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Question: Why is my lawn dying under my trees?
When I built the house a few years ago, the lawn was beautiful. What happened?
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| Answer: the trees you put in your lawn have now grown up to be shade trees and the variety of St. Augustine you have, probably Floratam, will not tolerate shade. |
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| Question: How do I know which variety of grass I have in my lawn? |
| Answer: It's virtually impossible to tell which variety of St. Augustine grass you have. But in the Florida market place, the most used variety is the Floratam. You can usually special order other St. Augustine varieties at your local lawn and garden nurseries.
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| Question: I'm from the north and just moved to Florida and wonder if there's another variety of grass to choose from that isn't as rough feeling as St. Augustine grass? |
| Answer: There are other new varieties in the market place that can usually be special ordered through your local nurseries. |
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| Question: I've noticed that there are products for weed and feed sold for Bahia lawns and then there are some marked for St. Augustine lawns. How do I know which one to use if I don't know what type of lawn I have? |
| Answer: Remember that there are many varieties of St. Augustine grasses, but the variety doesn't matter. to figure out if you have a Bahia lawn or a St. Augustine lawn, look at the blades. If you have "runners" and the grass creeps across your lawn, then it's St. Augustine. If the blades are separate and grow upright, then you have a Bahia lawn.
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| Question: How often should I fertilize my lawn? |
| Answer: Turf needs a weed and feed in early spring and fall to kill the weed seeds before they germinate. Also use a high-quality, slow-release nitrogen fertilizer four times a year. During the hot summer months, usually July, you can use an application of iron spaced four to six weeks apart. this keeps the grass green without the growth. |
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| Question: How high should I set my mower when I mow the lawn? |
| Answer: For your St. Augustine and Bahia lawns, set mower at a height of three to four inches. Removing too much top growth causes yellowing and sun scald. |
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| Question: How often should I water my lawn? |
| Answer: Your lawn will tell you when it needs water. The blades will curl and in some cases, look blue in color. Another way to tell if your lawn needs water is to walk on it. If it doesn't "spring" back, then it needs water. |
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| Question: Can I over-water my lawn? |
| Answer: Absolutely! Too much water is much worse than too little. The grass gets too dependent on the water and the roots won't seek their own water source by growing deep into the ground. |
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| Question: I have a brown spot in my St. Augustine lawn. What caused it? |
| Answer: If the spot is close to the sidewalk or driveway, it's usually a chinch bug problem. they love the heat generated from the concrete. If it's more at the center of your lawn or away from the concrete, especially in low-lying areas, it's usually a disease. Treat it with an insecticide for chinch bugs and a fungicide, such as Daconil, for disease.
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| Question: NPK referring to fertilizer confuses me. Could you explain? |
| Answer: The N stands for nitrogen and is the most needed element by lawns to stay green. The P stands for phosphorous and is important for healthy root development and will help treated areas to resist disease. A high P number will also insure better blooms. The K stands for potassium, which is needed for overall durability, disease resistance, and resistance to cold and heat. |
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