ONGOING MAINTENANCE FOR FLORATAM, SCOTT’S PROVISTA, CITRABLUE, SEVILLE AND BITTER BLUE ST. AUGUSTINE SOD
Scott’s Provista St Augustine will be similar in care to traditional St Augustine with the added benefit of half the mowing, and complete weed control with the use of Glyphosate broad spectrum Herbicide.
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