Fertilizer

jesse – posted 09 February 2004 10:58

Can anyone tell me what the best fertiler out there is for my Floratam grass. I live in Texas (deep south Tx)so I have to water my grass constantly. It’s in good condition right now, although there are some brown spots that do show up during the summer. During the summer time there are also areas that turn yellowish.

ted – posted 09 February 2004 15:16

you would want to do a soil test to see exactly which fertilizers to use. if you’re in a major city you can buy quality products at a Lesco Service center. you can also buy Lesco products at Home Depot. Define “constant watering” it may be why you’re having fungus in the late summertime.

jesse – posted 10 February 2004 14:29

About constant watering. I do this during the evening time when the temperatures get up to 100 F. Which usually happens in the summer time. I bought the Scott’s Weed and Feed at Home Depot, I was hoping there might be something better out there for my grass. Something that would give it a greener color, especially during the summer.

ted – posted 10 February 2004 15:06

you’ve got a couple of serious issues there. first, check your label on the weed and feed, you can’t use 24,d ( a common weed control product) on st. augustine. pros do, but you have to be really careful. second, if you’re watering at night you’re causing your yellow patches- it’s probably fungus- water only in the early morning, and water deeply and infrequently, maybe 3 times a week with an inch in each section- and only when it’s dry- alot of this depends on where you live- the gulf coast cities get alot more rain than say, san antonio.

jesse – posted 12 February 2004 10:16

Thanks for the help.

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 03 March 2004 23:35

If you want dark green, then St Augustine is not your grass. Bermuda will always be greener. Since you already have St Aug, you probably should get used to the idea now that it has a lighter green color.

I use ordinary corn meal at a rate of 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet both as a fertilizer and as a fungus control. You can get 50-pound bags for about $5 at a feed store. I apply on Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor day. You could probably use the same dates with no problems. Beyond that…

1. Water deeply and INfrequently. If you’re watering all the time now, you will need to wean your grass off of that schedule. The problem is currently your roots are surface roots. In order to get drought tolerance, you need deep roots. The only way to get deep roots is to get water down deeper into the soil. That requires deep watering. Then, by watering infrequently, you will train the roots to look deeper into the soil for moisture rather than expecting to get it from surface watering.

2. Mulch/mow at the highest setting on your mower. For maximum density and the best looking St Augustine, tall grass is the way to get it. Shorter grass encourages weeds to sprout while tall grass does not. Tall grass also needs less water.

3. Fertilize regularly. I never use any herbicide or insecticide and especially no fungicide. The corn meal and these cultural practices keep my lawn looking great all year.

owl8 – posted 01 April 2004 19:38

Can I use ordinary corn meal in my vegetable soil? How to use?Thank you!

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 04 April 2004 12:05

Ordinary corn meal is a fertilizer on all plants at the same rates of 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. I use it on my roses on a monthly basis at a rate of one heaping handfull scattered under each plant every month. As a starting point, I would do the same thing for veggies.