Is this St. Augustine? If so…

Lance – posted 24 June 2003 11:00

Lawn pics – www.raslurry.com/lawn

Ok, I’m a first time homeowner out in Southern California and relitively new to lawncare (I mowed it once or twice as a kid…)

The grass wasn’t in great shape when I moved in, there was a lot of clover taking over. There had been a little plastic kiddie pool on the lawn that had killed a circle of grass and once it was removed the circle quickly became a lump of clover.

I used some Weed and Feed specifically for St. Augustine and that seemed to take care of the clover, and now the grass is creeping into the bare circle.

I realize I may have been cutting the lawn too short, but there seems to be a lot of vines (stalons?) on the surface of the lawn, some of which are pretty thick.

There is also pretty thick thatch under some areas of the lawn. Using a stiff metal rake I nearly pick up the lawn like a carpet.

Now for the questions.

Is this St. Augustine?

Should the vines be so thick on the surface?

Is 1inch of water a week really enough water for the lawn in So. Cal.?

Should I dethatch next spring?

Thanks for the help, I’m sure once these questions are answered I’ll have a lot more…

-Lance

Will-PCB – posted 24 June 2003 12:14

quote:Is this St. Augustine?

Yep, that would be St. Augustine.

quote:Should the vines be so thick on the surface?

Yep, if its healthy.

quote:Is 1inch of water a week really enough water for the lawn in So. Cal.?

Water it deeply once it begins to wilt (the leaves will roll unto themselves). This promotes deep root growth and healthier grass.

quote:Should I dethatch next spring?

I woudlnt. Every one of my neighbors who has attempted to dethatch has hurt their lawns more than they helped it. With *proper* fertilaztion and mowing habits I have discovered that thatch has not been a huge problem.

Side note: Your mowing too close. Raise that mower deck all the way up and see how great your lawn looks.

Good luck!

-Will

seed – posted 24 June 2003 12:56

One photo, DSC00442.jpg at http://www.raslurry.com/lawn/pages/DSC00442.htm is bermudagrass.

Phil

Lance – posted 24 June 2003 15:49

I wasn’t sure if that was the same grass. It is growing in the vacant area where the plastic kiddie pool was and I thought it was young St. Augustine. Should I do anything about the Bermuda grass or just hope it gets choked out by the St. Augustine?

Thanks again,-Lance

Will-PCB – posted 24 June 2003 20:56

Yep Phil, your exactly right. Somehow I did not look at that photo well and just kept clicking his nice little arrows (they were so cute! hahahahahaha).

At any rate, I hear all kinds of stories about St. Augustine taking over bermuda, and vice versa, and honestly, I dont know which would win.

So with that in mind, just start pulling the bermuda and plugging in your St. Augustine. This should give the St. Augustine an advantage over the Bermuda.

Lance – posted 25 June 2003 15:30

I’m glad the pictures helped…

Thanks for all the advice, I’ll be looking foward a nice green lawn…

-Lance

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 01 July 2003 13:51

I agree with setting the mower deck to the top. It will seem to take forever for the grass to all grow up to that height, but it is well worth it. The taller the grass, the less water you will need. One inch of water per week may eventually be overkill as your roots grow deeper into the soil.

If you mow high, St Augustine will take over. If you mow low (1 inch or lower), you will have bermuda with St Aug as a weed.

Dethatching St Aug basically minces the plant. Since the runners are on top of the soil, they just get chopped up by the machine.

If you have thatch, you might want to consider using a very thin layer (1/3 inch) of compost followed by corn meal (10 pounds per 1,000 square feet) or whatever cheap feed meal you can get at your local feed store. These organic materials will develop an underground herd of microbes that will eat the underlying thatch and open up your soil to admit air and water to much deeper levels than you now have.