fixin my yard

rickoshay – posted 03 September 2006 13:00

We recently purchased a new home that has a Floratam Lawn. Well it has suffered drought stress and chinch bug damage.Got the bugs under control and the watering right. To help it come back I have a few questions.1. Should I clean out the dead grass?2. At what heigth should I cut it?3. Am I better off fertilizing and applying pest control myself, or having a yard service do it? I want to look nice but don’y want to spend all my time taking care of it.Any tips would be appreciated.

TexanOne – posted 03 September 2006 13:24

1: If the St Augustine was damaged as you say, you should not have to clean out the dead grass unless it is unsightly or you really want to. I would however, set the mower to the lowest setting and bag the clippings.

2: If you live in an area of Florida that experiences freezing weather and the St Augustine goes dormant in the winter, I would recommend a cutting height of 1.5” – 2.5” in winter and 3” – 4” for spring, summer, and fall.

3: Depends on the yard service company. I would ask for references before selecting one. From my experience, many of the big-name, franchised service companies do a really good job of killing your lawn because they don’t have a clue of what they are doing, or don’t care. The small, self-employed, local companies oftentimes are your best bet because they know the local conditions and stay in business by offering consistently quality services. Just my opinion…

rickoshay – posted 03 September 2006 14:46

Thanks! I’ve been cutting it at 4″ but was wondering if cutting it lower might help it spread out. Like trimming shrubs.I’ll check into lawn services in the area. Right now I have Trugreen.Be buying a Deere Lawn Tractor in the near future and am thinking of buying the applicator attachment and take care of everthing myself.Scott’s has a web site that offers a yearly schedule of applications, of course using their products. What’s you opinion of them?

jr – posted 03 September 2006 19:22

I would disagree about removing the dead grass. St Augustine doesn’t seem to like to grow over dead St Augustine for some reason, so I would say rake it out. As for Scott’s, I think its garbage, and you will not find any professional applying it.

TexanOne – posted 04 September 2006 00:15

I agree with jr on both – St Augustine doesn’t seem to grow well over dead areas, so probably best to rake it out. Also, Scotts isn’t the best choice IMO. Scott’s sells the same stuff in Florida and Montana. Now if anyone can tell me what Florida and Montana have in common when it comes to turfgrass culture, I’ll start recommending them…

I think you’ll find the most knowledgeable and helpful turfgrass folks to be the independent, local mom-and-pop nursery that has been in business for several years – if you can find one. Although the best prices for lawn chemicals and supplies will be at your Home Depot, Lowe’s, and big-chain stores, most of the people that work in the garden area at the big-chain stores don’t have the slightest idea of what they are doing.

Some of the local small, independent nurseries around my area have their own brand of fertilizers, and soil conditioners that are excellent products and custom made for our area. I’m sure it’s no different where you are. I think you are on the right track to take care of the grass yourself and I’m sure you will find a local turfgrass guru that will be worth loads of information.

As for mowing height, 4” is good if it looks good to you. There are actually some St Augustine yards around my neighborhood that are not mowed at all that are about 12” to 16” high. They look a little shaggy to me but they are healthy and don’t need much water. That’s quite a statement in a hot, semiarid climate where not much grows to begin with.

[This message has been edited by TexanOne (edited 04 September 2006).]

TexanOne – posted 04 September 2006 00:59

To answer if cutting the St Augustine lower will “spread it out” – No, it won’t. The spread rate is genetically hard-coded into the variety. I don’t know about the spread rate in Floratam either.

From my experience, Texas Common St Augustine will rarely get above 6” to 8” in height and will expend most of its energy in course, stolon growth. Palmetto grows much taller – about 8” to 12” high, but the stolons don’t spread nearly as fast.

If you mow the Floratam lower – say to 2” or so, all you will do chop off the stolons (runners) that are headed out to make new plants. Your current 4” cut height is a good compromise.

By the way, Floratam is a great choice for a St Augustine variety. I wish I could grow it, but it’s too cold here for it.

rickoshay – posted 04 September 2006 14:12

Thanks to all who responded. I have several nurserys nearby and had plans to visit them. Sounds like I have more to dicuss with them besides shrub and flowers.