\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. You Can Barefoot Test Our Grass Varieties at Our Office. apart in a prepared lawn. St. Augustine grass thrives in sandy soils as long as you are in warmer climates. St. Augustine grass blades are coarser and broader, about 1/3 of an inch in width. When it comes to st. Augustine grass, the most effective grid pattern for these plugs is a diamond one. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Plan the pattern and start digging 4. How to Grow St. Augustine Grass From Seed. Dig a 3" deep hole for each plug (12-16 apart). How To Care For St. Augustine Grass. While I no longer live on a farm today, I still enjoy spending time on my garden and sharing my knowledge with friends and fellow garden enthusiasts. Augustinegrass is grown using plugs, which produce new growth from stems that are above the ground. It thrives in temperatures between 80 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. As your new grass grows and flourishes, water deeper and less frequently this will encourage the roots to extend deeply into the soil. It's not hard to plant a beautiful St. Augustine lawn on your own when you follow these tips from Scotts. Soil pH amendment may also be done before the digging of the holes is done. Nitrogen aids deep root development, which is why its recommended to use nitrogen fertilizers once every 6-8 weeks. Common diseases affecting St. Augustine grass include brown patches, gray leaf spots, and take-all root rot. During the summer, maintain a fertilizing schedule such that you feed it every 6 to 8 weeks. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. You can use a mower at its highest setting (3-4) inches to cut this grass. So, the best thing to do is follow your regions calendar and plant the plugs at a minimum of 90 days before the first expected fall frost. Aside from that, fertilizing the st. Augustine grass, every once in a while, will also encourage vigorous growth and a healthy lawn. Examples include: St. Augustine grass has traditionally been propagated via sod (plugs), and it is in this form that turf farms or their retailers sell it to homeowners and landscapers. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Results may vary. By doing so, you are giving your grasses sufficient time to get prepared for the upcoming extreme weather. We also discussed some of the main queries that come with plug plantation. Exercise caution the first time you mow to avoid pulling up the sod. Monitor the grass for signs of disease and take action promptly if a problem is detected. Make sure to take extra care once the plugs have been planted to establish a dense turf. Local shops usually have much better experts on hand to answer any questions you may have. Be sure to thoroughly wet without causing water to pool. Plugs can be spaced 12 or more inches apart but the closer together they are spaced, the faster the grass fills in for complete coverage. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Another important thing you must remember while digging holes is that it should have the same depth as your st. Augustine grasss root ball. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. One big drawback is that it does not do well with regular foot traffic, so if you're looking . ft. once established. Once cultivated, St. Augustine grass propagates on its own through stolons, plugs, and sod. Once they start spreading, you will notice your lawn is getting greener day by day. Check and fix any drainage problems and slope your lawn away from the house or garage and fill low areas to avoid cases of standing water in your yard. If you look at the list of warm-season grass, you will find St. Augustine grass to be one of the most common grasses in it. Make. They thrive in wet, humid environments. You may start lowering the cutting height slowly by slowly every time you mow. Grass/sod can appear dead but come back. The first step is to examine and calculate the area of the space needing plugs. St Augustine Seville Grass Plugs (32-Count) Natural, Affordable Lawn Improvement In the third week, you should reduce watering to 1-3 times per day and sometimes skip a day between watering if the lawn is not drying out. Gray leaf spot is another fungal disease causing gray lesions on the grass blades. Once the newly planted st. Augustine plugs strongly establish their roots on the surface. Be sure not to water the area to the point where water is standing or pooling in the holes. You might be interested: Determine the exact dimensions of the area youll be planting, to ensure you purchase enough St. Augustine grass plugs. You can find St. Augustine plugs in your local home and garden store. After that, you need to maintain one inch of water every week. Rake the area clean so the new transplant has contact with the soil. Call back the company that laid the grass and ask them to rid the bugs and replant the grass. At this time, you will have some difficulty pulling up a plug from the soil. Lastly, water the plugs again. After about a month I fertilized with a pink fertilizer. Absorbs 6X its weight in water. If the area experiences heavy rain, you may need to improve drainage or create a rain garden to help manage excess water. These months are advisable because they are neither excruciatingly hot nor undesirably cool. Each hole should be spaced according to your plan, 6 to 12 apart. The water should not pool on top of the sod or run off of it. Safely place the plugs in the holes one after the other as you securely tap the soil around them to ensure proper soil-plug contact. Suppose you have followed the above-listed method for how to plant st. augustine grass plugs. However, grass plugs will take almost a year to grow in your lawn fully. Mow and Mulch for Optimal Growth In the fourth week, water 1-2 times every other day. 2002-2022 The Scotts Company LLC. This grass is best for coastal areas. After the holes have been dug, thoroughly water the area. However, the hole should be slightly larger. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Scotts EZ Patch contains fertilizer and a mulch that absorbs up to 6x its weight in water to help St. Augustine grass plugs fill in faster. If the number of weeds is visibly low, you can also hand-pull them. You can also use a hoe or shovel by inserting the blade vertically to cut out the desired piece. After that, cover the roots only and leave the crowns above ground. Yard Butler Sod Plugger turf cutter and grass plug tool for zoysia, St. Augustine, fescue, or centipede grass transplanting & repair - ISP-33 1,515 $4999 FREE delivery Feb 8 - 10 Seed Ranch St Augustine Floratam Grass Plugs - 2 Trays 1 $4095 $27.77 delivery Feb 9 - 13 You can remove weeds and existing grass using all-vegetation herbicide and then wait two weeks. Now, you can use an adequate non-selective herbicide to do this job but remember to wait 2 weeks afterward to allow the herbicides effects to dematerialize. Whether starting a new lawn or replacing an old one, a soil test is necessary for both. It prefers warmer weather and grows best when temperatures are at least 75-degrees Fahrenheit. Established roots mean less water and maximum success. It's easy and quick to establish the grass from sod or plugs. Next, start digging the holes according to the plan. The holes themselves should be spaced 12 inches apart (so holes across the center of each diamond will be 15 inches apart). St. Augustine grass. In doing so, make sure that you dont overdo it. St. Augustinegrass does require water to stay green during periods of drought, however it doesn't need more water than other grass species to remain green. By doing this you are putting fertilizer in direct contact with the developing roots. You need to plant St. Augustine grass sod or plugs when there is full sun. A tray of 18 plugs will cover approximately 32 square feet. One of the great virtues of St. Augustine grass is that you don't have to mow it much, a fact that you will especially appreciate if you crave low maintenance. St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is sometimes called "buffalo grass," although a different plant (Bouteloua dactyloides) is what people usually mean when they refer to the latter. The grass grows fast enough to bridge the gaps during the first year. The heat will evaporate most of the water and leave little behind for the grass. 6:06 pm Water new sod to help roots take hold in the lawn. Read More Here. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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