Avoid Having to Replace Your St. Augustine Grass Sod Lawn
Standard St. Augustine grass cultivars should be mowed at a
height of 3.5 - 4 inches tall!!! Repeatedly mowing at a lower height can increase the stress on your lawn,
thereby increasing lawn problems including shallow grass
roots, increases susceptibility to pest problems and lowered defense
against diseases.
Note: Dwarf and semi dwarf cultivars of St. Augustine grasses have a lower mowing height.
Mow Higher !
Really?
Absoulutely, I am
beyond convinced that this one thing alone will transform your St. Augustine lawn from a nightmare of worry to a
carpet of ease within just a few months. I Understand that it takes some getting used to because for most of us
that is the height that we generally think its time to mow my grass now and then we proceed to mow it down to
2.5 or 3 inches tall. This is almost scalping St. augustine grass every time we mow and it effects everything
about our lawn in a very negative way. Raise your lawn mower to cut at the University of Floridas IFAS
recommended mowing height and watch the difference in health your lawn will have.
I have noticed that on my mowers this will always be at its
absoulutely highest setting and I have even had to
trade the wheels for larger ones on a mower that I purchased
locally here in Jacksonville Florida to even get the mower to be able to mow at the appropriate height for
St. Augustine grass. My 15 years of experience in the Jacksonville area dealing with local gardeners I am
beyond convinced that this one factor alone does more damage to St.
Augustine grass sod than anything else including chinch bugs!
I have even seen professional turf
management companies ignore this rule time after time! When I ask them why they tell me that homeowners don’t
listen or don’t want to pay for the lawn to be mowed more frequently or want the lawn mowed lower like the
neighbor does so they just do it! They have given up trying to educate the homeowner on the problems it can
cause.
Be sure if you have a professional company taking care of your
lawn that you tell them you want the lawn mowed at 3.5 or 4 inch height and that you are aware of the difference
in appearance etc.
I have yet to get a response
when advising to raise mowing heights other than that
it really has made a huge difference in the appearance of their
lawn and sometimes that it is difficult to get their lawn maintenance company to mow at that
height on a regular basis, they will forget, send a different guy etc.
I guarantee you
that if you ignore this rule you will pay for it in the long run, replacing your St. augustine grass
lawn.
General tips for mowing
St. Augustine grass sod:
Take care not
to remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade at any one time making additional mowings
within a few days of each other to get grass down to appropriate height after a delay in
routine due to vacation or rain delays.
NEVER MOW WHEN WET
Leave
grass clippings on when mowing at a proper height and frequency, it will not contribute to thatch
buildup and will reduce water and fertilizer needs. It may be necessary with standard St. Augustine grass lawns when mowing with a rotary mower to allow the clippings to dry
out in clumps and then disperse them into the yard. Make sure to pass over them a few times to fine grade
them.
Other tips to Help You have a problem free St.Augustine lawn
Proper cultural practices will help you reduce the likelyhood of
having to replace your St. Augustine grass lawn. They include a proper mowing hieght as the building block, the
foundation to build your healthy lawn on. Now, you have taken the time to understand what mowing your grass at
the proper height can do for you, take a minute to consider watering and insect scouting techniques that will
sace you time, money and alot of needless worrying over your lawn.
Check out these great links to help you get started on a low maintenance lawn.
Avoid Having to replace your
lawn by these few simple cultural controls for reducing the need for chemical control of lawn
problems.
Avoid having to replace your
lawn by frequently scouting the area for budding insect populations.
Don't think St.Augustine grass sod is right for
you?
Checkout our the other warm season Varities of Sod for
the
Jacksonville | St. Augustine | North Florida Area
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