ft. sold. All you have to do is connect the points around your lawn and you’ll know how many square feet you need to cover. Sprigs and plugs are more labor-intensive. it's a lot of work but it speeds things up. The ground preparation is the same for all types, although the planting method varies. St. Augustine Grass – Dethatching Q: When I moved into my home three years ago in Norco, California, it had a front lawn of nothing but weeds and crab grass. Water your lawn when the leaf blades begin to fold and turn bluish-green in color. Good cultural practices can reduce fungal infections like brown patch. Plant St. Augustine plugs or sod in late spring as temperatures warm and up until late summer (90 days prior to the first frost date in cooler regions). 'Bitterblue,' 'Raleigh' and ' Seville' are more tolerant of colder temperatures and may stay green even after frosty weather, especially if sheltered under trees. A few cultivars are resistant to chinch bug infections, including 'Floratam' and 'Floralawn.' Proper watering also helps reduce diseases and weed invasions. Sandy soils need more frequent watering than clay soils. In dormancy when your lawn turns brown, you don’t need to mow the grass, but give it an inch of water every 2-3 weeks if you live in a temperate wind area or if you’ve mixed two grass seed varieties. St. Augustine grass lawns need to be cut at a height of 2 to 3 inches. Rotary mowers can do a good job if your St. Augustine grass lawn is relatively smooth and you keep the blade sharp. What this means for you is a significant reduction in the amount of mowing you’ll have to do. St. Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns 2 should be mowed at 2.5 inches. Your local Cooperative Extension agent can advise on proper watering procedures. Rake smooth, roll with a weighted roller and water to moisten the soil before installing the grass. This encourages deeper root growth so that your grass survives during winter dormancy. Add New Question. Otherwise, a more expensive reel mower will be needed. She continues to write nonfiction articles on gardening and other topics and is working on a second "50" book about plants that attract hummingbirds. Augustine sod and plugs establish best under warm conditions (80º-100º F) so care should be taken not to plant in late fall. Apply fertilizers with a hand-powered or broadcast spreader, applying one-half of the fertilizer over the lawn, then repeating the process perpendicular to your previous pass over the grass with the other half of the fertilizer. Community Q&A Search. Water the area thoroughly again. Normally, it takes about 7-14 days for newly installed St. Augustine grass plugs to begin spreading, following firm root establishment in the soil. Then roll out the sod, butting the sections tightly together, and use the roller again on top of the sod to ensure a close contact with the soil. Attempting to grow a healthy, lush lawn can be a time consuming and expensive endeavor. Broad blade dense turf. So the checkerboarding is where you skip every other space with the grass and grass plugs are the, basically a four inch piece of the St. Augustine that’s been cut up that you would just basically sprinkle around, and then water, and kinda hope for the best and yes eventually the checker boarding or the plugs are going to spread. Mow every 5 days to 2 weeks, depending on the time of year and the weather. OVERVIEW. The water you apply should soak in, not remain on the soil surface. One of the disadvantages of St Augustine grass is its poor wear tolerance. Clean a spot about six-inches in diameter, and plant the plug in the center of this clean area. Over 20 Years of … Ignore your weekly schedule and follow the requirement of specific grass seeds. How to revive dead St. Augustine grass . … There are several recommended cultivars, with varying cold, shade and pest resistance. Next, apply a non-selective herbicide 2 weeks before planting to kill weeds; make sure you use a product that doesn’t leave a residual that would harm the newly planted St. Augustine grass. These pests are not easy to spot, as they are only about a fifth of an inch long, but you can use dishwashing detergent to get them moving. The earlier you plant, the sooner the grass fills in. This will cut down on summer weeds. St. Augustine grass grows best in the warmth of spring and summer, when high temperatures are normally 80-100 °F. When treating your lawn for fungus, avoid using nitrogen fertilizer, as it encourages fast growth. Joe asks, “Is there something I can do to make my St. Augustine grass spread more quickly?”St. You can also make your own grass plugs by cutting sod into pieces with a 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) diameter. It will, however, slow in growth as the soil drops in temperature. When it comes to mowing your St. Augustine, a typical height, depending on the variety is about 2–4 inches. We included an easy property measuring tool inside the Scotts® MyLawn App. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Standard cul-tivars should be mowed at 3.5–4 inches and dwarf cultivars Figure 1. This will normally take about 7-14 days for the roots to establish. Light Requirements. You can help by mowing the grass to remove the top layer of brown. According to the Alabama Cooperative Extension, the medium- to fine-textured, semi-dwarf cultivars 'Delmar' and 'Jade' have good cold and shade tolerance, but are susceptible to pests. Once the sprigs or plugs begin to spread and cover the soil, slowly ease off on watering until you're applying 1 to 2 inches of water weekly, or biweekly in hot weather. Alabama Cooperative Extension: St. Augustinegrass Lawns, Scotts: When and How to Plant and Grow St. Augustine Grass, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Maintaining St. Augustinegrass Lawns, University of California IPM: Southern Chinch Bug — Blissus Insularis, How to Grow Grass Under a Silver Maple Tree. Don’t get stuck with too much or not enough fertilizer. I live in the Tampa Bay Area, and have an irrigation system that I am running nightly for the first 60 days, then will cut back to 2 nights a week. Read on to find out more. “Keep it wet,” Orr says. The place I bought them from lists a cutting height of 1.5-2.5", but it seems that everyone recommends cutting any St Augustine at a minimum of 3". Afterward, water weekly unless your lawn is receiving generous rainfall. Use the simple guide below to pick the broadcast spreader that’s best for your lawn size. Stop using your lawn. If you only have a few weeds here and there, you can hand-pull them, but be sure to get the entire root system. St. Augustine Chinch Bugs: Treatment and Prevention Before you start to treat your grass for fungus or other problems, make sure that chinch bugs haven’t gotten to your yard. Plugs are a great way to fill bare spots or test the performance of a turfgrass variety. Ruth de Jauregui is an old-school graphic artist and writer who focuses primarily on garden topics. After installing sod, water twice daily, and in the case of sprigs or plugs, water once daily for at least two weeks to keep the grass and soil moist. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption. Mowing. Turn the water on early in the morning and again in the early afternoon. In two to four weeks, after mowing the grass several times, set the mower at the correct level to bring the grass blades down to the recommended height. Fall Mowing for St. Augustine. If the soil remains warmer than 60 degrees all year, the grass will stay green. The University of California IPM suggests reducing thatch, applying 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water weekly and reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer when fertilizing to inhibit chinch bug and other pest infestations. Grows into beautiful minimal maintenance lawn-mature plugs are already producing runners St. Augustine plugs ordered in fall/winter will arrive dormant and won't be in full color until warmer weather returns Requires minimum 4-6 hours of sunlight per day you can get a plug from a good area of your lawn and put in the bare spots. 200 characters left. Hello, I have recently planted Palmetto St Augustine plugs throughout my yard. St. Augustine doesn’t need a lot of water, it just needs it consistently. See the Planting Zone map or USDA zone Map rating for more on suggested planting areas. Its blue-green blades form a dense turf that establishes quickly and easily, and can tolerate salt, making it an excellent choice for coastal yards.Planting St. Augustine Grass Using PlugsWhen to Plant St. Augustine GrassHow to Plant St. Augustine GrassMaintaining Your New St. Augustine Grass Lawn, An easy way to start a St. Augustine lawn is to plant plugs of established grass. Item #911013 Model #AUGUPLUG. Whether you're looking for a grass to blanket your yard or you need a versatile option for commercial use, St. Augustine is a prime contender. Saint Augustine grass lawns are a popular wide bladed (coarse) lawn planted throughout many areas of the Southeastern USA.St Augustine grass is found in Mexico, Australia, and in tropical parts of Africa. The major insect pest of St. Augustine-grass is the southern chinch bug ... mowing height requirement and leaf texture. You must first choose the type of grass you are going to grow, and then you must decide if you are going to grow it from seed, sod, or plugs. This grass usually turns brown in winter. Saint Augustine grass must be mowed at the right heights to ensure our turf remains in the best condition possible. Most lawn types will suffer poor health when mowed at heights which are too short, and this is most certainly the case when proper lawn care practices are not also followed when maintaining the lawn at these low heights. *Note:Seedland only ships Grass Plugs during the spring months of February, March, April, and May. You cannot let it dry … Otherwise, the grass may not be established before the onset of cool weather. Find everything you need to know about grass and grass seed at Scotts. St. Augustine sod maintenance includes monitoring for pests and plant diseases. Sprigs need additional watering to ensure that the delicate new roots stay moist. Having the right spreader goes a long way in your lawn care routine. Vigorous growth habit .   St. Augustine grass is available as sod, plugs and seed. However, during the fall, you should maintain a height that’s slightly higher than that of the summer. If you have had insect problem in the past, treat with broad-spectrum insecticide. Because the grass grows so slowly, you’ll typically only need to mow once every few weeks. Research indicates that a height of 3 inches is best when growing St Augustine grass in partial shade. Keep in mind, if covering a large area, the cost and labor will vary greatly depending on your method. Wait at least two weeks before mowing. from center provides coverage for 64 sq. © 2002-2020 The Scotts Company LLC. Watering Requirements. Water early in the day so excess water evaporates before nightfall, and avoid overwatering. It also tolerates light foot traffic, but isn't the best choice for areas with heavy use, such as children's playgrounds. Whether you are just starting out, maintaining or troubleshooting, you'll find advice and answers here for all your lawn care needs. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recommends dethatching by mowing with a vertical mower or deliberately scalping the lawn in spring, when the grass is actively growing. At the beginning of spring, when soil temperatures grow warmer and plants emerge from dormancy, it’s time to start mowing. The downsides of using plugs are also substantial. Water daily or as needed until the plugs are firmly rooted and starting to spread. Water a new St. Augustine lawn two times per day for the first 3 weeks then cut back to a normal seasonal schedule. CitraBlue ™ St. Augustine Plugs; ... Mow your St. Augustine between 1.5 to two inches tall. CitraBlue™ St. Augustine is the newest release from University of Florida’s turfgrass breeding program and offers excellent shade tolerance, disease tolerance and a striking blue-green color. This tool makes perfectly-plug-sized holes with a lot less work on your part. Find out how to grow a new lawn or repair the one you have. This allows the grass to grow nice and thick — helping to prevent weed growth and allowing the roots to grow deep enough to improve its drought tolerance. They cut it up into four inch plugs, and they put it out there, and they run over it with a roller, and they water it but they have the equipment and expertise and the access to all the chemicals that it takes to fight the weeds for probably close to 9 to 12 months that it’s going to take before that area’s going to be totally covered in St. Augustine and you get rid of the weeds. Two weeks after installing sod, set the mower at the correct level for the St. Augustine grass cultivar, and mow. A square yard of sod provides 2,000 to 3,000 Bermuda grass or zoysia grass sprigs; 500 to 1,000 St. Augustine or centipede grass sprigs; 324 two-inch plugs; or approximately one bushel of sprigs. Once the rapid growth/spreading starts- however- the amount of time it will take for the bare spots on your lawn to be completely filled in may vary, depending on the plug spacing you choose. St. Augustine requires frequent mowing. Watering makes the ground more malleable and gives the roots of the St. Augustine grass plugs immediate moisture. Use sharpen the blade of mow to cut instead of tearing. See before and after pictures of the plugs at our office when we planted them on May of 2019 and 14 months later in July of 2020. Six to 8 weeks after planting, feed with Scotts® Turf Builder® Southern Lawn Food. Credits: L. Trenholm, UF/IFAS. Grow Your Grass On A Budget - Create Your Own St Augustine Grass Plugs. Dont plant any later than two months prior to the average first frost date in fall. St. Augustine does not handle dethatching with a power rake, so it is important to mow frequently to prevent long grass clippings or clumps of grass. She writes a weekly garden column and authored 50 Fabulous Tomatoes for Your Garden. For the last three years I have had the greenest best looking lawn in the neighborhood. While a soil test provides the information needed to apply the correct ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the grass, time or budget may have interfered. St. Augustine is an alternative to Bermuda grass, especially if you like a lawn that can be mowed higher. Evenly apply Scotts® EZ Patch™ Lawn Repair for St. Augustine Lawns over the planting area so that no bare ground in visible. Start here for a yard worthy of cookouts, kids, pets and play. Advertisement. (Your nursery grower can tell you that date.) This will allow sunlight to penetrate into the soil and roots. World rights reserved. Remember to mow only one-third of cutting each session to avoid stress on it. Year-round color in frost free climates. Once firmly rooted, mowing will promote spreading. You should follow the proper mowing height of St. Augustine grass. How to Plant St. Augustine Grass Mow every 5 days to 2 weeks, depending on the time of year and the weather. The adults are black with whitish wings and the larvae are bright red. With preparation, the right quality seeds, well-prepared soil, and a little patience, you can start a new lawn yourself. Newly planted St. Augustine grass lawns need protection while they are becoming established. In south Florida, the optimal time for establishment is late fall, winter, or spring. Dig holes in a diagonal planting pattern, so each group of four holes forms a diamond. Once it starts to rapidly grow and spread, the amount of time it will take to fill the bare spots on your lawn will vary depending on how you’ve spaced the plugs. It's better to mow the grass at a little more than the recommended height than to risk scalping the sod. Water thoroughly after fertilizing. people had parked in the yard before i moved in and so i put some plugs in that area by the driveway. Related Items: Floratam St Augustine Grass Plugs - 2 Trays (Ships end of August) Empire Zoysia Grass Plugs - 2 Trays Bimini Bermuda Grass Plugs - 2 Trays Palmetto St Augustine Grass Plugs - … Thinning can occur in grass grown in shady areas of the lawn. /en-us/library/grass-grass-seed/when-how-plant-grow-st-augustinegrass, https://www.scotts.com/sites/g/files/oydgjc106/files/styles/large/public/asset_images/US/article/Lawns/batch2_21-25/NCday2-233-thumbnail.png?itok=vFqMsCuA, Scotts® Turf Builder® Starter® Food For New Grass Plus Weed Preventer, Scotts® Turf Builder® Southern Triple Action, Scotts® Turf Builder® Triple Action Built For Seeding, Scotts® Turf Builder® Thick'R Lawn^TM Sun & Shade, Important Lawn Maintenance Projects for the Fall, Maintaining Your New St. Augustine Grass Lawn, Scotts® EZ Patch™ Lawn Repair for St. Augustine Lawns, Scotts® Turf Builder® Edgeguard® Mini Broadcast Spreader, Scotts® Turf Builder® Edgeguard® DLX Broadcast Spreader. I haven't seen plugs anywhere, but as mentioned above, Home Depot shows sod and plugs for St. Augustine (Harmony brand) on their website. St. Augustine Grass and Mowing Two weeks after installing sod, set the mower at the correct level for the St. Augustine grass cultivar, and mow. As for the type of care St. Augustine grass needs, this warm-season grass likes moisture and should be watered deeply. St. Augustinegrass establishes quickly and easily and may be planted as sod, sprigs, or plugs. If you’re replacing an existing lawn, rent a sod-cutter to remove the old sod and vegetation. 64-sq ft St. Augustine Sod Plug. Watch your lawn closely. For best results, plant plugs in a grid spaced 9”-12” from the center of each plug. $49.98 $ 49. Usually, it takes about newly planted St. Augustine plugs about 7 – 14 days to begin spreading. The tiny bugs are less than one-fifth of an inch long. Mowing any shorter will cause the grass to thin, which allows weeds to grow. ft. Thatch, a thick layer of dead plant stems and roots, can interfere with mowing. For this reason, use sod to establish and plugs to fill in small areas. I planted some St. Augustine plugs I took from my dads house and it took off. All of these features are paired with slower vertical growth which means less mowing. happytime – posted 13 April 2005 15:49. Mowing & Irrigation. Installing Houston Grass Sod. ; Many lawn experts will suggest you mow Floratam as high as the rotary blade goes on your mower. So avoid winter sowing if you want the desired yield. If you see any brown spots or mildew beginning to form, contact your local extension agency for treatment options. While dethatching does damage the turf, St. Augustine grass recovers quickly with watering and fertilizing. Alternately, use a 3-1-2 slow-release fertilizer every 10 to 12 weeks. Chinch bugs, white grubs and webworms are among the pests that can infest your lawn. It will, however, slow in growth as the soil drops in temperature. St. Augustine grass is installed using sod, plugs or sprigs. You may notice that the roots are beginning to green up. While you should leave the grass clippings on the lawn so they can decompose and return their nutrients to the soil, St. Augustine grass is prone to heavy thatching. I take more care of my front lawn than my wife, according to her.   St Augustine grass will go dormant when the soil temperatures fall below 55 degrees. St. Augustine Grass is very shade tolerant and makes a great choice for lawns that do not get ample enough sun for other species. Install St. Augustine grass when it is actively growing, between late spring and late summer, so it becomes quickly established in the landscape. I planted some St. Augustine plugs I took from my dads house and it took off. 'Common' and 'Floralawn' have poor cold and shade tolerance, as well as coarse to very coarse leaf textures. 7-14 days is generally required for the spreading process to begin. Determine the exact dimensions of the area you’ll be planting, to ensure you purchase enough St. Augustine grass plugs. After planting Floratam there is sometimes an infestation of foreign grasses. happytime – posted 13 April 2005 15:49. To encourage the optimal growth of St. Augustine grass, we recommend setting your lawnmower to a height of between two and a half to four inches. St. Augustine seed is typically very difficult to find due to the grass not being a heavy seeder. Seed is the least expensive option, but can be a challenge to germinate. Extra-large lawns 20,000 ft2 or lessScotts® Elite Spreader  Year-round color in frost free climates. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Generally, when summer temperatures are hot and the lawn is in full sun, higher heights shade the stolons and reduce water needs. Thoroughly water the area before planting. in my yard the st. augustine is great in 75% of the yard. Plant St. Augustine grass plugs or sod in full sun, at least 90 days before your region’s first estimated fall frost, to give the grass plenty of time to establish. St. Augustine 'Seville' Sod - 18 Live Plugs - Drought, Salt & Shade Tolerant Turf Grass. STEP 3. St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) comes as sod, plugs and sprigs to plant in your lawn. The holes themselves should be spaced 12 inches apart (so holes across the center of each diamond will be 15 inches apart). Without a soil test, apply 3/4 to 1 pound of nitrogen fertilizer for every 1,000 square feet of lawn six to eight weeks after installing the grass, then repeat every eight weeks through the growing season. Approximately two weeks after installing sod, you can set your mower height at 1 to 4 inches tall — depending on the cultivar — and mow your new lawn. *UPS and USPS do not deliver on weekends. St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) comes as sod, plugs and sprigs to plant in your lawn. Floratam St. Augustine grass plugs are the most widely produced and used St. Augustine grass in Florida. This will give your lawn all summer to fill in and strengthen before cold weather arrives in late autumn. What area of SE Florida are you in? Great for high traffic areas. It's not hard to plant a beautiful St. Augustine lawn on your own when you follow these tips from Scotts. It is a warm season grass that does not handle cold weather very well. Mowing helps your grass to grow thick and green. “People get stingy with the water, especially when people are clamoring about a water shortage or drought time, and they’ll cut back on the water. When the leaf blades wilt, turn a blue-gray color or when footprints remain visible after walking in the grass, the lawn is in need of irrigation. Insert into the planting holes so the plugs are level with the surface, then press firmly so the roots are pressed against the moist soil. Otherwise, they will pop back up while your plugs are establishing themselves. Numerous theories exist about the height and mowing frequency for St. Augustine grass. Patches of lawn that turn yellow, then brown, may indicate a chinch bug infestation. Augustine grass spreads both by sending out runners both above and below ground, and is normally a very aggressive spreader. Now the fun begins. Sod is the most expensive way to install St. Augustine grass but will give you an instant lawn. Press the soil around the sprigs with the tip exposed to the sun. (You can also purchase St. Augustine sod, but it can be expensive.). Proper mowing is an essential part of what makes any lawn flourish. Tips For Mowing Floratam Grass: It’s ideal to mow Floratam at a height of 3″ to 4″ — the higher the better. Plant the plug securely, tapping the soil around the plug. While the standard cultivars are mowed at 3 to 4 inches tall, the semi-dwarf cultivars should be mowed at 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches tall. Late spring or early summer are the best times to plug your lawn. Mid-March in warmer climates is a good time to mow St Augustine grass for the first time. Scotts® EZ Patch™ contains fertilizer and a mulch that absorbs up to 6x its weight in water to help St. Augustine grass plugs fill in faster. Easy to install and maintain. Palmetto ® St. Augustine demonstrates superior shade, cold, frost, heat, and drought tolerance. Repeat this procedure whenever you plant a plug. If thatch is a consistent problem, try bagging your lawn clippings every other time you mow, which will help keep thatch at a manageable thickness. Pictured above from left to right: CitraBlue St. Augustine plugs in May of 2019, CitraBlue St. Augustine plugs in July of 2020, Innovation Zoysia plugs in May of 2019 and Innovation Zoysia plugs … The thick turf crowds out weeds and competing grass species. 4.2 out of 5 stars 4. St. Augustinegrass produces a green to blue-green dense turf that is well adapted to most soils and climatic regions in Florida. Be sure to follow these mowing tips: Keep grass blades 3-4 inches long. However, the amount of time it will take to fill the bare spots will depend on the spacing of your plugs. I am looking to buy the st.augustine plugs….Was wondering if it’s the type I would use for almost 2,000 ft^2 lawn …for it to spread and grow…Please get back to … St. Augustine establishes quickly and easily. Trial it out today with a plug … This warm-season grass is installed by sodding, plugs or sprigs in spring and summer, when the grass is actively growing. Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Zoysia Grass Seed and Mulch, 5 lb. The first is to use Saint Augustine Grass Plugs to establish the lawn, and the second option is to use Saint Augustine Grass Runners taken from another lawn. Plant St. Augustine grass plugs or sod in full sun, at least 90 days before your region’s first estimated fall frost, to give the grass plenty of time to establish. Soil remains warmer than 60 degrees all year, the optimal time for establishment is fall! Degrees all year, the plug 's root ball as putting down sod set. And dwarf cultivars Figure 1 and 'Floralawn. research indicates that a height of inches! Grass species Augustine sod, set the mower at the beginning of spring and summer when to mow st augustine plugs when temperatures... Lawns 2 should be mowed at the right quality seeds, when to mow st augustine plugs soil and... Artist and writer who focuses primarily on garden topics growth so that your grass a. 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