Maintain St. Augustine at 3 ½ to 4” and Zoysia at 2” height. Scalping, or removing more than 1/3 of the blade, damages turf. Each time scalping occurs, it causes your grass to go into survival mode and use up its stored carbohydrates. If scalping continues, the grass will run out of stored carbohydrates and will not be able to recover. A common cause of scalping is weed eaters and uneven turf grade.
-Frequency in mowing matters! During the wet summer months, grass grows faster. It should be mowed weekly to keep with the “remove 1/3 only” rule. During dry winter months,it can be mowed less frequently. Try mowing the grass higher during times of stress like drought stress or cold weather.
-Watch out for rutting*during wet months. If ruts occur, be sure to change mowing patterns and use play sand (used in children’s sandbox)to gradually relevel the area. Not watering before mowing but waiting until after mowing can help with rutting. The rutting will cause soil compaction (leaving no oxygen for the roots) which causes the grass to thin out and weeds to come in.
*(depressions left in the turf generally by mowers)
Dull blades are a no-no! They will tear the grass and leave it prone to infection. It will also take away from your lawns appearance! Sharp mower blades provide a clean cut that is vital to the health of your lawn.
Just like you, too much or too little water is not healthy. Applying 1/2” to Zoysia and ¾ to 1” for St. Augustine per watering event is ideal!
March – October water 2x per week
November –February water 1x per 7-14 days
The month of May is generally the driest month of the year! Be sure to service and calibrate your system in February or March as many lawns will struggle from drought stress in May until mid-June when rainy season starts. Irrigation contractors are routinely very busy in the Spring and appointments are difficult to get if you don’t have a maintenance contract!
Requirements vary with different types of grass. Floratam variety of St. Augustine(which is in most yards) requires full sun. This means it will not do well under the shade of your trees and will never fully prosper in partially shaded areas (it will always be thin). Shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine include Seville, Palmetto, and Sapphire. Shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine will still require at least 6 hours of sun per day. In the shade it is recommended that you mow at the highest setting. This will allow for more leaf surface to receive light.
St. Augustine grass likes to be looked at, but not walked on. Grasses that handle traffic include Bermuda, Zoysia, and Paspalum.
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