St. Augustine Grass St. Augustine Grass is the most widely planted type of lawn grass in Florida, with green to blue-green color. St. Augustine grass is considered an aggressive species that spreads rapidly by above ground growth structures called stolons. Each stolon forms a root ball and blade set. The stolons weave together, creating a thick carpet-like ground cover. Following a maintenance schedule keeps a St. Augustine lawn looking lush and deep green for many years. Lawn Mowing Begin cutting the lawn regularly as soon as the grass begins to bet back it's natural green look in the spring. Removing greater than one-third of the leaf area with anyone mowing is not recommended. Set the mowing height at 2 ½ to 3 inches (3 to 3 ½ inches in shady lawns). Generally, the lower you mow it, the more frequently you will have to mow, but the will be a higher quality turf. It is best to leave the grass clippings on the lawn. Consider composting the bagged clippings if you must bag then you might wish to use them in the landscape because grass clippings decompose quickly. The nutrients of the soil return significantly. Fertilizing St. Augustine Lawns There's no doubt that St. Augustine makes a beautiful lawn. However, despite its aesthetic value, regular fertilization is required as part of any maintenance routine. When fertilizing, apply lime if the soil test recommends it. Begin three weeks after the grass begins to look green and when there is little chance of a late frost. For every 1,000 square feet of lawn, apply one pound of soluble nitrogen every eight weeks, or one-and-one-half pounds of slow-release nitrogen every ten weeks. Ensure the fertilizer is watered into the lawn immediately after application. Note that you do not fertilize St. Augustine grass from December through February unless the yard has been over-seeded. Over-seeding is where the lawn is planted with cool-season grass to maintain its green color in the winter. Watering St. Augustine grass is ordinarily dormant in winter; however, in Florida, we can have warm, dry and windy weather so periodic watering may still be needed. Regular watering is indicated from March through May if the lawn has been over-seeded. When watering the St., Augustine grass always check the irrigation and ensure the yard is getting enough water for the season. Ensure that you only water the lawn when the grass needs it. Then dampen to a 6 inch soil depth. Just water again if signs of drought stress appear. Signs of drought stress are a dull, bluish color, rolled or folded leaves, and persistent footprints. Bluish color usually occurs in 5 to 10 days, depending on the weather. The best time to water the St. Augustine grass is in the morning as the air is cooler, and there's not much wind to blow the droplets as in the middle of the day the water evaporates too quickly, while in the evening, water can cling to the blades of grass overnight which can cause lawn disease. Morning time is best to irrigate. Water must penetrate to a depth of 3 or 4 inches to encourage deeper roots. Aeration The process of punching small holes in soil is called core aeration. These holes in the ground, alleviate compaction and to allow air to get to the root system. This process helps to correct drainage and soil infiltration. When controlling weeds, pre-emergent herbicides should be applied early in the year. Thatch, which is an organic layer that develops between the soil and grass vegetation, consists of shed roots, stems and grass debris. Water and fertilizer can be prevented from reaching the roots by thatch. Restoring Your Lawn to Its Former Health If your lawn has been neglected, you may need to be more interested in repairing it than maintaining it. What should you do? The first thing is to put a sign to "keep off the grass" rule for the indefinite future. Feeding the grass twice as often but use half as much fertilizer to provide constant nutrition. Moreover, it should be watered during the spring to fall growing season. Need a weekly lawn cutting service? Call us 352-254-8973. Bermuda Grass Bermuda Grass is a low-to-the-ground growing, extra-tough variant of grass, offering fantastic cover for the ground, as well as withstanding high levels of foot and pet traffic. It is the most popular turfgrass in any fields and grows well in nearly all soil types and resist drought. Some Bermuda grass tends to creep into the flower bed, and it does not tolerate shade well. The improved turf-type Bermuda grass will produce a vigorous, dense fine bladed turf that is acceptable to any sports fields, commercial properties, and high maintenance lawns. Management practices should be adjusted based on the year's climate and the region where the turf is grown.
Grass Cutting Rules to Guide You for Bahia When Bermuda grass begins to turn green in the Spring, get set to start your mowing regimen. Set the blade to allow for a height no lower than 1 to 2 inches for Common Bermuda grass and ½ to 1 ½ inch for hybrid types. Use care not to take off more than one-third of the leaf area with anyone lawn cutting. The lower the height, the more frequently you need to mow, and the grass will have better quality when you cut it regularly at a lower height. Bermuda grass starts to proliferate during spring. Before it grows, mow the lawn shorter than usual to remove the dead leaf blades and some debris. It would help if you allowed the soil temperature to rise quickly. Note: You should not remove the grass clippings as they decompose quickly and will add required nutrients to the soil. When June to November it should be mowed every 5 to 7 days and less during drought. What kind of Fertilizer Will did I need? When fertilizing Bermuda grass you need to have your soil tested, and this will determine the nutrients required for your soil type. It is recommended to use a complete fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium if you are not going to have the soil tested. Apply one pound of soluble nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn every four to six weeks, or one-and-one-half pounds of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer every eight to ten weeks. Apply fertilizer in the amount to equal one pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet, divide one hundred by the first number in the fertilizer analysis. How Much Water Does Bermuda Grass Need? When watering Bermuda grass, it should be done regularly but only when required. You will determine if the grass needs to be wet when you see signs that it's pale blue color or the leaves are showing folds. During spring, Bermuda grass does not require irrigation however when you see some symptoms that the leaves are a dark bluish gray color and folded and leaves are curled that is the time that you will need to water the grass Doing proper irrigation will prevent some environmental problems. During summertime, wetting the soil to a depth of four to six inches should be done in the morning part of the day as the air is cool and moist. Newly planted sod needs to be watered during this period to prevent desiccation. Isn't it true that prevention is more desirable than the cure? Following the best method to prevent weeds is to properly fertilize, water and mow the lawn on an ongoing basis. Fertilize by applying a pre-emergent herbicide to control some weeds in the grass. Taking good care of it will result in a good quality of bermudagrass. Some dormant Bermuda grass may need to be watered periodically if the weather is warm, dry and windy. Applying post-emergent herbicide as is necessary to control winter weeds. When renovating Bermudas, you need to replant large areas with sod or plugs of 6 to 12-inch. Apply pre-emergence herbicide to control weed encroachment. When using this herbicide, be assured that the root growth should not be impacted after plugging.
Bahia Bahia grass is an excellent choice for Florida grass due to its exceptional drought and heat tolerance as it is a warm season grass. It is also an excellent grass for a year-round low maintenance requirement during regular seasons of rainfall. This grass prefers full sun and its most active growth occurs from late spring through the hot summer months. Bahia grass seed germinates slowly but establishes well. Bahia survives better than other grasses in infertile, sandy soils and does not require high inputs of water or fertilizer. Bahia grass makes it a good choice if your house sits on a large lot with lots of surrounding acreage with no sprinkler system. If you have no irrigation system, Bahia could be your only option as it can go dormant during phases of drought and still come back when the conditions are right for regrowth. Mowing When mowing the Bahia grass, proper mowing keeps any lawns healthy and attractive. It should be mowed 7-14 days to a height of 3 to 4 inches; the higher mowing height promotes a more in-depth and more extensive root system that makes the grass more stress tolerant. A sharp, heavy-duty mower blade is needed to cut Bahiagrass because Bahia grass the structure of this grass is very hardy. Ensure your mower blade is up to the task by keeping it sharp and well maintained. This will leave you with a good clean cut. Fertilization to Keep Your Lawn Healthy Bahia needs regular nitrogen applications to promote steady, healthy growth. Bahia grass doesn't form a dense, weed-suppressing lawn, but maintaining healthy growth helps shade out invading lawn seeds. High-nitrogen feeds two to four times a year is what Bahia needs to thrive. To supply 2 pounds of actual nitrogen yearly, apply a 32-0-4 lawn fertilizer at a rate of 1 1/2 pound per 1,000 square feet every three months in warm zones, or at four regularly spaced intervals between mid-spring and early fall in colder areas. To supply 4 pounds of total annual nitrogen applies 3 pounds of 32-0-4 fertilizer four times a year or use the product according to the manufacturer's guidelines.
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