Fertilizing St. Augustine Grass

Everyone loves a beautiful healthy lawn. There’s a variety of essential nutrients that are required to achieve good growth and appearance for St. Augustine lawns. With a proper program of Fertilizing St. Augustine Grass one can obtain success. St. Augustine grass needs air, water, sunlight, and food to be healthy and vigorous. Following the correct guidelines assures that you will have the lawn you desire.

Use Quality Fertilizer When Fertilizing St. Augustine Grass

The proper food needed for Fertilizing St. Augustine Grass should be in granular lawn fertilizers sold at nurseries and garden centers. There are different brand names available and results will depend on the quality of the product.

Generally, cheaper brands add fillers such as sand, not giving the correct amount of nutrients. Spreading poor quality granular fertilizer causes an uneven application resulting in a lawn not completely green. That is why I recommend using a good quality brand where each pellet contains the correct amount of nutrients and is clean of waste.

It is important that pellets break down properly feeding your lawn with a balanced rate. A good quality “Slow-Release” granular fertilizer will work best. Use a well-respected brand name that has a good reputation, one that you can trust.

Reading Fertilizer Labels

The law requires that labels be affixed to the bag, package, or container. Labels need to show information on the “Analysis”, and “Composition” of the mixture. Plus containing the “License Number” so the product can be identified, protecting the consumer. Fertilizer labels should list the materials from which they were made and can be found next to the “Derived From” statement.

The percentage of primary elements is listed first followed by the secondary elements for fertilizing St. Augustine grass.

Fertilizer should contain N,P, and K, in that order.

The primary elements are commonly known as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P2 O 5), and Potash (K2 O).

The secondary elements are Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Sulfur (S), and Chlorine (Cl).

All these nutrients need to be in the product for St. Augustine lawns to receive the food it needs to be at its best. For a fertilizer to be a “Complete” fertilizer all of these elements should be present.

It is important to follow the “Rate Of Application” listed on the label when fertilizing St. Augustine grass. “Spreader Settings” listed on the label are important and need to be set correctly. I recommend using a “Rotary Spreader”.

Chemicals can be harmful to lawns if applied at a higher rate than suggested. Especially when using a Weed “n” Feed for fertilizing St. Augustine Grass, for it can burn your lawn. It will kill your grass if applied over excessively, so Do Not over do it. Also remember, under using turf fertilizer will not obtain the best results and be a waste of money. Always read the label!

Proper Application

Fertilizers applied improperly can cause environmental problems. Keep excessive amounts from getting in the street.  Use a guard on the spreader to avoid this. Use a blower or broom to put it back on the lawn to avoid it from going into drains.

Do not apply fertilizer within Ten Feet of lakes and rivers. Chemicals too close will seep underground into the water over a period of time. It is recommended to use a Slow-Release granular fertilizer for controlling pollution and protecting our environment. We can still have a beautiful lawn and help our Eco-System from being ruined if it is done properly.

When fertilizing St. Augustine grass with a spreader remember to overlap a little when making each pass so you won’t have stripes on your lawn. Walk at a steady pace making sure you are not going too slow to avoid problems. Too fast, you might not put enough down. Each bag should tell you how many square feet it should cover.

Final Thoughts

Fertilizing St. Augustine Grass done correctly will give you the St. Augustine lawn you desire, and protect our environment. Using good quality fertilizer with the proper nutrients, assures a green-looking lawn that is healthy and vigorous.

So when people see it… they will say “I want my lawn to look like that”. Be the envy of the neighborhood.

Keep on Growing!