Son mowed St Aug too short – how do I mitigate damage/keep it alive?

quiltfreak – posted 07 July 2010 10:22

I live in central TX and have two large trees covering my front yard. When I bought the house (summer 2003), it had spotty bermuda. The first full year there, I kept an eye in the grass…it only looked good right before the trees leafed out. Leaves on trees, shade on yard, bermuda dying out & spotty til dormancy in winter…fine. I knew that wasn’t the best grass for the shade anyway and replaced it with Raleigh St Aug (spring 2005)…not necessarily the best grass for TX heat, but good for the shade situation. The grass has been gorgeous since then, and I’ve only used organic fertilizers (LadyBug) and treatments as needed. It’s been dry on 2 corners in the sun during the hottest part of the summer, but I can live with that. It’s temporary.

We were away for a couple weeks camping, and the grass was about 7 or 8 inches tall when we got back. The sprinklers ran once the first week, and it rained 3″ the 2nd week. I usually mow it around 3″…4″ in the summer to keep its ‘feet’ cool. I asked my son to mow the yard yesterday while I was at work, and he’s done it many times before without incident. This time, he couldn’t get the mower raised up from the low setting for the back yard, but he mowed it anyway on that low height. It’s about 1 1/2″ tall now…not quite scalped but I’m afraid for it. And I’m going to a family reunion in a week…I’ll be gone for 5 days. I have a week to do my best with it before it’s on its own for a while.

I know I’ll need to water it a lot to get it to grow…but how much? I was thinking 30-40 minutes every other morning until I leave. But is there anything else I can do? Should I put some extra soil or some sand down? Should I fertilize it? The grass company I got the sod from several years ago suggested BioGreen, which is organic. Should I fertilize it right before the heat of the summer though? I just wonder if water is the only thing or is there something more that will help it recover better, give it a better chance.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance for whatever help you can offer.

turfgrass – posted 07 July 2010 18:21

it will be fine.

just keep the water to it. fertilize accordingly.

quiltfreak – posted 08 July 2010 08:05

Thanks…I was pretty worried. I’m glad water will be enough. Better yet, it’s supposed to rain most of today through tomorrow, and I know that’s even better for grass than city water. (and cheaper on my water bill – always good!)

Thanks again!! *whew*