Suggestions for starting over with my lawn in Florida?

Question

Currently I am growing a crop of various types of weeds and a few patches of crunchy, dry grass. I live in Florida, so my soil is very sandy and I am only allowed to water once per week (very heavy afternoon thunderstorms are not uncommon, but we get some pretty serious dry spells, too). Also, I have a jacaranda and a kumquat tree , which not only shade half the yard, leaving the rest to fry in the sun, but they drop all kinds of plant matter all over the yard.

Basically, I am looking for a hardy grass that will withstand sun or shade, will be tolerate either not very much water, or lots of water that drains quickly, and doesn't really mind being dumped on by the trees. Also, the fewer chemicals it requires to thrive, the better. Any suggestions? Does this even exist? If it does, should I plant seeds or buy plugs? I am new to the suburbs, so I have no idea what to do here...help??

Answer 1

Boy, that's going to be hard since you can only water once a week. Whether you seed or lay sod you will have to water everyday for about 2 weeks either to get the seed germinating or the sod rooted. There are many varieties of drought tolerant grasses for sun and shade that you can start with seed by tilling your area, adding seed starter soil or nutrients and then watering until germination. With sod you get instant gratification but you will also have to till your area, add nutrients, and the lay the sod. Again, you will have to water everyday until rooted then one really good drink a week will be enough.
You should contact your local nursery to see what is best for your area.