Can I kill off other grasses and promote St. Augustine?

lasherman – posted 19 March 2003 07:10

How can I kill of certain other grasses in my lawn like, bahia, and bermuda? I just want St. Augustine grass there. Do I need to pull everything out, or can I do it by weed control alone?

certified-in-florida – posted 30 May 2003 21:59

This may be a waste because of the age of this post, but here goes.

First of all, how much St. Aug. is there? 50%? 80%? That would be a good start. If you have something to work with, do everything you can to strengthen the St. Aug. Fertilize properly. Cut properly (around 2.5″ to 3″ for most varieties). Water properly (only when needed and then give it a good soaking – 3/4″). If you do all these things, the St. Aug. will be strong and “fight off” many of the other problem weeds and grasses. (I have seen it encroach into the woods with only minimum care choking out many things as it went.)

You must also examine you budget. If you can afford to replace then by all means kill off what is there and go for it!

Good luck,

Scott

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 30 June 2003 00:14

I agree with Scott. If you give the grass the best care, it will take care of the weeds for you. His approach is the same as I would suggest. Mowing as tall as you can will shade the weed seeds to discourage them from sprouting. Tall mowing also will save you water for a couple of reasons. I set my mower at the highest setting and leave it there all year. If I could weld it there then my wife couldn’t reset it lower (she’s a sneaky one). And deep watering is the other secret. Many weeds are shallow rooted and will die from thirst in the week between waterings.