February Florida ST. Augustine Grass Lawn Care
With one more month of cold winter weather left in Florida, now is time to begin preparing for a healthy vigorous lawn for spring and summer.
Many areas in Florida have experienced cold weather and freezing temperatures. Where I live, we have not had a freeze but we have had frost occur on our lawns. Cold weather and wind will cause stress and damage on ST. Augustine grasses.
How to Check For Cold Weather Damage To Your Lawn:
To check to see if your lawn has been damaged by the cold weather, begin by walking your lawn. First sign will be the blades turn purple to black and will become brown. This “Does Not” mean the roots are dead and you will loose your lawn. it should bounce back when warm weather returns.
Areas that have crabgrass will surely turn brown, but unfortunately have not died off leaving just the Saint Augustine grass by itself. If those areas are mostly crabgrass, you might consider replacing it with new sod or Saint Augustine Grass Plugs in March. Before laying down sod or planting grass plugs, treat those areas with Weed Grass Killer such as “Round-Up weed killer”. Remember to watch for over-spraying for the chemical is Non-Selective meaning, the whole treated area will be killed and it will kill everything! If these areas are large, it can be expensive if you have to replace half your lawn. If the areas are small and in spots, this is a good way to keep un-wanted grass from spreading during the summer. Also, the thicker your lawn is, the better chance it has to choke out crabgrass.
Mid-February is a good time to remove Thatch.
Recommended is to use a Vertical Mower for “Verti-Cutting”, which is the most common method for Thatch Removal. A Vertical Mower has evenly spaced knife-like blades, which revolve perpendicularly to the turf grass. The blades slice into the thatch and lift it up. This allows water and fertilizer to reach the soil better. I recommend to hire a professional to do this job to be done correctly. Plus it is strenuous and you will most likely have a truck load or more of thatch to be hauled away.
When to fertilize St. Augustine Grass:
The end of February is a good time to begin fertilizing your lawn. I recommend using a “Slow-Release Granular Fertilizer”. To begin growing a green healthy turf with a good foundation for the summer, You can apply a Weed ‘n’ Feed at this time of the year to get a jump start on those ugly weeds. But there is a window on when to stop using it. Don’t wait until it is too late because it can burn or kill your lawn. Always follow directions on the label for the rate of application as with any type of fertilizer you use. If you don’t have a lot of weeds, use a “Liquid Weed Killer” for ST. Augustine grass for spot weeding. Once again, Always read the label for proper rate of spraying.
Follow these tips to achieve a beautiful healthy lawn full of thickness and rapid growth. Spring is just around the corner so begin planning now for the lawn you want to have for the whole neighborhood to see.
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Types of Florida Landscape Grass and Lawns
There are different variations of lawns, grass, that can be installed in Florida or depending upon the type of lawn that is suited for the location. Florida lawns can grow good in some area’s but not good in others. Here I will cover the most common types of grasses.
Most Common Lawns Grown in the State of Florida:
Saint Augustine: (ST. Augustine)
Most Popular lawn and in Florida also used in southern United States. Known as to be native to the coast of the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico.
Adapted to warm humid conditions and sub tropical area’s of the world. St Augustine grass can grow in many types of soils and climates in Florida and tolerates wet soils. It has a thick green appearance and It is susceptible to Chinch Bugs but can be treated with the proper chemicals.
It does require frequent mowing “Medium - High”, Seasonal Fertilization and Proper watering.
There are Different Variations of ST. Augustine Grass.
Floratam:
Floratam Saint Augustine grass is a Aggressive easy to establish and excellent salt tolerance best grown in full sun. The most recognized ST. Augustine and superb plugging grass.
Palmetto:
Densely spreading variety and aggressive growth habit in rich green color . Palmetto -St. Augustine is Cold tolerant and performs well in sun and shade.
Del-Mar:
Very cold tolerant and grows well in full sun with the best shade tolerance of any Saint Augustine available. Superior emerald green color and maintains excellent winter color.
Seville:
Seville St. Augustine is dense compact foliage in emerald green color. Fast spreading with rapid establishment which grows well in full sun. But Seville has fair shade tolerance.
Bahia Grass:
Bahia Grass, from Brazil, began being used in United States in 1914 as a pasture grass and mostly used in the southern states where sandy soils exist. Through the years new varieties are being used for residential and commercial lawns.
It is drought-tolerant…Good for infertile sandy soil… Does not form much thatch, does not need excessive fertilization and can be grown by seed or sod.
There are Different Variations of Bahia Grass.
Common:
Common type of Bahia grass is course in texture and is light in color. Cold tolerant and NOT recommended for residential use.
Argentine:
Argentine type of Bahia Grass is think and dark green in color, and grows good in many conditions good for residential areas. It is cold torrent, and has a high insect, and disease resistance.
Pensacola:
Pensacola Bahia Grass is mostly used for roadsides and is drought tolerant. Pensacola also is cold tolerant above freezing.
Paraguay:
Paraguay is also none as “Texas Bahia Grass”, it is not cold tolerant and get fungus problems. Paraguay is not as good, as Argentina and Pensacola.
Bahia Grass can be difficult to mow compared other grasses, especially when wet. Requires weekly mowing during summer months.
During Hot temperatures, no weed control can be applied for it will damage or kill the lawn. Can receive cold damage during winter months.
Bahia is not good for sandy areas and does not tolerate salt water. Not good in heavy traffic areas and can turn yellow due to the lack of Iron.
Carpet Grass:
Good for wet poorly drained soils and can withstand moderate shade.
Carpet grass has a thick density with good color even with moderate fertilization. Not good for during drought and cold weather. Has poor salt tolerance and is susceptible to insects such as “Sod Web Worms”.
It is Not the most desirable grass you want for a lawn and home owners generally don’t want it mixing with other grasses such as St. Augustine for it can take over.
If not to concerned about the quality of ones lawn, most people will leave it alone “as long as it is green” people say, but it is Not Recommended to have in your yard.
Unfortunately, Due to changes in the usage of certain types of chemicals, it is becoming more difficult to keep from spreading in a good quality lawn.
Centipede Grass:
The most common grass used for homes in the panhandle of Florida. Also good for central and northern areas of the state.
Centipede Grass has a medium texture and is yellow green in color. It does survive drought conditions and works well in sandy soils but it is susceptible to receiving damage from Nematodes.
Heavy fertilization causes it to be not cold tolerant & have excessive maintenance problems. Problems such as diseases can occur causing dead patches during spring time. There has been a decline in it’s usage due to those factors.
Weed control can be done once during cooler weather.
Seashore Paspalcum:
The New Seashore Paspalcum Grass is becoming ever more popular especially for usage on gulf courses and costal regions.
Seashore Paspalcum certainly has It’s advantages. It can be watered by using poor quality water such as “believe it or not…Salt Water”, which makes it an excellent type of grass for growing in costal areas.
Grown best during the summer months and warmer climates, Seashore Paspalcum can be established best by sod. It requires low fertilizer treatments and has a consistent dark green color. Can receive a heavy amount of rain which makes it great for tropical areas such as South Florida and Key West.
Seashore Paspalcum needs thatching done yearly, prefers to be mowed at 2-inches weekly while weed control can be difficult due to most current chemicals available are not labeled for this type of grass.
Zoysia Grass:
Just like Bermuda Grass, Zoysia Grass is mostly used for residential and commercial landscapes such as athletic fields and gulf courses.
Zoysia Grass has good shade tolerance, resists salt damage, and is good for heavy traffic areas. It’s dense turf can resist most weeds and can take less mowing to maintain.
It does take long to establish when new, requires high fertilization and has low drought tolerance. Recovers slow from damage. Low resistance to Nematodes and susceptible to diseases. Also produces thatch.
There are Different Variations of Zoysia Grass.
EL Toro:
EL Toro Zoysia grass establishes quickly with less thatch build-up. It is cold and shade tolerant and during the spring greens up fast.
Empire:
Empire Zoysia grass is dark green in color and grows fast. Zoysia is good in sandy or clay soils and any mower can be used to maintain.
Empress:
Empress Zoysia grass is widely used for home lawns, golf courses, athletic fields and grows dense with soft leaf texture. “Empress Zoysia” is very green in color.
These are most common types of grasses grown in Florida.
Kurt Kmetz
