St. Augustine- Mulch or Bag?

Russ – posted 28 September 2003 15:15

I just purchased a home in Austin, TX with St. Augustine grass. I am experiencing Brown Patch and plan on treating it with Corn Meal (Thanks Dchall San Antonio.) My neighbor swears that bagging his grass is better than mulching, as he has done both, and he is not having this Brown Patch problem. I am currently mulching, and was wondering if this could be making a difference. Any advice would help.Thanks,Russ

ted – posted 28 September 2003 16:21

bag it- it just that much less wetness to leave on the ground which will help it dry out quicker. if you’re currently seeing the telltale brown rings of brown patch with the green centers, then it’s too late to use a fungicide to cure your damage that’s already occured. most fungicides work better as a preventative , not a curative. forget the corn meal- the fungicide of choice for the area is prostar fungicide. basically if you go into the fungus season light on the fertilizer and water, then use prostar as a preventative, you can pretty much minimize the effects of brown patch. prostar is a registered use fungicide- only licensed applicators can purchase it. i’m a chemical law care applicator for 20 years in houston.

Russ – posted 28 September 2003 19:35

Ted,Thanks for the help. I thought I might be a little late, but some areas are just starting to turn yellow right now. Is it too late to use corn meal on these areas?

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 01 October 2003 12:27

Although Ted has plenty of chemical experience, I don’t think he has tried corn meal. Corn meal prevents and cures fungal disease in turf, 100% of the time, 365 days a year, as long as the soil temp is above 50 degrees F. It cannot restore dead grass to life, but it can let living roots produce shoots.

I set my mulch mower to the highest setting and never move it. When I mow, you cannot find the cut pieces of grass because they fall way down into the turf.

Mulch mowing returns that little bit of protein and sugar to the soil microbes that will keep your microbes happy in between fertilizing.

But I’m a little confused. You said you had brown patch but you also said the grass was just starting to turn yellow. Brown patch turns the grass dead, not yellow. You might need fertilizer, or you might need greensand to get control of your soil’s iron. Corn meal is a fertilizer, too, but it is not an iron replacement. If you need iron, which would not surprise me after our recent rains, you would need greensand.

You’ll have to wait 3 weeks to see improvement in all of these situations I’ve discussed.

Since you’re apparently new to grass management, I’ll give you my standard hints to good lawn with a low hassle factor. These are in order of importance with #1 being supreme.

1. Water deeply and infrequently. This means for summer months, water once a week and no more often. In the winter, water once a month whether you think you need it or not. The soil microbes need it. Deeply means you water for an hour at at time – maybe more. If the grass gets wilty in less than a week, water more. Deep watering develops deep, drought-resistant roots. Infrequent watering will kill off the shallow rooted weeds.

2. Set your mower at the highest setting. St Aug loves to be mowed high and it is really best in any kind of shade. Tall St Aug will have deeper roots allowing you to use less water. Tall grass also shades out weed seeds and the living weeds themselves. Many weeds need 8 hours of sun to live. Tall grass will cut into that time and kill out those weeds.

3. Fertilize regularly with something. Of course I suggest you use organic fertilizers like corn meal or alfalfa pellets. You can use the expensive stuff, but they are made from corn meal and alfalfa along with some other ground seeds, beans, and nuts.

By following this plan, your turf will be dense, dark green, and use less water. If you use the organic fertilizer, you will also enjoy the benefits of that. Some of those benefits are that I never have to worry about whether anything I use will hurt my kids or my pets. I never have to worry that anything I use will burn my lawn. I never have to worry about using my fertilizer before, during, or after an unexpected rainstorm. I never have to worry about watering before, during, or after applying fertilizer. I never have to worry about unintentionally doing any damage to beneficial insects, birds, toads, and lizards by using corn meal. And I never have to worry about using too much fertilizer or accidentally spilling it.

Russ – posted 03 October 2003 07:48

Thank you for the tips. This being my first house and yard, I am very new to “yard management.”

We bought the house 2 months ago, and the yard has been going downhill quickly in the past month. I just found out the previous owner watered EVERY DAY all spring and summer.

I have been mulching, but recently started bagging. I also replaced the blade on my mower as it was used, and not sharp at all.

I came to the conclusion of Brown Patch from pictures and posts I’ve read online. Some areas are just starting to turn yellow, and some areas are completely dead (circular areas.) I think it spread to my back yard from mulching.

My question is this; Should I rake up the dead grass and apply corn meal and manure, or should I leave the dead/dying grass in my lawn. What is the recommended steps/process for applying corn meal? Do I apply corn meal first, then manure, or the opposite? I have dirt patches in the back yard (previous owners dog) and have noticed the St. Aug. stringers over the dirt are turning yellow. Can the fungus live in the dirt and spread to other stringers? Where do you get Greensand? Whew…That was more than one question, but your help is extremely appreciated.

ted – posted 04 October 2003 15:47

Wow. you need to forget about trying to fix the fungus problem this fall. it’s too late in the season, and fungicides really only work on a preventative basis, not curative. if you’re seeing the brown circles with the green dots on the inside, then it’s too late, it’s like getting a flu shot after you have the flu. the st. aug. will be slowing down and starting to go dormant here pretty soon. best bet is to seed it for the winter with perennial ryegrass and at least you’ll have some color for the winter. forget the corn meal, etc! in the spring you can go back and resod and refertilize. i would also strongly suggest calling a licensed chemical lawn care applicator in your area. even if you don’t hire them ( and you should!) they can give you tips on how to fix your problem.