St Augustine Grass: Water, Fertilizer, Pests and Mowing

St Augustine grass is a warm season grass. It is a dark blue/green grass that is coarse. It has hard flat stems and flat broad leaves. This grass grows very quick and tolerates shade, as well as sun and salty soils. St. Augustine grass may not tolerate well in a high traffic area and it will probably turn brown during the winter months.

This grass needs a lot of iron, so fertilization is necessary to keep it in good shape. You should fertilize this grass in the spring, summer and fall. Proper fertilization will prompt your grass to knit together to form a tight turf. This will keep weeds from taking root and growing.

You should not mow this grass any shorter than 2 ½ to 3 inches. Avoid mowing altogether if you are experiencing a draught in your area. While St Augustine grass can endure periods of draught, if you want to keep your lawn healthy and looking its best, you should water it during times of draught. Thatch your St Augustine lawn in the spring if more than ½ inch of thatch if present.

Chinch bugs are a problem with St Augustine grass because they love to munch on it. You will know you have a problem with cinch bungs if your grass turns yellowish brown, dries out and wilts during the months of April through October.

To check to see if you have a chinch bug infestation, choose a sunny spot on your lawn around the edge of an area where the grass is starting to turn yellow. Take a can that has both ends cut out of it and push it about three inches into the soil in this area. Pour water into the can and keep it full of water for about 10 minutes. If you have chinch bugs they will start to float to the surface in the can. These pests are brown to black with white wings. Nymphs will be pink to red with a white stripe around their bodies.

While Chinch bugs will feed on many different kinds of grasses, their favorite is St Augustine grass. These pests and their babies will suck the juice out of your grass blades. If that is not bad enough, they also inject a poison into the grass blades that will cause it to die. If your St. Augustine grass is showing signs of chinch bugs, you should treat your lawn as soon as possible. If you do not, these little pests can kill your yard in less than a week.

To protect your St Augustine grass and to control these little pests you should apply a multi-purpose insect spray or lawn insect granules. Prior to applying the chemicals, you should mow and water your lawn. The water will bring the chinch bugs to the surface. To prevent a re-infestation of chinch bugs, treat your lawn again in two months.

Learn more here in our online guide to choosing lawn mowers and trimmers based on their performance and best features of the various models: How to Buy The Best Lawn Mower For Your Needs.

You can also learn here about lawn care for beginners to help you grow a beautiful grass lawn.

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