Where to start….

Blackwrx02 – posted 10 June 2008 14:29

Our lawn has gone down the drain. It has not rained in weeks here along the coast of Central Florida and I have been away so no water for the grass. I need to know where to start to restart the lawn and get it back to green and full. I’m not sure exactly what type of grass it is, it looks to be st. augustine with some other weeds and grass growing in, based on images I have seen and the limited info I got from the previous owner of the house.

Right now there is no irrigation system but I do have movable sprinklers that I can use(and have been using for the past week or so). Over the past week it has greened up quite a bit in the parts that were decent to begin with but other areas have died completely.

I have attached some images in hopes that someone can guide me on where to start. Resodding is not an option at this point due to cost. There is a well at the house that may be available but does not work right now.

Please help if at all possible. The lawn received scotts weed and feed about 4 months ago but since then has only had water, though not on any sort of irrigation schedule.

Admittedly I am a lawn and grass newbie so any help would be much appreciated.

http://i28.tinypic.com/2rny5ix.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/15qwvon.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/30cljs1.jpg

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landscapelifer – posted 18 June 2008 19:10

Unless you don’t have much of a life, you must have an inground(automatic) sprinkler system to maintain a St. Aug lawn. The constant dedication of doing by hose end sprinkler is too much trouble for most folks. I saw your pics…so far looks like only dry damage. Though Chinch Bugs have likely already laid eggs and are piercing and sucking their way through lawn as I write. Chinch Bugs leave no live grass in the middle of their kill zone. But drought does. In a fit of self-preservation the roots will maintain the grassblades they can with whatver water available and will let some die in order to do this. Another tell-tale sign of simpley drought damage is “brown tracks” seen after good water finally received after drought. These are the tracks left by lawn mower when it went over turf in a “Lethal Drought” stage. The grass blades don’t bend when in this stage…they break, hence the dead tracks. You need to start granular fertilizing now. Water like crazy now. Hopefully you have rain. I will fertilize with 12-5-12 (expensive) or 24-2-11 (Cheaper, but still expensive) depending on situation. But to do it every 7-10 days for 3 cycles. Watering well inbetween. Then you’ll need to plug or sod damaged areas less they be taken over by weeds and undesireable grasses way before St Aug can reclaimon it’s own. I saw some “Globe Sedge” and “Floria Pusley” in some of your pictures. This definitely validates the dry soil conditions as these weeds do prefer it. Also expect some Alexander Grass, Wild Bermuda, Garden Spruge weeds to make their appearenc as well. If used judiciously, you can get away with weed and feed use (with Atrazine) but lawn health will need to be attained quickly first in order to take stress of herbicide use outside temps 80 degrees plus. Though “Image” herbicide will be needed for the purple and globe sedge grasses you are likely to encounter. Bottom line-You want a nice St Aug lawn you don’t have to slave over, get an inground irrigation system. Ensure full and complete ccoverage of 3/4 to 1 inch of water coverage.