St augustine grass maintenance regiment is important to keeping your sod grass healthy and to prevent grass insect damage, sod disease damage, and free of weeds. There are four major components to st augustine grass maintenance: watering, fertilizing, mowing and treatments to prevent disease, insect or weed damage.
WATERING
Watering is an important part of proper st augustine grass maintenance. Established st augustine sod grass should be watered when needed. The blades of grass will fold in half vertically to prevent transpiration and indicating the lawn needs to be watered. This is typically an application of 1/2 – 3/4″ of water to your entire lawn of grass. For most rotary sprinkler zones this is 40-50 minutes and 10 minutes for spray zones. These watering instructions are a rule of thumb but there are also other factors to consider. Sod installation of st augustine grass in the shade requires less water than a sod installed in full sun. Soil which hold moisture also requires less water than well drained sandy soil. A new sod installation in Jacksonville or a new sod installation in St. Augustine Florida requires a different watering schedule for new sod until it roots in and becomes established. If your new sod is not rooting in lack of water may be the reason why.
FERTILIZER
There are several factors which determine the amount of fertilizer for proper st augustine grass maintenance. Fertilizer frequency is determined by the location of the sod grass. Grass in full sun requires more fertilizer than grass sod planted in partial shade. Soil conditions also effect the rate of fertilization required. Soil containing organic material (soil that is black and when pressed sticks together) requires less fertilizer than sod grass on sandy soil. Newly installed sod also requires more fertilizer than an established st augustine grass sod installation. With this information in mind sod installation in Jacksonville and sod installation in St. Augustine should apply a nitrogen based fertilizer 2-4 times a year beginning after the last freeze in late March early April and the last fertilization of the year in late fall at a rate of 2 pound N / 1000 SqFt of grass. Other macro nutrients are necessary for a healthy sod development and sod growth. A complete sod fertilizer for established sod grass with a slow release nitrogen is best. Too much nitrogen on newly installed sod will burn new roots making it difficult for your new sod to root in. Lawn started fertilizer has less nitrogen and more phosphorus which promotes root growth and development. When fertilizing your own sod be sure to follow all manufactures instructions or hire a professional spray company for all of your fertilization needs.
MOWING
Mowing is also another important factor in proper st augustine grass maintenance. Different cultivars of st augustine grass require specific heights at which optimal growth and over all health of the grass is achieved. It is important to know the cultivar of grass you have for proper st augustine grass maintenance. Cutting st augustine grass to short will cause the grass to thin and die back over time. Not more than 1/3 of the blade of grass should be cut at one time. Allowing st augustine grass to grow too tall and then cutting it to proper length puts added stress of the grass weakening its natural ability to fight diseases and insects. St Augustine grass cultivars ‘Floratam’, ‘Classic’, ;Deltashade’ and ‘Bitterblue’ should be mowed between 3.5 – 4″. St Augustine grass cultivars ‘Palmetto’ and ‘Raleigh’ should be mowed at 3 – 4″. St Augustine grass cultivars ‘Sapphire’, ‘Seville’ and ‘Mercedes’ should be mowed at 2.5 – 3″ because these st augustine sod grass are dwarf cultivars and have a shorted growth habitat to begin with.
PEST CONTROL
Pest control against disease, insect and weeds is a very important part of st augustine grass maintenance. You can implement your own st augustine grass maintenance regimen using chemicals from big box stores or hire a professional spray company who will be proactive in preventing disease, insect and weed damage to your st augustine lawn.
If you need sod installation in Jacksonville or sod installation in St Augustine Florida one of our staff members at Jacksonville Sod Service would be happy to schedule an appointment for a free estimate. Jacksonville Sod Service is a Jacksonville Florida and St. Augustine Florida sod installation company. Call us to schedule and appointment, ask about Jacksonville sod prices or our st augustine sod for sale.