasses. Here Bermuda Grass reigns supreme and our lawns are unsightly with bare spots. We are watering the requested two times a week.
So what have we as a neighborhood found out?
1. Our Zoysia sod was laid on top of builders sand, concrete pieces and even a two by four.
2. There is no soil or very little here that can support the root systems.
3. One neighbor recently complained to The Villages Warranty office who sent out the original landscaper who laid the sod at his home. The landscaper said he can remove the dead sod and replace it with new Zoysia sod to the tune of $3,000.00. Wow, dead Zoysia sod replaced every four years for that amount! Still not the solving the problem.

I have never heard my friends who have St. Augustine grass that they have bare spots, invading weeds/grasses and have to water a lot.

So can those of you with St. Augustine lawns tell us how often you have to water to maintain those GREAT looking lawns? Just curious.

I don't know who your friends are but I can tell you from 50 years of lawn maintenance experience in Fla .... NO grass on the face of the earth requires as much water and maintenance as St. Augustine!! It needs more water, and is highly susceptible to every weed, bug and fungus in the known and charted world!!!

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by Marigold

.

I have never heard my friends who have St. Augustine grass that they have bare spots, invading weeds/grasses and have to water a lot.

So can those of you with St. Augustine lawns tell us how often you have to water to maintain those GREAT looking lawns? Just curious.

I also live in Buttonwood with Zoysia but have had all my life before moving here St. Augustine in S. Florida. I notice Zoysia needs much more watering and doesn't fill in bad spots as well since St. Augustine creeps to fill in. The only down side I know of is St. Augustine can be infected with Chinch bugs but are easily taken care of with spraying. Last year I went to a talk with a master gardener and he asked if anyone really believes that Zoysia is better as the developer said? He said "don't believe it". Take a look at the lawns north of 466 that are St. Augustine and see how green and healthy they are compared to Zoysia.

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by downeaster

Does anyone know how many inches of surface water it takes to penetrate soil 6 to 8 inches? I don't.

I do not either. I suspect the correct answer is, it depends on soil, how much thatch (Gardening Help FAQs (Thatch)) has accumulated and other things I am unaware of.

Based on my 'un-extensive' research over the years the common recommendation is to try and lay down 1 - 1.5 inches per week.

I installed new heads out front which dispense water at a much slower rate, in theory to prevent run off. I first saw them in new homes south of 466a. It takes 90 minutes to dispense an inch based on my tuna can test.

I have found one thing for sure, nothing is as good as mother nature when it comes to watering.

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

stuff snipped from OP by Alan

I installed new heads out front which dispense water at a much slower rate, in theory to prevent run off. I first saw them in new homes south of 466a. It takes 90 minutes to dispense an inch based on my tuna can test.

How rude to quote oneself

My point about the sprinklers I bought was that time to water is not that interesting unless you know the water dispensed. If you bought my house and set the zone to 30 minutes based on past experience with different heads the grass would be dead.

Off to golf, hopefully Glenview knows how to grow grass better than I.