Perennial Peanut tables comparing establishment & maintenance to St. Augustine grass
Reproduced from University of Florida IFAS document
| Table 1: Establishment costs per 1000 ft2 of St. Augustinegrass (SA) and Perennial Peanut (PP) sod. Establishment period assumed to be first 30 days after sod installation. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine grass (SA) | Perennial Peanut (PP) | ||||||
| Comments | Price | Amt | Cost | Price | Amt | Cost | |
| Sod Installation | Price includes sod and labor to lay | $.30/ ft2 | 1000 | 300.00 | $1.25/ ft2 | 1000 | $1,250.00 |
| Fertilizer | SA: 1.0 lb-N, P & K rates per soil test. PP: Starter fertilizer with P & K per soil test. | $5/ 1000 ft2 | 1.0 | 5.00 | $5/ 1000 ft2 | 1.0 | 5.00 |
| Irrigation water | SA: 1/4", 2x/day for 14 days, then 1/4" 1x/day for 16 days. PP: 1/4", 3x/wk for 30 days | See note | 6,846 gals | 17.00 | See Note | 2,337 gals | 5.50 |
| Initial Mow | SA: 1x per 30 days PP: no mowing required | $7/ 1000 ft2 | 1.0 | 14.00 | $7/ 1000 ft2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total Establishment Cost | $336.00 | $1,260.50 | |||||
| Difference in initial establishment costs | 924.50 | ||||||
| Annual Establishment Cost | Years of Life | Years of Life | |||||
| 10 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 15 | 20 | ||
| Depreciation | (Est Cost/ years) | 33.60 | 22.40 | 16.80 | 126.05 | 84.03 | 63.03 |
| Avg. Interest | (Total cost/2) * 5% | 8.40 | 31.50 | ||||
| Annual Establishment Cost ($/yr) | $42 | $31 | $25 | $158 | $116 | $95 | |
Notes
- 1. Irrigation costs based on the 2002 water-pricing schedule for a residential user in the city of Ft. Myers.
- 2. Water consumption formula: (in./application) rate * frequency * ft/12 in. * 1,000 ft2 * 7.48 gal/ft3 = gal per application.
- 3. Fertilizer, chemical treatments, and mowing prices based on typical charges of commercial landscape companies servicing residential homes.
- 4. Average home lot size assumed to be 5,000 ft2.
- 5. Pests, drought, and excessive rainfall stresses St. Augustinegrass (SA) lawns. It is assumed that St. Augustinegrass lawns are replaced every 8 years. Depreciation costs represent the annual amount of money that would have to be set aside to replant an SA lawn.
- 6. "Average Interest" represents the opportunity cost of spending money on lawn establishment rather than investing the same amount of money in a "safe" interest-bearing asset. Selection of an interest rate (i.e. 5%) is arbitrary but attempts to reflect current market conditions.
| Table 2. Annual maintenance cost per 1000 ft2 of established St. Augustinegrass (SA) and Perennial Peanut (PP) groundcover. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine grass (SA) | Perennial Peanut (PP) | ||||||
| Comments | Price | Amt | Cost | Price | Amt | Cost | |
| Fertilizer1 | SA: 1.0 lb-N per application P & K based on soil test. PP: annual sulfur application | $5/app | 3 app | $15.00 | $5/app | 1 app | $5.00 |
| Pesticides1 | SA: various herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides PP: grass herbicide. | $5/app | 6 app | 30.00 | $5/app | 2 app | 10.00 |
| Irrigation water2 | SA: 1/2" 2x/wk for 32 wks (dry season). None during wet season. PP: no irrigation water. | $2.80 per 1000 ft2 | 19,947 gal | 56.00 | $2.80 per 1000 ft2 | 0.0 gals | 0.00 |
| Wet Season Mow (20 wks) 3 | SA: 1x per 1 wk PP: 1x per 4 wk | $7/mow | 20 | 140.00 | $7/mow | 5 | 35.00 |
| Dry Season Mow (32 wks) 3 | SA: 1x per 2 wk PP: 1x per 12 wk | $7/mow | 16 | 112.00 | $7/mow | 2 | 14.00 |
| Annual Maintenance Cost | $353 | $64 | |||||
| Annual Establish Cost (20 yr life) | $25 | $95 | |||||
| Total Annual Cost | $378 | $159 | |||||
Notes
- 1. Fertilization and chemical treatments costs include both material and application costs. Prices were collected as part of a telephone survey of commercial landscaping companies in the Ft. Myers/Naples area. Fertilizer chemical application costs ranged between $20 and $35 per residential lot. Average residential lot assumed to be 5,000 ft2.
- 2. Irrigation notes:
- a. Dry season: Oct 1 - May 30 or ~ 32 weeks.
- b. Wet season: June 1 - Sept. 30, or ~ 20 weeks.
- c. SA irrigated during the dry season at a rate of ½ inch, 2 times per week. No irrigation during the rainy, or wet season.
- d. PP does not require any irrigation during the dry season.
- e. Water price based on the 2002 rate schedule for residential users in the city of Ft. Myers irrigating a standard lot of 5,000 ft2. Monthly water consumption for lawn irrigation estimated to 13,370 gallons.
-
3. Mowing costs based on rates charged by commercial landscaping companies for mowing and trimming services on a standard lot size of 5,000 ft2.