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Features
- Forms attractive, blue-green, low growing turf
- Coarse textured
- Low wear tolerance
- Tolerant of alkaline soil and ocean spray
- Bitterblue and Seville are the most tolerant of shade; others need full sun
- Ideal pH 6.5 to 7.5
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Area Suitable for St. Augustine ? |
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Type |
Warm season |
When to Fertilize |
Spring, Summer and Fall |
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Light |
Full sun to partial shade |
Mowing Height |
2 to 3 inches |
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Planting Method |
Sod, plugs |
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ST.AUGUSTINE IN THE LANDSCAPE Back to Top |
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St. Augustine is a favorite grass in warm climates where the soil is sandy or alkaline. Its bluish-green color persists longer into the fall than other warm-season grasses, and St. Augustine thrives in high shade beneath tall pines. It is also the favored grass along the beach, where salt air or brackish water can often give other grasses a problem.. |
Easy to grow, St. Augustine is quick to fill out and form a deep green lawn. |
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St. Augustine is the best warm-season grass for partial shade. Some selections such as Seville and Bitterblue will grow in heavier shade. St. Augustine will grow in full sun, too. |
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St. Augustine lawn will survive periodic droughts, but if you want it to look picture perfect, you will probably need to provide extra water when dry spells last longer than a week. |
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St. Augustine responds dramatically to being properly fed. Fertilize it right, and your St. Augustine will "knit" itself into a tight turf that naturally resists weeds. A fertilizer that contains iron will insure a maximum green color. |
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BEAUTIFUL ST. AUGUSTINE, SEASON BY SEASON Back to Top |
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You can have a beautiful St. Augustine lawn by following an easy Vigoro Ultra Turf Step-by-Step Annual Lawn Care Program. Together with proper mowing and watering, these measures will help St. Augustine grow strong and healthy.
St. Augustine spreads by above-ground stems or runners, called stolons. The stolons need occasional edging to keep them out of flower or shrub borders. Pieces of rooted stolon that are removed by edging are easy to transplant and can be used to patch bare spots in the lawn. After transplanting, be careful to keep them watered as the small pieces dry out quickly. |
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VIGORO ULTRA TURF STEP-BY-STEP ANNUAL LAWN CARE PROGRAM Back to Top |
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To get weed problems under control, follow the Vigoro Ultra Turf Step-by-Step Lawn Care Program shaded in purple. If your lawn is already in good condition, follow the Vigoro Ultra Turf Step-by-Step Annual Lawn Care Program shaded in blue. You can start either program during any season, but the key is to complete a full year. After a year you will see marked improvements in your lawn. When applying any lawn care product, always read the entire label first and follow directions. Be especially careful with weed control products and only use products labeled for use on St. Augustine. |
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Restoring St. Augustine |
Maintaining St. Augustine |
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Step 1: Apply in late winter or early spring
- Vigoro Ultra Turf St. Augustine Weed and Feed
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Step 1: Apply in late winter or early spring
- Lime (only if needed to raise pH)
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Step 2: Apply in late spring or early spring
- Vigoro Ultra Turf Turf Fertilizer for St. Augustine
- Insect Control, if needed
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Step 2: Apply in late spring or early summer
- Vigoro Ultra Turf Turf Fertilizer
- Insect Control, if needed
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Step 3: Apply in late summer
- Vigoro Ultra Turf Turf Fertilizer
- Insect Control, if needed
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Step 3: Apply in late summer
- Vigoro Ultra Turf Turf Fertilizer
- Insect Control, if needed
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Step 4: Apply in fall
- Vigoro Ultra Turf St. Augustine Weed and Feed (in South Florida and South Texas)
- Vigoro Ulta Turf Winterizer
- Lime (only if needed to raise pH)
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Step 4: Apply in early fall
- Vigoro Ultra Turf Winterizer
- Vigoro Ultra Turf Turf Fertilizer for St. Augustine (in South Florida and South Texas)
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PRODUCT |
DESCRIPTION |
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Vigoro Ultra Turf St. Augustine Weed and Feed |
Kills broadleaf weeds that are up and growing, such as dollarweed and dandelion. It also stops new weed seeds from germinating. |
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Vigoro Ultra Turf Fertilizer |
Should contain a combination of fast-release nitrogen to green the lawn quickly and timed-release nitrogen to feed grass for up to 2 or 3 months. |
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Vigoro Ultra Turf Winterizer |
Contains timed-release nitrogen and extra potassium to help lawns endure winter stress and green up quickly in spring. |
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Insect Control |
Is important for the control of white grubs, fleas, cutworms, and other major lawn pests. If these have been a problem in your lawn, apply Insect Control early, while the pests are still young. You can also apply Vigoro Ultra Turf Summer Fertilizer with Insect Control to combine feeding and control in one easy application. |
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Lime |
Raises the pH of soil that is too acidic. Lime is an easy-to-use, granular lime that is not as dusty as ordinary lime. |
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VIGORO ULTRA TURF TIPS FOR BETTER ST. AUGUSTINE Back to Top |
- Always use a fertilizer spreader to spread lawn care products evenly. If you apply Vigoro Ultra Turf St. Augustine Weed and Feed, use a drop-type spreader for accurate application at the edge of flower and shrub beds. A broadcast spreader can throw weed control into the planting area where it may cause damage.
- Never mow too close. Close cutting weakens the grass and invites weeds. At the peak of summer raise the mowing height to 3 inches. Avoid mowing altogether when the lawn is stressed by drought.
- Choose a lawn fertilizer that contains iron. Sandy soils often run short of this nutrient which helps St. Augustine maintain a dark green color.
- If more than a 1/2-inch layer of thatch is present (thatch is dead stems and debris that accumulate at the soil's surface), thin and clean your St. Augustine with a power rake in spring, just as new growth begins. You can rent a power rake to make this job go fast.
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OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION Back to Top |
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Working with St. Augustine
Two major pests cause damage to St. Augustine lawns -- chinch bugs and a virus known as St. Augustine Decline (abbreviated SAD). Chinch bugs cause brown patches to develop and they are worse in hot, dry spots of a lawn. Look for tiny black insects with white wings in affected areas. To help find them, soak the spot with a bucket of soapy water to bring them to the surface. Contact your County Extension Service for local recommendations and timing for control. To repair spots damaged by chinch bugs, plant sprigs of resistant varieties, such as Floratam or Floralawn.
To further discourage chinch bugs, fertilize St. Augustine with a lawn food containing timed-release fertilizer. Inexpensive fertilizers that release their nutrients quickly cause a sudden surge in tender new growth and contribute to the buildup of thatch, both of which can lead to problems with chinch bugs.
Floratam, Floralawn and a few other varieties are resistant to the SAD virus, which causes individual grass leaves to become speckled with yellow. Replacing susceptible varieties with resistant ones is the best way to control this disease. While the new sprigs are becoming established, continue to fertilize your lawn with a timed-release fertilizer that contains iron. This can help maintain good color even if the lawn is infected with SAD. |
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