February Florida St. Augustine Grass Lawn Care
By Kurt On January 29, 2009
Under Lawn Care Tips
During winter many areas in Florida can most likely experience extreme cold weather, and possibly freezing temperatures. I’m sure a lot of people will receive frost on their St. Augustine lawns. Cold weather and wind together can cause stress on St. Augustine grass. February Florida St. Augustine grass lawn care can be done, to start preparing for a healthy and vigorous lawn for spring and summer.
The first signs that you have had frost or cold weather stress on your St. Augustine lawn, is you will see the blades turn purple to black, and will most likely eventually become brown. This Does Not mean the roots are dead and you will loose your lawn. Your lawn should bounce back when warm weather returns. New green growth will replace any discolored blades of grass.
Areas that have crabgrass will surely turn brown but unfortunately the crabgrass has not died off, leaving just the St. Augustine grass by itself. When summer returns crabgrass will be back healthy as can be. If those areas are mostly crabgrass, you might consider replacing it with new sod or grass plugs in the spring. Before laying down sod or planting grass plugs, treat those areas with “Weed Grass Killer” such as “Round-Up” to kill the crabgrass. Remember to watch for over-spraying for the chemical is “Non-Selective “, meaning it will kill everything! Always follow directions on the label. 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 time to get rid of unwanted grass. Also, the thicker your lawn is the better chance it has to choke out crabgrass, if it starts to invade your lawn again.
February Florida St. Augustine Grass Lawn Care For Thatch Removal
The month of February is the time to do thatch removal. Recommended for thatch removal is to use a ”Vertical Mower” for “Verti-Cutting”, which is the best method for thatch removal in St. Augustine lawns . 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. I recommend to hire a professional company to do February Florida St. Augustine grass lawn care for thatch removal, to be done correctly. Plus it is strenuous and the machine is very heavy for transporting it from the rental place, and you will have a truck load of thatch to be hauled away.
Time To Do Aeration For St. Augustine Lawns.
This is also the time to have aeration done for February Florida St. Augustine grass lawn care. This process creates small holes in the soil to give your lawn a better chance to receive, water, fertilizer, and air, to help the root system. The ground can become hard and compact over a long period of time, thus needing to be aerated. Once again, I would have a professional to do this. The machine is extremely heavy and not easy to work with. A company that has experience doing aeration will do the best job. Aeration will give a good foundation for a lawn in the spring and summer.
Now Is The Time To Fertilize
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 spring and summer. You can apply a Weed ‘n’ Feed for February Florida St. Augustine grass lawn care at this time to get a jump start on those ugly weeds. But there is a window on when to stop using it. Do Not wait until it is too late, when the temperature is above 80 degrees. Applying a weed ‘n’ feed when it is too hot for it to be done is not recommended, for the chemicals can burn or kill your lawn. Always follow directions on the label, as with any type of fertilizer you use. If you don’t have a lot of weeds, use a “Selective Liquid Weed Killer” for St. Augustine grass to treat the weeds by doing spot weeding. Once again read the label, on proper rate of spraying, and instructions for it’s usage.
Follow these helpful tips on February Florida St. Augustine grass lawn care to start your lawn growing with a good foundation. Spring is just around the corner so begin now on having a healthy, lush green lawn you want to have . Plus it will help keep your St. Augustine lawn looking great during the summer months.
Kurt Kmetz