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Message
2023 Lawn Thread - Helpful Tips, Q&A, general discussion
Posted on 4/20/23 at 7:37 pm
Posted on 4/20/23 at 7:37 pm
Much like pre-emergent better late than never. I posted this last years and figured I would post it again. If I get some time, I'll try to tweak and add.
Disclaimer - Most of us in this forum live in the South and have warm season grasses as discussed below. If you live in the transition zone or north, you may have a cool season grass (kentucky bluegrass, fescue varieties. Many of the herbicides and fert recommendation may nuke your yard if not careful. At some point I may a cool season grass tips for those in the above zones. I have been dabbling with a KBG project in my backyard.
Without further ado:
Warm Season Grasses: - Mostly just my thoughts. Will edit/add to with others thoughts, suggestions, etc.
-- Bermuda - great for full sun .Will be very sparse in any shade. Holds up well to traffic, recovers quickly and fills in aggressively. Disease resistant. Can be as high maintenance or low maintenance as you want it to be. Downside to low maintenance is that you'll have a yard that's brown after a cut before it fills back in green(only the tops are green). Has more seeded varieties available.
-- Zoysia - Full or partial sun and there are some shade tolerant varieties. All green, very thick and soft to walk on. It's thickness helps chokes out weeds. Can be prone to fungus. Slow to recover from damage. Does not hold up well to traffic. Mostly only sod or plug available, so can be more expensive to establish a lawn. Zenith is the only seed variety.
-- St Aug - Probably the most shade tolerant of the warm season grasses, slow slow growth and recovery. Fungus prone. Looks better when cut high. Very popular grass. Blades are thick. I like the look of St Aug especially being sodded new, but see too many yards who don't keep up with fungus control and have huge brown patches. Can only be sodded or plugged.
-- Centipede. - likes acidic soil. Slow growth. Very low maintenance.Can be seeded.
Identifying your grass type:
To identify your grass, you need to locate the runners or stolon and pull a few up.
St. Aug - thick blades, blades of grass exit the stolon in a paired, symmetric pattern
Centipede - thinner blades, blade of grass exit the stolon in an alternating pattern
St. Aug vs Centipede
Bermuda - thin blades in general, hybrid varieties can be especially thin. Spreads via rhizomes and stolons, You will see grass emerging from stolon at each node. Bermuda Stolon
Zoysia - thin or thicker blade depending on the variety. Also spreads via rhizomes and stolons. Zoysia grass tends to come off the stolon at a 90 degree angle, vs bermuda. In general, you may also be able to differentiate between zoysia and bermuda, based on turf thickness and density, as zoysia tends to be very thick. Zoysia Vs Bermuda stolon
Helpful Links:
Bermuda Bible - A guide for those who have bermuda as their main lawn type.
Randy Lemmon's St. Aug Schedule
Weed Control:
Pre-Emergents:
Typical applications in the fall to protect against winter weeds, and again in spring(before soil temps get above 55 or so) to prevent the spring/summer weeds especially crabgrass with green up. For most us that’s in February. If you are planning to seed, need to adjust your pre-em application time.
Dimension - Dithiopyr - Can be better if you are late to placing your pre-emergent down as it has some post emergent activity again early crabgrass. 3-4 month control. Granular product. Put it in your landscaping beds as well if you want.
Barricade - Prodiamine - Cheaper. Many people do a split application, but can provide long-lasting control vs dimension if applied at max rates, but need to get it down early. Can cause root pruning, so need to be careful with over-application. Granular product.
*Some people will do a barricade max app in the fall for long lasting control, and a dimension app in the spring*
Specticle - Indaziflam - Expensive initial cost, although the bottle can last a while. liquid/spray, so better finite control. With granular products, you tend to break through at sidewalk edges, etc.
Post-Emergents:
They say the best time to kill weeds are when they are present. Big box store weed control can work well for many, but read labels carefully to ensure it’s appropriate for your grass type and what you are trying to control. Once temps are above 85 degrees, need to use something else.
Broadleafs:
MSM Turf - Cheap, Very potent, works on a large portion of broadleafs. good for killing bahia if that’s your main weed. Not good for dallisgrass,doveweed in particular . Centipede needs to lower rates of application. You absolutely need to pay attention to the mix rates. I’ve read about people nuking their whole yard by accident. Can kill oak trees with overapplication.
-- 1/8th teaspoon(0.5 grams) in 1-2 gallons of water to be applied roughly over 1000 sq. ft per mix, or spot spraying --
Celsius - More expensive initial cost. When you break it down per application, it’s going to be cheaper than a weed&feed etc. Safe for high temps. Covers a larger range of broadleafs. Has dallisgrass suppression. Celsius Mix Rate
Grassy Weeds:
**Sedges in particular are better controlled with a broadcast spray with a surfactant as opposed to spot spraying due to how they spread and grow, and may require multiple apps throughout the year**
Sedgehammer(halosulfuron-methyl) - As name implies, good for sedges and several types of grassy weeds. . 0.9 grams per 1-2 gallons of water (to cover 1000sq ft). Sedgehammer+(plus) has surfactant mixed in.
Image(Imazaquin) - easy to find at local big box store, follow directions on label, but covers nutsedge a few others.
Certainty(sulfosulfuron) - another sedge control with good effects, okay for high temps.
Dismiss - faster to act, has soil residual. Not safe for temps above 85. More prone to ding your grass.
Other:
Sethoxydim - good for killing bermuda and crabgrass in centipede grass. Can also damage St. Aug
Clegg’s Winter Weed Cocktail:(gets posted here a bit)
1 ounce Ferti-lome Weed Free Zone (Active ingredients 2,4-D, MCPA, Dicamba, Carfentrazone)
8.6 ounces of Hi-Yield Atrazine (atrazine can damage active bermuda, only use if dormant)
2 teaspoons of Hi-Yield Spreader Sticker
--Mix ingredients together in 1-2 gallons of water in pump sprayer and apply uniformly over 1000sq ft of lawn. --
Disclaimer - Most of us in this forum live in the South and have warm season grasses as discussed below. If you live in the transition zone or north, you may have a cool season grass (kentucky bluegrass, fescue varieties. Many of the herbicides and fert recommendation may nuke your yard if not careful. At some point I may a cool season grass tips for those in the above zones. I have been dabbling with a KBG project in my backyard.
Without further ado:
Warm Season Grasses: - Mostly just my thoughts. Will edit/add to with others thoughts, suggestions, etc.
-- Bermuda - great for full sun .Will be very sparse in any shade. Holds up well to traffic, recovers quickly and fills in aggressively. Disease resistant. Can be as high maintenance or low maintenance as you want it to be. Downside to low maintenance is that you'll have a yard that's brown after a cut before it fills back in green(only the tops are green). Has more seeded varieties available.
-- Zoysia - Full or partial sun and there are some shade tolerant varieties. All green, very thick and soft to walk on. It's thickness helps chokes out weeds. Can be prone to fungus. Slow to recover from damage. Does not hold up well to traffic. Mostly only sod or plug available, so can be more expensive to establish a lawn. Zenith is the only seed variety.
-- St Aug - Probably the most shade tolerant of the warm season grasses, slow slow growth and recovery. Fungus prone. Looks better when cut high. Very popular grass. Blades are thick. I like the look of St Aug especially being sodded new, but see too many yards who don't keep up with fungus control and have huge brown patches. Can only be sodded or plugged.
-- Centipede. - likes acidic soil. Slow growth. Very low maintenance.Can be seeded.
Identifying your grass type:
To identify your grass, you need to locate the runners or stolon and pull a few up.
St. Aug - thick blades, blades of grass exit the stolon in a paired, symmetric pattern
Centipede - thinner blades, blade of grass exit the stolon in an alternating pattern
St. Aug vs Centipede
Bermuda - thin blades in general, hybrid varieties can be especially thin. Spreads via rhizomes and stolons, You will see grass emerging from stolon at each node. Bermuda Stolon
Zoysia - thin or thicker blade depending on the variety. Also spreads via rhizomes and stolons. Zoysia grass tends to come off the stolon at a 90 degree angle, vs bermuda. In general, you may also be able to differentiate between zoysia and bermuda, based on turf thickness and density, as zoysia tends to be very thick. Zoysia Vs Bermuda stolon
Helpful Links:
Bermuda Bible - A guide for those who have bermuda as their main lawn type.
Randy Lemmon's St. Aug Schedule
Weed Control:
Pre-Emergents:
Typical applications in the fall to protect against winter weeds, and again in spring(before soil temps get above 55 or so) to prevent the spring/summer weeds especially crabgrass with green up. For most us that’s in February. If you are planning to seed, need to adjust your pre-em application time.
Dimension - Dithiopyr - Can be better if you are late to placing your pre-emergent down as it has some post emergent activity again early crabgrass. 3-4 month control. Granular product. Put it in your landscaping beds as well if you want.
Barricade - Prodiamine - Cheaper. Many people do a split application, but can provide long-lasting control vs dimension if applied at max rates, but need to get it down early. Can cause root pruning, so need to be careful with over-application. Granular product.
*Some people will do a barricade max app in the fall for long lasting control, and a dimension app in the spring*
Specticle - Indaziflam - Expensive initial cost, although the bottle can last a while. liquid/spray, so better finite control. With granular products, you tend to break through at sidewalk edges, etc.
Post-Emergents:
They say the best time to kill weeds are when they are present. Big box store weed control can work well for many, but read labels carefully to ensure it’s appropriate for your grass type and what you are trying to control. Once temps are above 85 degrees, need to use something else.
Broadleafs:
MSM Turf - Cheap, Very potent, works on a large portion of broadleafs. good for killing bahia if that’s your main weed. Not good for dallisgrass,doveweed in particular . Centipede needs to lower rates of application. You absolutely need to pay attention to the mix rates. I’ve read about people nuking their whole yard by accident. Can kill oak trees with overapplication.
-- 1/8th teaspoon(0.5 grams) in 1-2 gallons of water to be applied roughly over 1000 sq. ft per mix, or spot spraying --
Celsius - More expensive initial cost. When you break it down per application, it’s going to be cheaper than a weed&feed etc. Safe for high temps. Covers a larger range of broadleafs. Has dallisgrass suppression. Celsius Mix Rate
Grassy Weeds:
**Sedges in particular are better controlled with a broadcast spray with a surfactant as opposed to spot spraying due to how they spread and grow, and may require multiple apps throughout the year**
Sedgehammer(halosulfuron-methyl) - As name implies, good for sedges and several types of grassy weeds. . 0.9 grams per 1-2 gallons of water (to cover 1000sq ft). Sedgehammer+(plus) has surfactant mixed in.
Image(Imazaquin) - easy to find at local big box store, follow directions on label, but covers nutsedge a few others.
Certainty(sulfosulfuron) - another sedge control with good effects, okay for high temps.
Dismiss - faster to act, has soil residual. Not safe for temps above 85. More prone to ding your grass.
Other:
Sethoxydim - good for killing bermuda and crabgrass in centipede grass. Can also damage St. Aug
Clegg’s Winter Weed Cocktail:(gets posted here a bit)
1 ounce Ferti-lome Weed Free Zone (Active ingredients 2,4-D, MCPA, Dicamba, Carfentrazone)
8.6 ounces of Hi-Yield Atrazine (atrazine can damage active bermuda, only use if dormant)
2 teaspoons of Hi-Yield Spreader Sticker
--Mix ingredients together in 1-2 gallons of water in pump sprayer and apply uniformly over 1000sq ft of lawn. --
12
Posted on 4/20/23 at 7:37 pm to Puffoluffagus
Fertilization:
Main reason to fertilize is to provide a nitrogen source to your lawn as that is what is depleted with each season.
On each bag you’ll see a set of 3 numbers separated by dashes(N-P-K) which represent the ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in each bag. If you have a 30lb of fertilizer at a ratio of 26-0-0, then you’ll put down 7.8 lbs of nitrogen if you applied the whole 30lb bag to your lawn. If your lawn is 5000 sq. ft and you distributed it evenly, then you’ve applied 1.56lbs of nitrogen per 1000sq. Ft.
A better way to do the calculation - if you’re aiming for 0.5lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft, then divide 50 by the first number to give you the pounds of product to apply. For 1.0 lb/1000 sq. ft divided 100 by the first number. I.e. if you want a 1.0lb/1000 sq. ft rate of the 26-0-0 product, then spread 3.8 lbs of this product per 1000 sq ft. (100 / 26 = 3.8)
Now, you’ll get varying recommendations based on your grass type, maintenance requirement, but in general you’ll see:
St. Augustine - 2-4lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. annually, divided over 3-4 applications. I.e. putting down 0.5lbs/1000 sq. ft 4 times a year, would net you 2lbs annually.
Centipede - 1-2lbs of nitrogen per 1000sq. ft annually.
Zoysia - 2-4lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. annually
Bermuda - Bermuda loves nitrogen. University guides will tell you 2-4lbs of nitrogen per 1000sq. Ft. annually. But assuming adequate irrigation and mowing to keep up with growth, you can easily put down 1-1.5lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. per month if you need aggressive growth and titrate down accordingly.
Now, most products are a fast-release nitrogen source, meaning it’s in and out pretty quickly. However, there are some products that have a slow-release component, most well known is milorganite. These products breakdown over 8-10 weeks and provide a source of nitrogen. Many St. Aug and Centipede lawn owners prefer this as their nitrogen source to avoid over fertilizing their lawns. There are also some mixed products that contain fast and slow release nitrogen. You’ll need to read the label for breakdown of percentages of each.
When to fertilize: General rule of thumb is April 15/tax day. But really, just when you’re grass is actively growing.
Other Soil amendments and soil testing:
So while nitrogen may be the most talked about additive to the lawn, there are other important nutrients and factors that are important to lawn health. Not only phosphorus and potassium, but also iron, micronutrients, pH of your soil can all have an effect. So this is where soil testing comes into play.
When, How, and Where to soil test:
-- Ideally once a year before you make any amendments to the soil, so fall or spring seems to be when most people will test their lawn.
-- Most kits will provide you suggest how to take a soil sample. In general you want to sample 4-8 spots in your lawn, mix the soil and send the needed amount off. It’s best to zone off what you are testing if you have different areas (i.e. back yard vs front yard vs landscape beds, fruit trees etc.). I personally have a soil sampler, which makes collecting a breeze: Soil Sampler - Amazon link
Where - Most university Ag extension offices offer soil analysis and kits may be found at your local nurseries or garden center. I have linked LSU website here: LSU Ag Soil testing
There are also commercial tests available as well, which may provide some more nuance in the testing. I have used A&L great lakes before: A&L Great Lakes Soil testing
Most soil analysis will provide recommendations for annual N-P-K applications, as well as possible adjustments needed to address pH (such as lime or sulfur applications). Luckily for most of you in LA, you’ll likely have nutrient rich soil. The rest of us will be adding potash(K) and a variety of other amendments to help things along.
pH - Most of us in the south are more likely to have an acidic soil vs a alkaline soil. To raise a pH, you’ll use lime. You’ll have recommendations provided as part of the soil analysis, but to add some nuance: In terms of what to use, most would tell you to get dolomitic lime which is "slow" acting. While it takes longer to get into the soil, it does last longer(3years), you can apply more at one application(50lbs/1000sq ft at one time from what I've read), so can be cheaper.
Fast acting like does get into the soil faster, but can also leach faster and you are limited to around 10lbs/1000sqft per application. So need more frequent applications, so more costly.
Changing pH is usually considered a marathon not a sprint. So most would tell you do the recommended applications and check again in 2-3 years.
Watering/Irrigation:
General recommendations is 1-1.5inch of water per week depending on the time of year and temperatures. Depending on your soil type you may be able to do this once per week(Clay soils) with a long watering session or you may need to break it up over the course of a week/daily or every other day (Sandy soils) with shorter sessions. If you are unsure of your soil type, some soil analysis testing will provide a CEC number which will guide you regarding on how well your soil will hold water and nutrients. You can use a rain gauge or a tuna can to determine how long it takes to delivery the amount of water you need.
Mowing:
Mowing often will always provide some of the best results. You take off less of the leaf blade each time, which minimizes stress on the lawn. Additionally, you don’t need to bag and can instead mulch, and with so little taken off, the clippings will breakdown quickly and provide nutrients back to your grass.
Mowing height in general - St. Aug. 2-4 inches, Centipede 1.5-2 inches, Zoysia 1-3 inches, Bermuda 1-2.5 inches. These can always be taken to the extreme and maintained a lower level (sub 1inch) if you’re trying to achieve that fairway look.
Scalping: beginning of the spring as your lawn is starting to green up. Mow as low as you can go and bag all of the clippings. You can then maintain one notch (or more) above your scalp level. This is particularly useful for bermuda. But can apply to other grass types. Some people do not likely to scalp St. Aug or Zoysia grasses.
Main reason to fertilize is to provide a nitrogen source to your lawn as that is what is depleted with each season.
On each bag you’ll see a set of 3 numbers separated by dashes(N-P-K) which represent the ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in each bag. If you have a 30lb of fertilizer at a ratio of 26-0-0, then you’ll put down 7.8 lbs of nitrogen if you applied the whole 30lb bag to your lawn. If your lawn is 5000 sq. ft and you distributed it evenly, then you’ve applied 1.56lbs of nitrogen per 1000sq. Ft.
A better way to do the calculation - if you’re aiming for 0.5lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft, then divide 50 by the first number to give you the pounds of product to apply. For 1.0 lb/1000 sq. ft divided 100 by the first number. I.e. if you want a 1.0lb/1000 sq. ft rate of the 26-0-0 product, then spread 3.8 lbs of this product per 1000 sq ft. (100 / 26 = 3.8)
Now, you’ll get varying recommendations based on your grass type, maintenance requirement, but in general you’ll see:
St. Augustine - 2-4lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. annually, divided over 3-4 applications. I.e. putting down 0.5lbs/1000 sq. ft 4 times a year, would net you 2lbs annually.
Centipede - 1-2lbs of nitrogen per 1000sq. ft annually.
Zoysia - 2-4lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. annually
Bermuda - Bermuda loves nitrogen. University guides will tell you 2-4lbs of nitrogen per 1000sq. Ft. annually. But assuming adequate irrigation and mowing to keep up with growth, you can easily put down 1-1.5lbs of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. per month if you need aggressive growth and titrate down accordingly.
Now, most products are a fast-release nitrogen source, meaning it’s in and out pretty quickly. However, there are some products that have a slow-release component, most well known is milorganite. These products breakdown over 8-10 weeks and provide a source of nitrogen. Many St. Aug and Centipede lawn owners prefer this as their nitrogen source to avoid over fertilizing their lawns. There are also some mixed products that contain fast and slow release nitrogen. You’ll need to read the label for breakdown of percentages of each.
When to fertilize: General rule of thumb is April 15/tax day. But really, just when you’re grass is actively growing.
Other Soil amendments and soil testing:
So while nitrogen may be the most talked about additive to the lawn, there are other important nutrients and factors that are important to lawn health. Not only phosphorus and potassium, but also iron, micronutrients, pH of your soil can all have an effect. So this is where soil testing comes into play.
When, How, and Where to soil test:
-- Ideally once a year before you make any amendments to the soil, so fall or spring seems to be when most people will test their lawn.
-- Most kits will provide you suggest how to take a soil sample. In general you want to sample 4-8 spots in your lawn, mix the soil and send the needed amount off. It’s best to zone off what you are testing if you have different areas (i.e. back yard vs front yard vs landscape beds, fruit trees etc.). I personally have a soil sampler, which makes collecting a breeze: Soil Sampler - Amazon link
Where - Most university Ag extension offices offer soil analysis and kits may be found at your local nurseries or garden center. I have linked LSU website here: LSU Ag Soil testing
There are also commercial tests available as well, which may provide some more nuance in the testing. I have used A&L great lakes before: A&L Great Lakes Soil testing
Most soil analysis will provide recommendations for annual N-P-K applications, as well as possible adjustments needed to address pH (such as lime or sulfur applications). Luckily for most of you in LA, you’ll likely have nutrient rich soil. The rest of us will be adding potash(K) and a variety of other amendments to help things along.
pH - Most of us in the south are more likely to have an acidic soil vs a alkaline soil. To raise a pH, you’ll use lime. You’ll have recommendations provided as part of the soil analysis, but to add some nuance: In terms of what to use, most would tell you to get dolomitic lime which is "slow" acting. While it takes longer to get into the soil, it does last longer(3years), you can apply more at one application(50lbs/1000sq ft at one time from what I've read), so can be cheaper.
Fast acting like does get into the soil faster, but can also leach faster and you are limited to around 10lbs/1000sqft per application. So need more frequent applications, so more costly.
Changing pH is usually considered a marathon not a sprint. So most would tell you do the recommended applications and check again in 2-3 years.
Watering/Irrigation:
General recommendations is 1-1.5inch of water per week depending on the time of year and temperatures. Depending on your soil type you may be able to do this once per week(Clay soils) with a long watering session or you may need to break it up over the course of a week/daily or every other day (Sandy soils) with shorter sessions. If you are unsure of your soil type, some soil analysis testing will provide a CEC number which will guide you regarding on how well your soil will hold water and nutrients. You can use a rain gauge or a tuna can to determine how long it takes to delivery the amount of water you need.
Mowing:
Mowing often will always provide some of the best results. You take off less of the leaf blade each time, which minimizes stress on the lawn. Additionally, you don’t need to bag and can instead mulch, and with so little taken off, the clippings will breakdown quickly and provide nutrients back to your grass.
Mowing height in general - St. Aug. 2-4 inches, Centipede 1.5-2 inches, Zoysia 1-3 inches, Bermuda 1-2.5 inches. These can always be taken to the extreme and maintained a lower level (sub 1inch) if you’re trying to achieve that fairway look.
Scalping: beginning of the spring as your lawn is starting to green up. Mow as low as you can go and bag all of the clippings. You can then maintain one notch (or more) above your scalp level. This is particularly useful for bermuda. But can apply to other grass types. Some people do not likely to scalp St. Aug or Zoysia grasses.
Posted on 4/20/23 at 7:49 pm to Puffoluffagus
Soil/Filling in holes:
When backfilling holes or leveling the lawn, you may choose different textures depending on your purpose. If you have large holes or dips to fill you may choose to use, more thicker/top soil texture. Be wary of bagged top soil, quality can vary depending on your region and source, but in general in mostly composted wood/mulch with some sand. Much of what you fill in will disappear over time. Much better to just get it from your local nursery, either delivered or dumped into your truck bed. You can even request the nursery to mix your soil such as 2 parts top soil, 1 part sand etc. in order to achieve the texture you desire. If you are need to just level without major holes, then doing sand alone is an option. It would preferable to do masonry sand and avoid river sand if possible due to risk of torpedo grass seeds.
Just got around to scalping my yard for the season a few weeks ago. Looking forward to it filling in and thickening over the next few weeks.
Pic of midsummer last year:
AS mentioned in OP: I've been trying out a cool season grass backyyard. This is SPF-30 KBG. This is year 2 and starting to fill in a fair bit. Taken just a few weeks ago. Will see how it fares over the summer. It usually thins out in the midst of the summer.
This post was edited on 4/29/23 at 2:50 pm
Posted on 4/20/23 at 8:41 pm to Puffoluffagus
Thanks for starting this thread...I was not sure if I was going to start a new thread or just post to an old one.
So I think I have TARR. I'm unsure of the grass species but I think it is St. Aug. I'll be confirming this tomorrow with the builder. The lawn is almost two years old. There is little to no shade. I would say that 80% of the lawn is full sun.
If I'm correct in my assumption, my thoughts were to dethach, apply a fungicide and a layer of peat moss. Any suggestions on my plan is welcomed. Here are some pics ....
Front Lawn:
This is in the back of the house and is what I think the rest of the lawn should look like...
TIA
So I think I have TARR. I'm unsure of the grass species but I think it is St. Aug. I'll be confirming this tomorrow with the builder. The lawn is almost two years old. There is little to no shade. I would say that 80% of the lawn is full sun.
If I'm correct in my assumption, my thoughts were to dethach, apply a fungicide and a layer of peat moss. Any suggestions on my plan is welcomed. Here are some pics ....
Front Lawn:
This is in the back of the house and is what I think the rest of the lawn should look like...
TIA
Posted on 4/20/23 at 8:45 pm to Notro
I think it’s centipede. Did you or anyone else use liquid fert? That looks like tip burn.
Posted on 4/20/23 at 9:01 pm to Puffoluffagus
When should someone use peat vs lime?
And how often?
And how often?
Posted on 4/20/23 at 9:09 pm to WITNESS23
Use peat moss for diseased St Aug, zoysia, and centipede. Mainly take all patch as large patch and grey leaf are easily treatable.
Use elemental sulfur or lime to raise or lower the ph. However only do that if a soil test calls for it.
Use elemental sulfur or lime to raise or lower the ph. However only do that if a soil test calls for it.
Posted on 4/20/23 at 9:55 pm to ronk
quote:
I think it’s centipede. Did you or anyone else use liquid fert? That looks like tip burn.
No...last year about this time I applied Scotts Turf Builder, then around June\early July I used Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food Summerguard. The lawn started to green up and then that last cold snap hit and looked like it killed it. So I cut it and then tried Milorganite a day or so before we got a good shower.
Posted on 4/20/23 at 11:20 pm to Notro
quote:
The lawn started to green up and then that last cold snap hit and looked like it killed it.
Every centipede lawn I’ve seen around South LA looks like this right now. That late freeze after the really warm weather was absolutely brutal.
I’m honestly not sure what recommendations are best. Our weather has continued to be fairly mild so I’m not sure if it’ll bounce back once it really warms up. Some people have recommended trying to rake up/away some of the dead thatch. I don’t think it needs a treatment or chemicals, but not sure how well it will recover. Centipede is always super slow to recover from damage/stress.
Posted on 4/20/23 at 11:21 pm to ronk
quote:
Use peat moss for diseased St Aug,
For TRR do you recommend anything other than peat moss?
Posted on 4/21/23 at 6:27 am to LSUtigerME
quote:
Some people have recommended trying to rake up/away some of the dead thatch.
I’m 100% convinced that with St Aug lightly raking the dead grass from the previous year helps with green up in the spring.
I’m actually running a side by side test for an area that was impacted by take all rot where I have aerated the grass, applied the same peat/top dress and fertilizer/amendments, but in one section I lightly raked and used a blower to get the dead stuff out and the other I didn’t.
My guess is that the rot damage heals faster without the “thatch” which is holding in water which helps cause fungus and prevents as much sun from getting to the small grass that’s trying to grow again from the damaged roots.
For the healthy sections of the yard I didn’t bother because the SA grows so thick the green up wasn’t an issue.
Posted on 4/21/23 at 11:22 am to Puffoluffagus
Got my soil test back, first time getting it done. Tips on what I should do to get it right? Specifically:
1) It states PH ranges as low and very high, but I’ve read 5-7.5 is acceptable. Anything needed here?
2) I see the N addition suggestions, but 14.4lbs is significantly more than the 2-4 per year recommendation I’ve seen here and elsewhere. Is this industrial stuff? What’s my best bet for something from the garden center?
Note my previous plan was to blast it around now with a substantial fertilizer, then use milorganite through the rest of the season over a couple applications.
Front Yard
Back Yard
1) It states PH ranges as low and very high, but I’ve read 5-7.5 is acceptable. Anything needed here?
2) I see the N addition suggestions, but 14.4lbs is significantly more than the 2-4 per year recommendation I’ve seen here and elsewhere. Is this industrial stuff? What’s my best bet for something from the garden center?
Note my previous plan was to blast it around now with a substantial fertilizer, then use milorganite through the rest of the season over a couple applications.
Front Yard
Back Yard
Posted on 4/21/23 at 11:26 am to tide06
Any fungicide that has azoxystrobin in it. Scott's Disease X and Heritage are examples.
Posted on 4/21/23 at 11:30 am to Puffoluffagus
@Chicken / @mods please pin this to the H&G board
Posted on 4/21/23 at 12:03 pm to Gloryheauxl
quote:
2) I see the N addition suggestions, but 14.4lbs is significantly more than the 2-4 per year recommendation I’ve seen here and elsewhere. Is this industrial stuff? What’s my best bet for something from the garden center?
Ammonium sulfate has an analysis of 21-0-0, so 14lbs of ammonium sulfate = 3lbs of actual nitrogen (per year). Continue to use 1lb N per 1,000 per application, 2-4x per year. Your plan to Fert now then use Milo rest of the year sounds good
Posted on 4/21/23 at 1:28 pm to Gloryheauxl
You are high in phosphorous. Skip the milorganite. Just roll with the ams.
Posted on 4/21/23 at 1:59 pm to ronk
quote:
Any fungicide that has azoxystrobin in it. Scott's Disease X and Heritage are examples.
Thanks!
Would you recommend staying a monthly preventative treatment or just quarterly?
Posted on 4/21/23 at 3:43 pm to tide06
I’d like to share a lesson learned for anyone who has fenced in yards. Build a gate that allows heavy equipment access. I had to haul in 12 yds of topsoil and spread it by hand in order to fill in a “mud pit” that’s been plaguing this section of my back yard for a while.
Posted on 4/21/23 at 3:43 pm to tide06
Only treat if you need to. For large patch and grey leaf spot use propiconizole. Azoxystrobin for take all.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 8:05 am to ronk
Is that a good general Fungicide to apply to St. Aug lawns annually?
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