new st. augustine sod

friend – posted 08 September 2005 09:34

Just layed st.augustine sod – Orlando, Fl. DO I need to fertilize and with what , or just leave alone. Thanks folks

AMCalla – posted 08 September 2005 14:44

HI there. For the first few weeks, you will need to water a couple of times a day for a short period of time. The key is to keep the sod moist, but not soaking. Once the grass establishes and the roots have grown into the ground where you can no longer pull up the squares, you will need to water a little less frequently and a little longer. As far as fertilizer, the best would have been to put down a starter fertilizer before the sod was installed. I wouldn’t put any on it now. It will just stress the Augustine as the grass farms put a lot of the stuff on the grass already.

The general rule of thumb is to fertilize the grass after you have mowed it 4 times. I did with mine (mine is now 3 months old and doing well). When I did fertilize, I used a 13-13-13 fertilizer. The reason is because I felt the extra potassium (second 13) is for root development and new grass could use a boost in the root growth department.

Hope this helps.

Aaron