It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 9:02 am

All times are UTC - 6 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 3 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 8:32 pm 
Offline

Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 8:11 pm
Posts: 1
Recently installed solid blanket of St. Augustine grass and has done very well for 6 weeks with frequent watering but am beginning to see a few brown spots and want to know what to fertilize with in order to build a strong root system


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 5:19 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 9:10 am
Posts: 1278
Location: Dallas,TEXAS
Brown spots may be the result of too much water. In this case, horticultural cornmeal applied at 20 pounds per 1000 square feet should help. It certainly would not hurt.
Have you had your soil tested? A great kick start fertilizer is corn gluten meal. I prefer the powder (non-granulated) form. If it is windy, do not attempt to apply the powdered form. You will end up losing a good bit of it and you will end up looking like something out of a science fiction movie! Did you put compost between the squares of sod?

_________________
Nadine Bielling
Moderator
Gardener Exchange Forum

The Laws of Ecology:
"All things are interconnected. Everything goes somewhere. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Nature bats last." --Ernest Callenbach


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 12:22 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2003 3:45 pm
Posts: 2884
Location: San Antonio,TEXAS
Fertilizer is nice but to build a strong root system, you need to water properly. Sounds like you're still watering on the sod installer's recommendation. You need to move to the "regular" routine of once per week.

See how long you can go without watering at all before your grass wilts. Then water it for an hour or until you get runoff (which ever is sooner). Then go again until the grass wilts. If it wilts within a week, you need to water longer next time. If it goes a week without wilting, then your roots are getting down where they belong.

You can help the roots by letting the grass get longer, too. If you mow at 3-4 inches, rather than 1-2 inches, your roots will grow deeper and you'll have much less in the way of weed problems.

The last thing you can do for your grass is fertilize, but the first two items above are much more important. Fertilize with a good organic fertilizer. The one I've seen used with unbelievable results is Texas Tee. I don't have the wallet for that so I use corn meal, alfalfa pellets, and any other ground up grain I can find cheap at feed stores. The application rate for whatever you find is 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

Usually the problem with brown spots on new sod St Augustine lawns is that they were initially over fertilized at the sod farm. First thing you need is corn meal, then worry about fertilizing. Give the corn meal 3 weeds to show good results.

_________________
David Hall
Moderator
Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 3 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by eWeblife