Augustine grass can grow thick and full really fast especially during the peak growth season. To make this turfgrass spread quickly, you want to ensure you begin the care schedule early enough — even with sod establishment.
The first step to make St. When the soil and growing conditions are ideal, St. Augustine sod will develop firm roots and start to spread quickly within 14 days post-installation.
You can make the grass runners spread quickly by top dressing the lawn with sand — preferably a sand loam soil premix — to improve drainage and aeration and encourage faster growth.
Pro tip: In alkaline soils above pH 7. Augustine grass will develop a chlorotic appearance instead of the typical attractive blue-green color with coarse-textured leaf blades.
To ensure faster spread, establish your St. Plant the sod in full sun 3 months before the first frost of the year to give the grass enough time to develop and grow thick. Be careful not to plant in late fall because the grass will suffer from low temperatures being a warm-season turfgrass.
Pro tip: You can still lay St. Augustine sod in late spring and establish a thick lawn because temperatures will have warmed up enough for faster growth and spread. During this time, shoot and root growth will start to peak in U.
Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through Fertilizer is really important in speeding up the spread of St. Augustine grass. In the early stages post-installation, apply a starter phosphorus fertilizer to stimulate faster root growth and establishment. Do this for the initial 2 months before switching to a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer.
The rule of thumb when fertilizing a St. Augustine lawn is 1 pound of nitrogen per square feet of grass once every two months. Alternatively, apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer once every 10 weeks to maintain a faster spread and growth rate for St. The best way to make St. Augustine grass spread quickly is to water lightly immediately after installation. If the weather is too hot, water lightly twice a day for the first 14 days until the roots are firmly established and to make sure the grass grows thicker.
Keep in mind that without proper watering, St. Augustine grass will easily go into dormancy or start dying. It will take quite a bit of effort to revive and make the grass grow back. Also, too much water can easily cause sogginess in your yard. It takes a lot of effort to clear mud in your yard , so keep the water levels in check. Weeds will invade a new St. Augustine lawn depending on the way it was installed. With proper care and maintenance, and a warm climate, St.
Augustine grass is a shade tolerant , thick and resilient turf, which can also tolerate heat. Well, this can be a straightforward task if you have the proper information on how to grow and maintain a St. Augustine grass lawn. You just need to apply some proper lawn care.
So, read on to know more…. Usually, St. Augustine grass is planted by using sods or plugs. The grass has flat and broad heavy leaves. As it grows, St. Augustine grass spreads and this is helped by stolons, the horizontal shoots, which grow and spread on the ground. Augustine grass spreads quickly compared to most varieties of turfgrasses, which makes it an excellent option to grow a thick and carpet-like lawn. To grow and thrive, St. Augustine grass requires soil with proper nutrients and so, regular fertilizer application is required as part of the lawn maintenance.
The best fertilizer to aid the growth of St. Augustine grass comprises nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus in the ratio Nitrogen is very important for the growth of St. Augustine grass and there should be around 1 pound 0. Care should be taken when using nitrogen fertilizer in the early stages, apply sparingly.
However, for best results, before you apply the fertilizer, measure your yard. Also, verify the chemical composition and ratios of the fertilizer brand before buying the proper one. Once you find the proper fertilizer for your St. Augustine grass lawn, apply it uniformly and avoid over-concentrating it because it can smother the sod and damage it. Once you apply the fertilizer, water the grass; however, you must take care not to overwater.
The soil should just be damp and not soaked because St. Augustine grass does not need a lot of water. Apply the fertilizer after the final frost of the season, because applying the fertilizer before this can harm the grass. Your St. Augustine grass could be turning yellow because of many reasons.
This will speed up the spread of St. Augustine grass. The appropriate mowing height for St. Augustine grass is 3. Phosphorus-laden fertilizers are great for stimulating grass spread during the first few months post-establishment. Afterward, you can switch to normal nitrogen fertilizer.
The appropriate amount is about 0. Be sure to read and follow the bag rate of your preferred fertilizer. I recommend the Lesco product as it contains a high amount of phosphorus for good root growth and establishment. It entails watering multiple times daily during the first-week post-installation. For the second week, ensure to irrigate your St. By the sixth week, you should have scaled back the irrigation frequency to a point whereby you only water the lawn when necessary.
Being a warm-season turfgrass, St. Augustine grows best during summer. You should, therefore, establish your lawn in mid-summer when conditions are great for the growth and spread of this grass species all over your lawn.
Augustine grass is usually dormant during the colder winter and fall seasons. Growing during these seasons is- thus- not recommended if you want a quick spread. You may also need to kill weeds early enough to prevent competition for nutrients and allow your lawn to grow thicker. Unwanted weeds within your lawn will compete for important nutrients with your St.
Weed invasion can really hinder the growth and spread of the desired plant species. Augustine spread quickly and grow thicker. Common notorious grass weeds that can slow down the growth and spread of St. Augustine grass include crabgrass, dallisgrass, and most broadleaf weeds.
Look at our best Weed Killer for St. Augustine Grass here. Doing so can damage your grass. Normally, it takes about days for newly installed St. Augustine grass plugs to begin spreading, following firm root establishment in the soil. Below, we take a look at the various plug installation spacing methods that will determine how quickly your St. Augustine grass plugs spread. This method requires a inch spacing between the sprigs, creating ample room for healthy root development.
When the roots are able to tap adequate nutrients from the soil despite such close spacing, your chances of ending up with a fast fill-in are higher. Typically, you should have a fully-filled, thick lush green lawn within months if conditions are perfect. This density choice requires St.
Augustine grass plugs to be spaced out about inches from each other. With this density, the St. This option requires a inch spacing- and is recommended for lawns that experience low foot traffic since it takes time for the St. Augustine plugs to fully spread out over the entire lawn with such wide spacing. Typically, it takes well over a year for St. Augustine grass to spread and fully fill in over a regular-sized backyard lawn.
Short answer, no. Unless you are planning on starting a sod farm. This grass type comes in plugs or cuts of squares on palets and this is what you will plant in your yards. Using plugs is much cheaper upfront but requires a few weeks of patience while it fills in. I have never purchased St. I leave that to the sod farms and just buy plugs if I need to fill in a spot in a St. Augustine yard.
Shop for St. Augustine Grass at SodSolutions and have it sent directly to your door. Augustine grass is a fast-spreading turfgrass species. However, you can still improve this spread-rate by considering a few aspects. But always start with a soil test so you know how to treat your yard properly for optimal growth. The rate at which St. Hi, Alex Kuritz. Growing up I remember that my family had one of the best lawns in the neighborhood.
Richly green and lush. I can say I have years of experience, and I am here to share it with you. Please leave your comments below as I try to respond to everyone that has questions. Hi saw your video I have st. Augustine sod for about 3 weeks. Wondering when and which brand I should get for fertilizer? Also, can I add grass seed to the more barren areas? If so, which type do you recommend…is St.
Augustine grass seed available? For now, I light-water 2 times per week Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my questions. Sincerely Judy Kirshner. Just, try Sunniland out of Sanford.
I suggest the white bags labeled Sunnlind Professional. Go to sunnilands website they have all their products broken down. I never seen seeds??? I have an area of roughly sq ft where the St. Augustine runners are dry and visible.
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