As much as I wanted to buy a place to live we ended up renting. The front yard is mostly different types of grass with some weeds and in decent shape. Backyard is 80% weeds and sand. If I were to kill all the weeds in the back it would be nothing but dirt. Since this is a rental, I don't want to invest too much in making this look pretty. What's the cheapest way to get this thing looking a little better? Fertilize? Spread some seed?

I live in Tampa.

Number 1 Answer the survey says......

Check with the landlord before you go landscaping their place.

Ugh, as a fellow Tampastanian, I know all too well the "sand or weeds" scenario. Also, who thought it was a good idea to install wood laminate flooring in a rental? That E36 M3 scratches so easily and its not like I can prevent sand from getting in the house.

I would go for some type of hearty ground covering if grass would be too hard to get to take hold.

We have a ban on using weed and feed so we are losing the battle with the weeds, so we have started planting clover. It gives nice green coverage and chokes out a lot of other weeds. It is also resistant to many bugs (we get chinch bug up here).

Downside - the flowers attract bees so watch kids but this has not been that much of a problem.

stanger_missle wrote: Ugh, as a fellow Tampastanian, I know all too well the "sand or weeds" scenario. Also, who thought it was a good idea to install wood laminate flooring in a rental? That E36 M3 scratches so easily and its not like I can prevent sand from getting in the house. I would go for some type of hearty ground covering if grass would be too hard to get to take hold.

Here is an even better idea. Let's install laminate and ignore 4 days of continuous calls from the renter that something is up with the A/C drain line and it needs to be fixed. Then let's act surprised on day 5 when the house floods and all your new flooring turns into speedbumps! That's what happened when we first moved in.

NGTD wrote: We have a ban on using weed and feed so we are losing the battle with the weeds, so we have started planting clover. It gives nice green coverage and chokes out a lot of other weeds. It is also resistant to many bugs (we get chinch bug up here). Downside - the flowers attract bees so watch kids but this has not been that much of a problem.

The more bees the merrier! I'll look into this.

weeds are green. Just keep them mowed short

I do like the idea of clover, I may look into that

I feel the thread title is misleading

Weeds are free and green all year! We have a bunch of clover. Our honeybees love it.

zoysia grass, cut with a reel style mower and fed with compost. It'll take 2-4 years to grow in and choke out the weeds, but after that it'll be a lush green carpet

Water!!!!

captdownshift wrote: zoysia grass, cut with a reel style mower and fed with compost. It'll take 2-4 years to grow in and choke out the weeds, but after that it'll be a lush green carpet

We have zoyshia in the front yard, it chokes everything except the wild onions. We don't get wild onions anywhere but in the front yard.

once planted Zoysia.. the weeds killed it

You're pretty much looking at bahaia. You'll have to sharpen your mower blade more often thanks to the seed stalks, but it is tolerant of poor soil, high temps and drought, plus it's resistant to bugs, fungus, etc. Very hardy stuff.