ST. AUGUSTINE
PROFESSIONAL TURF
MANAGEMENT
MOWING
St. Augustine performs best when mowed between 2 and 3 inches. This height of cut should be easily obtained so long as the lawn is smooth. If there are several irregularities in the grade, be careful not to scalp certain areas. Scalping a lawn could cause damage to the crown of the plant. If the lawn is uneven, please contact a Carolina Fresh Farms representative for instructions on topdressing a lawn. In order for St. Augustine to look its best, it is mandatory that your lawn be mowed every 7 to 10 days.
WATERING
Your lawn requires 1 to 1 ½ inches of water per week during the growing season. Irrigation of the lawn should be performed in the early hours of the morning just before daylight. This practice will avoid any rapid evaporation of water before it reaches the lawn; yet allow the leaf tissue to dry quickly after the sun rises. Do not water your lawn every morning for short intervals. This process will only encourage shallow root growth. Instead, water your lawn for long periods two to three times a week.
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AERATION
Aeration has two purposes. The first is to simply loosen the soil. The second is to prune the roots. Core aeration is the recommended method and should be performed every 2 years on a typical home lawn during the growing season. If your lawn receives heavy foot traffic, it would be advisable to aerate every year. Aeration should be performed during the growing season of the turf.
CHEMICALS / FERTILIZATION
The most important part of managing a St. Augustine lawn is providing fertilizer and preventing disease, insects and weeds. The program to the right will provide the essential elements that your lawn needs to grow healthy.
For spreader settings or any other fertilizer information please contact your local outlet or go to
lebsea.com.
HELPFUL INFORMATION
St. Augustine lawns are prone to many problems during the growing season. One of the major problems we see with a St. Augustine lawn is a customers using the inappropriate herbicides on their lawn. Before applying any herbicide, read the entire label and make certain that the product is labeled for St. Augustine. If your lawn species is not written on the label, do not assume that the product is safe.
Another problem with St. Augustine lawns is that they are prone to chinch bug infestations. Chinch bugs are small insects which feed on the stems of the leaves. The Talstar insecticide application in the program to the right should help prevent major infestations. If needed, Talstar may be reapplied at any time during the growing season.
Yet another problem with St. Augustine is fungus. There are two fungus problems which become evident on most St. Augustine lawns during the warmer months of the summer. The first fungus is grey leafspot. This fungus presents small circular lesions on the leaves. Although unsightly, grey leafspot is not life threatening to the lawn. Brown patch, however has become a major disease on the lawn during mid to late summer. Brown patch will look as if someone poured hot oil on the lawn the night before. Within a few days, these areas will die and they infected area will continue to grow in size. Both of these fungus problems are easy to treat with a granular fungicide such as Eagle.
PREMIUM PROGRAM
This program offers the best of all products. It includes Barricade preemergent, insect control, fertilizer and post emergent weed control.
Feb. 21st—Mar. 15th
5-5-20 .38% Barricade
(5# per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Prevents summer weeds such as crabgrass.
April 15th
16-25-12 w/ Micros 1% Fe
(5# per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Provides phosphorus for root growth.
May 15th - May 21st
16-4-8 43% MESA .38% Barricade
(4# per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Talstar SOP
(3# per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Provides nitrogen and more preemergent to extend control of summer weeds.
June 21st—July 1st
20-0-25 EXPO 1%Fe
(5# per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Provides nitrogen.
Aug. 1st—Aug. 15th
Perk Stress Relief
(4# per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Produces green color w/out flushing top growth late in the season.
Oct. 1st—Oct. 21st
5-5-20 .38% Barricade
(5# per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Prevents winter weeds such as Poa annua.
SOILS
A practical understanding of your soil is essential in managing your lawn. Soil pH is perhaps the most crucial element. Most turf grasses perform best when the soil pH falls between 6.3 and 7.0. We recommend that a soil test be performed annually to check the pH values as well as other nutrient levels within the soil profile. Any Carolina Fresh Farms Turf Center will be happy to send your soil samples to a soil testing laboratory.
SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
8-4-24 .38% Eagle
Systemic fungicide used to cure or prevent many diseases in turf, especially useful for control of brown patch, dollar spot and spring dead spot.
Perk Stress Relief
Used at any time during the growing season when deep green color is desired without unnecessary top growth.
Talstar SOP .073%
Insecticide with many uses, controls chinch bugs, fall armyworms, fire ants and many other insects
PRE-EMERGENT HERBICIDES
Pre-emergent herbicides are essential in providing a weed free lawn. Barricade and Team Pro are two such chemicals. Of these two products, Barricade is the better product, offering an extended period of control when compared to Team Pro.
Never apply these products to a lawn, which is not well established!
