St.Augustine questions

ptzgrl – posted 02 August 2004 13:07

I live in Southern California, 25 miles east of Los Angeles in the ‘burbs. My S.A. lawns seem to be getting pretty matted & thick and I was wondering what are the standards for recognizing if the thatch is too heavy, when is the best time to de-thatch and what is the best method to do so? Or would aeration be better? To my knowledge, the lawns have not been ‘de-thatched’ or aerated in the last 5 years (my guess is probably never). I’ve also gotten my hands on some “Texas Tee” fertilizer, and am wondering if the fertilizing should be done prior to or after any lawn de-thatching or aeration? Is it okay to use the Tee now, in early August?

One last ? Which type mower is best for S.A.? My Daddy used to have a front throw reel mower, but when it died he opted for a rotary mower instead (probably too costly to replace the reel mower at the time). I would love to get behind a powerful reel mower myself, but everyone else in the household is pressuring me to stay with using the environmentally conscious electric rotary mower.

Any and all suggestions would be welcome and thanks in advance!

Alex_in_FL – posted 08 August 2004 21:35

SA doesn’t like de-thatching. Too many runners on the surface.

Cohiba, what do you think about the following:

1. Catch clippings for next 3-4 cuttings and see if thatch will self compost2. I think aerating is probably better than dethaching SA.

Alex

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 03 September 2004 11:24

If you have Texas Tee, then you must be open to an organic program. You can eliminate your thatch altogether by going completely organic and following a few instructions. Here are the instructions…

1. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.

2. Mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you’re developing in 1 above.

3. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize my St Aug 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.

Texas Tee is the best long term fertilizer I’ve ever seen, bar none, chemical or organic. If you are just starting out with the organic, you might want to apply compost to get you rolling. Use compost at a rate of 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. It is best bought in bulk and delivered rather than in bags. The bags are usually partially composted manure and still smell horrible. Good compost smells incredibly fantastic.

And if you’re reading this, please write to me and tell me where in California you got Texas Tee (

dc*****@te***.net











). My mother lives in Temecula and could really use some.

ptzgrl – posted 03 September 2004 11:56

quote:Originally posted by Alex_in_FL:SA doesn’t like de-thatching. Too many runners on the surface.

Cohiba, what do you think about the following:

1. Catch clippings for next 3-4 cuttings and see if thatch will self compost2. I think aerating is probably better than dethaching SA.

Alex

Thank you Alex,….sounds good to me! I’ve heard dethatching is a lot of work and the job fills many, many plastic bags to be tossed out!! Aeration it is then !!!!

Any suggestions regarding what type lawnmower is best ?? Thanks !

ptzgrl – posted 03 September 2004 11:58

For Dchall_San _Antonio

Thanks again for your reply, hope you got my info regarding Texas Tee via your other e-mail address.

How about a suggestion on what type lawn mower is best for S. A. ? Thanks again.

[This message has been edited by ptzgrl (edited 03 September 2004).]

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 04 September 2004 00:52

Dethatching St Aug can kill it off.

I have a Black and Decker battery powered mower. It works but I sense that it does not spin as fast as a gas powered mower. The cut is not as clean as my 1975 Toro I got rid of to get the clean-air mower.

Alex_in_FL – posted 08 September 2004 15:42

After lots of research I purchased a self-propelled Cub Cadett SRC 621. If buying again I would get the basic wheels instead of swivel wheels. Otherwise, great mower. I have 0.3 acres so no electric mower for me.

Rotary is fine for St Augustine, just get one powerful enough to do the job. Regarding electric vs gas. Ask your family how they liked the black outs. Then ask how many power plants California has built (none). Then go buy a gas mower.

Alex

[This message has been edited by Alex_in_FL (edited 08 September 2004).]