Fertilizer/weed control for Champion turf?

CCWellington – posted 14 February 2004 14:03

We recently moved into a newly-constructed home in SE Florida. The yard was sodded with Champion turf approx. 5 months ago. The lawn is now over-run with a wide variety of weeds, is yellowing significantly (except in areas where water collects after rain storms), and does not appear to be growing well in general. Our HOA-supplied laandscaping service does not seem to be taking care of the problem, so I am going to tackle it. My question is- What is the best type of fertilizer and weed treatment for use on Champion turf? And how often should I be irrigating the lawn (I have a sprinkler irrigation system in place)? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 03 March 2004 23:25

I’ve never heard of a homeowner having a Champion lawn, but I suppose some do. I’m going to assume you have a reel mower and have it set to mow at something like 1/8 to 1/4 inch tall. Here’s how I would take care of it, at least to start out until I got the hang of it.

You said you have some waterlogged spots. You need to get a handle on those. They are a sign that your soil is too dense right there. Some people call that compaction but as is the case in low spots that hold water, there is a loss of normal soil fungus in that area. You can restore that fungus with a little compost. You can keep that fungus there with organic fertilizer used regularly (like monthly at low rates of 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet). The compost application rate would be 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet and sweep that in with a push broom. As for watering and mowing…

1. Water deeply and infrequently. For Champion these terms might be defined a little differently than for “normal” tall grasses. Deeply and infrequently for you might mean to water for 30 minutes two times per week during the heat of summer. The rest of the year it might mean 30 minutes per week. In no case should you water every day for a few minutes. Give the soil a deep watering each time you water.

2. Mow twice a week to start and see how that goes. Champion should be ultra dense at the low mowing heights. If you let it get tall, the weeds will find their way in.

If you have tap rooted weeds, you can pluck them out with a tool called a Weedhound found at Wal*Mart, Target, and elsewhere. Many other weeds will not find their way in with the cultural practices I’ve suggested.