Central Florida Seville

twlester – posted 05 April 2004 13:55

Has anybody heard that Pursley Seville does poorly in almost completely full sun?

My yard upon installation looked great for about 4 months. But now 2 years later, the sod has never rooted in the ground, instead the roots grow among the thatch. Fungus is also a huge problem.

I spoke with one lawn care guy and he said his experience with seville was similar to mine (in full sun applications), and that my only option was to rip up almost 3000sf and start over.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 13 April 2004 00:04

Surface rooting is a symptom of improper watering. Follow these suggestions to restore your lawn.

1. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.

2. Mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you’re developing in 1 above.

3. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.