lhb_tx – posted 20 May 2005 12:54
I have a 3 year-old St. Augustine lawn in central TX that has become heavily ladden with runners. I though about attacking the lawn with a de-thaching blade on the mower but there is a warning on the blade that says “do not use on st. augusting or other vone growing grasses”. Is there really a problem with this approach? Seems fairly straightforward.
ted – posted 20 May 2005 19:18
texas a and m says so…. you can damage the plant, and make it more susceptible to s.a.d., although i’ve dethatched mine a few times without problems.- p.s. the runners are how the grass grows….
I have a St.Augustine lawn over 30 years old, believed to be mostly Floratam, but infiltrated in spots with Bermuda which I have been eradicating with atrazine, etc., leaving some bare spots. For the first time ever, I have stalks and seed heads in the St. Augustine which I was hoping would seed the bare spots.
From reading the comments on seed heads and germination, I don’t know if the seeds will germinate ? Is it possible or not ? I live in Baton Rouge.
Gary,
Floratam St. Augustinegrass almost never produces viable seeds. And, whatever the cultivar, spread by seedlings of St. Augustinegrass is almost never effective, both because of the problems of competition from weeds, and inbreeding depression. Any effective recolonization will be from stolons of existing St. Augustinegrass, and/or sod or plugs that you reintroduce. Finally, and I am sorry to keep disappointing you, atrazine alone will not eradicate bermudagrass infesting St. Augustinegrass. If bermudagrass is a primary problem, and you want more St. Augustinegrass, I would try to shift the population more to St. Augustinegrass by mowing as high as possible, fertilizing moderately and not at a high rate. Phil Busey