# Re-sodding in March. Floratam or ProVista?



## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

I'm in East Central Florida 9b. My yard is currently Floratam approx 7,500 SF. A large portion of my backyard, about 1,200 SF, has been completely overtaken by wild Bermuda. Next month my plan is to nuke the area and re-sod. Should I stick with Floratam or try ProVista St. Augustine? I'm tempted to try ProVista because my neighbor's back yard is completely Bermuda and I'm worried about it coming back. The area gets full sun.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

ProVista if you can't tolerate the Bermuda coming back.


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## Zimmerman (May 20, 2019)

Just go with Bermuda. If your neighbor has it then you'll eventually have it.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Zimmerman said:


> Just go with Bermuda. If your neighbor has it then you'll eventually have it.


Don is able to keep them separate. 





I would plant what I like and put a barrier along the fence / property line.


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## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

Zimmerman said:


> Just go with Bermuda. If your neighbor has it then you'll eventually have it.


Embracing the Bermuda is the third option. I could cut the back low. The rest of my Floratam is partially shaded so that should keep the Bermuda contained to where it is.


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## MosJeff (Aug 20, 2021)

I was in a similar situation about one year ago when I was resodding my backyard and went with ProVista for the same reason, as I knew the wild Bermuda would eventually back. I have no regrets with my decision and love the ProVista. Anytime I notice some Bermuda popping up I just spot spray it with some glyphosate and the ProVista remains unharmed.


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## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

MosJeff said:


> I was in a similar situation about one year ago when I was resodding my backyard and went with ProVista for the same reason, as I knew the wild Bermuda would eventually back. I have no regrets with my decision and love the ProVista. Anytime I notice some Bermuda popping up I just spot spray it with some glyphosate and the ProVista remains unharmed.


How long did it take to establish and what prep did you to before laying the sod? Do you mow the ProVista the same time as the rest of your yard?


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## MosJeff (Aug 20, 2021)

GPO Man said:


> MosJeff said:
> 
> 
> > I was in a similar situation about one year ago when I was resodding my backyard and went with ProVista for the same reason, as I knew the wild Bermuda would eventually back. I have no regrets with my decision and love the ProVista. Anytime I notice some Bermuda popping up I just spot spray it with some glyphosate and the ProVista remains unharmed.
> ...


I didn't have the time to do the prep myself so I hired a landscaper who has done work for me in the past to remove the old turf and pick up/install the sod. The leveling isn't perfect so lesson learned, but I'm fine with it. I don't feel like it took any longer to establish and it is so thick that I rarely had to deal with weeds (I did not put down my normal prodiamine). I'm in South Florida so I mow year round. In the Spring/Summer I would mow it once per week even though I would mow my Floratam 2 x per week. You could definitely get by mowing less frequently, but I just did it anyways. In the Fall/Winter I've been mowing every 2-3 weeks, but honestly you could go even longer.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

I am in the same predicament now, looking to resod with Saint Augustine (removing Zoysia) and debating which variety to use.........

I have been debating between Floritam, Provista, and Citra blue. I thought for sure I was going with Citra blue, then I was sure I was going with provista......, now I'm thinking I'm just going back with Floritam. My concern with either of the other two types is that they are so incredibly slow compared to Floritam that any damage that eventually occurs takes forever and a day to recover. I was lucky to find a patch of Provista growing immediately adjacent to Floritam so I could see them side-by-side (they are actually growing next to each other), and the Floritam seems like it's on steroids compared to provista. I think the growth rate is like 3X. Since there isn't a barrier between this particular patch, I would guess in a few years the Floritam will completely take the area over.

Another person who has both of them
in their yard who I talked to also said the Provista was more cold sensitive as well, but thats only a sample size of 1.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

All this said------

Have any of you guys been following mosaic/LVM in Florida? My county is one of them that has started to report cases of it, and Floritam seems to be the most heavily affected cultivar.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

And why do I keep misspelling Floratam?&#129322;


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## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

I'm one month into my ProVista installation and I am extremely happy with it. I love the darker green/bluish tint it has and it is very dense. In fact, I may eventually use ProVista in my entire yard. I can attest to the fact that it's a slow grower. One month in and I still don't have to mow it yet. It is also very thirsty. It starts to turn grayish when it's stressed so I've been watering every other day since week 3 unless we get rain.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

That bluish color is also what is intriguing me about it. Does yours look like this?


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## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

Yes, it looks similar to the left.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

GPO Man said:


> Yes, it looks similar to the left.


Thanks for confirming. The color and blade shape on this is cool stuff!


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## DFW St Aug (10 mo ago)

I am hoping that the ProVista becomes available in Texas soon.


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## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

Here's my ProVista 5 weeks after installing. The top of the picture near the tree is where Floratam is. The sign is the cutoff. I've applied 12-12-2 fertilizer twice.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

It looks great! Are you finding that what Scotts claims about it growing at roughly 1/3 the vertical rate of Floratam is true?


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## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

Absolutely. I still don't need to mow it and it might be a couple of weeks before I have to.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

GPO Man said:


> Absolutely. I still don't need to mow it and it might be a couple of weeks before I have to.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

Are you seeing it grow laterally quickly?


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## GPO Man (11 mo ago)

No runners yet but the grass is rooted very well in all spots. I have a clear dividing line of ProVista to Floratam (with a little wild Bermuda mixed in.) It will be interesting to see what takes over or if they place nice together.


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