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ONGOING MAINTENANCE FOR FLORATAM, SEVILLE AND BITTER BLUE ST. AUGUSTINE SOD

St Augustine sod is a tough, hardy turf grass that once established, produces a beautiful lifetime lawn or landscape in Florida.

Mowing: Mowing is a critical to a healthy lawn:

  • Maintain ST AUGUSTINE at 2”-3″ with rotary mowers

  • Mow Floratam and Bitterblue every 5-7 days and Seville every 7-10 days during the active growing season

  • During cooler weather mow every 7-10 days for Floratam and Seville, every 10-14 days for Sapphire, or as needed

  • Never cut more than 1/3 of the total length of the blade at any one mowing

  • Bagging of clippings is not usually necessary if mowing schedule is maintained

Insecticides: Apply insecticide as needed to reduce stress on your lawn:

  • Always read and follow label directions carefully for any insecticide applications

  • Walk your yard regularly and be aware of seasonal pests like billbugs, armyworms, webworm and grubs

  • Early identification and treatment of insect problems minimizes the application amount and damage to your grass

  • Control armyworms and webworms with Sevin®, Orthene®, Diazinon® or Permethrin-based products

  • Control chinch bugs with Talstar®

  • Control grubs with Bayer® Advanced Lawn Season-Long Grub Control Ready-to-Spread Granules annually in the late spring

  • If you are unsure of label instructions consult with the retailer where you purchased your insecticide

Herbicides: Reduce your weeds through proper mowing, irrigation and fertilization of ST. AUGUSTINE. If a weed problem persists:

  • Always read and follow label directions carefully for any herbicide application

  • Improper use of herbicides can severely damage or kill all types of ST AUGUSTINE

  • Walk your yard regularly and be aware of seasonal weeds

  • Early identification and treatment of weed problems minimizes the application amount and damage to your grass

  • If you are unsure of label instructions consult with the retailer where you purchased your herbicide

Fungicides: Fungas can occur during long periods of rain and humid conditions. Fungicides should be used only as needed:

  • Always read and follow label directions carefully for any fungicide application

  • Walk your yard regularly and be aware of unusual symptoms of disease

  • Early identification and treatment of disease minimizes the application amount and damage to your grass

  • If predictable seasonal problems are expected, consider a broad-spectrum fungicide application

  • If you are unsure of label instructions consult with the retailer where you purchased your fungicide

Irrigation: ST AUGUSTINE, like all turf grass, requires regular irrigation for long term health and beauty.

Overwatering, especially in shady areas, however, can cause root rot, disease and poor aeration of soil.

  • Watering requirements are greatly dependent on soil type, season, geography and other factors

  • Ensure irrigation systems are working properly and covering all areas sodded with ST AUGUSTINE

  • Walk your yard regularly and be aware of signs of wilting that would show irrigation is needed

  • Shaded areas and heavy soils require less water than full-sun areas and sandy soils

  • Encourage deep root growth by watering until the soil is moist to a depth of 3”, shallow watering will result in a shallow root system

  • Infrequent deep watering maximizes drought resistance and tolerance

  • During drought conditions, sod generally requires 1” of water per week

  • Visit our Tips on Watering Your Lawn video

Fertilizing: Properly fertilizing your lawn will encourage health and reduce disease and insect in your ST AUGUSTINE yard:

  • Test your soil to understand your soil needs and fertilizing requirements

  • Floratam and Seville ST AUGUSTINE generally requires three fertilizer applications per year: spring, summer and fall

  • Walk your yard regularly and take notice when the yard requires fertilizing

  • Take care to apply the correct amount and type of fertilizer

  • Reduce nitrogen rates to avoid disease and insect inducing growth flushes

  • Use iron sources to improve color and limit growth surges

  • Higher Nitrogen rates should only be applied in the spring or for injury recovery of ST AUGUSTINE

  • Apply balanced fertilizers with lower rates of Nitrogen in the summer and fall

  • Visit our Tips on Watering Your Lawn video

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