I can understand your being overwhelmed if you listen to Howard on the radio. He covers so much ground it is hard to filter out what YOU need from what everyone else needs. Maybe I can simplify it for you, because it really is pretty easy. For now, forget about all the dusts, powders, and juices; just concentrate on water, mowing, and fertilizer.
I've been on this forum since it started and on many other forums since before this one. I would venture to say that 80% of real problems stem from improper watering. Some people refuse to water their lawn, not because they are under restrictions, they just don't believe in watering a lawn. Well, the only solution for them is to water it, so we're stuck. Assuming you're not one of those people, the best way to water a lawn is deep and infrequent. Deep means one full inch all at one time. Many sprinkler installers want to demonstrate their timing systems so they will set it up to water for 10 minutes every day. That is exactly wrong. It needs to all go on at once. Infrequently means that you should allow the soil to go dry at the surface before watering again. In fact you can let the grass just start to wilt before watering again. In the hottest heat of summer, when the temps are in the 90s every day, you should be watering one day per week. With temps in the 80s (like now in South Texas), back off to once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s (now in North Texas), water once every 3 weeks. These are general guidelines but fairly accurate. There should never be a reason to water once a week in the cooler months. When you water like this you discourage weeds and encourage deep, drought resistant grass roots.
Mowing is fairly easy. For St Augustine, mulch mow at your mower's highest setting - ALWAYS. For bermuda, mow at the mower's lowest setting. Bermuda can get out of hand quickly in the spring, so you might need to mow that 2x or 3x per week.
Fertilizer: Organic! You can use Milorganite, Medina Growin' Green, or you can use the raw materials that go into most organic fertilizers. My preference this year has been to use alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) from the feed store at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. You can use this as often as you like. For St Augustine as a minimum you should use it 3x per year. Those times are Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving (easy to remember). Since this is organic fertilizer you can also apply in early spring and mid summer if you like. If you have bermuda, that should be fertilized every month for best thickness and color.
Summary That was a lot of words to say water deep and infrequent, mow weekly, and fertilize 3x per year. Easy.
_________________ David Hall Moderator Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum
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