Preparing to Resod St. Augustine Grass

14 years ago

My backyard used to be St Augustine but has been taken over by Bermuda and I also have a lot of bare spots. I need to resod the entire backyard with St Augustine. I live in southeast Texas and have got mixed instructions on what to do. Some say just cut the grass as low as possible and lay new sod down others say to spray all of the bermuda with Roundup once a week for two weeks then resod. Which is correct?

Thanks

Featured Answer

texas_weed

14 years ago

You need to go further than that and wait until much later in the year to get started. Even then the Bermuda will return.

You want to wait until the Bermuda is greened up and growing like crazy like in Late May or June. Keep it fertilized, watered and mowed short. Then on a good hot day where weather is predicted to be warm with no rain. Hit the Bermuda with RU-PRO granules mixed at irradiation strength, wait a few days, water, mow, and fertilize the grass. One week after initial application hit it again, repeat procedure one more time for a total of 3 minimum. After the 4th week the. surface Bermuda should be dead.

Re-grade the area and lay down new SA sod. Then during the year watch for Bermuda sprigs to pop up because they will. Pull then up as soon as you see them. It will be a life long battle in the full sun areas especially if the Bermuda is a common type, you have billions of fertile seeds just waiting to germinate, and Bermuda roots go very deep where no Round Up goes.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
Does that sound like too much work? How important is this lawn? Does it need to be perfect?

Maybe a better question is this, Are you going to water it when it needs water? Or when the next drought comes, will you stop watering?
0
Related Discussions
Resodding St. Augustine Grass
Q
Comments (1)
No need for sand. Sand is sometimes used to help level a hole or depression. Try to make your yard as smooth as you can before laying the sod. Make sure the sod has good ground contact. Exposed edges usually die back and take a long time to recover. Putting soil in gaps and around the outer edges of the sod helps sod grow and spread much quicker. Keep it watered well.
...See More
Weeds in St Augustine grass
Q
Comments (4)
karenfharr, perhaps the easiest issue to address is the 'bahia'. It is not a good idea for the reason you mentioned and the fact that it seeds very frequently. In the summer, bahia lawns are mowed more often to remove seed heads rather than to cut the grass blades. Those seed heads in patches on your front lawn will not look pretty. The easiest way to check on the mowing height is to have the operator set a short length of 2x4 lumber (provide a piece) edgeways, between the mower blade and the driveway; it should be an effortless fit. Note the settings on the mower and insist that (s)he reset (if necessary) the cutting height when he mows your property. If you cannot be there, use the top of a sprinkler head as reference and try to measure the grass height in the morning and again in the afternoon after it has been mowed. After a while you will be able to look at your lawn after it has been mowed and tell if it was done at the correct height. It will make for good relationships in the future if you let the OWNER know of any concerns you may have on the very day of service. The local extension office should have some advice on how to choose a lawn service. I gather that the tough weeds are crabgrass and nutsedge. Each requires specific chemicals and meticulous application techniques. Insist on having the CPO come out and provide you with a plan and time expectation BEFORE you sign anything. Be prepared for a fairly lengthy battle - at least one year. Adopt "caveat emptor" as your mantra whenever you have to deal with either service.
...See More
De-thatching St. Augustine grass - is it a no-no?
Q
Comments (2)
Because St Aug propagates over the surface of the soil, if you run a dethatcher you will shred all those stolons and kill the entire lawn. If you have a thatch problem, then you are doing something wrong. Usually thatch forms in St Aug because of too frequent watering and too frequent fertilizing. That kind of care allows the roots to develop so close to the surface that they need not even enter the soil. Thus the entire plant can live above the surface. For your grass you should be watering once per week during the summer heat and monthly the rest of the year. This summer my grass was suffering badly so I had to water two weeks in a row for 7 hours each time. I watered 5 hours on Tuesday morning (our designated day to water) and 2 hours on Tuesday night. Normally I water 1-3 hours per week to get enough water to last all week. But after 20 months of deep drought, the grass was going downhill. The extended watering perked it up and I've been able to maintain it the rest of the summer with less water. Also you should be mulch mowing every week at your mower's highest setting. The clippings will decompose and return valuable nutrients to the soil allowing you to fertilize less. By mowing at the highest setting you will be shading the soil better and keeping it cooler. Cooler soil does not lose as much moisture to evaporation. I usually (half jokingly) suggest that St Aug owners weld their mower deck at the highest setting. There is NEVER any reason to lower the deck on St Augustine. I fertilize with organic fertilizer 5 times per year on the federal holidays. I start on Washington's Birthday and end on Thanksgiving. If you want to use synthetic fertilizer you can follow a similar schedule but skip the 4th of July (too hot) and don't fertilize as early as I do. Wait until you have mowed the grass for the second time to ensure you have active roots to take up the fertilizer. Organic fertilizer works much differently so you do it a little different.
...See More
Brown Spots in St Augustine (Palmetto) grass
Q
Comments (3)
Wish I had more info for you since your plan sounds much better than a toxic, chemical lawn. I used to be more into grass/mowing in OH, but as hot as it is here, I just don't want to mow any more than necessary, no idea how to cultivate the grass here on purpose. And even right after mowing, it's not comfortable on bare feet, blah. We cut it as low as possible, as rarely as possible, and rejoice when drought or cold makes it stop for a while. I'm hope someone who appreciates fertilizing/cultivating grass will pop by with something actually helpful to answer your questions. Good luck!
...See More
rahobbs
Original Author
14 years ago
It is pretty important we just had a new patio poured and patio cover installed. I try to keep it fertilized and watered as needed. I used to have a dog but we don't anymore. we will be spending alot more time in the backyard with the kids since we also put in an above the ground pool.
0
texas_weed
14 years ago
Rahobs don't take this wrong because as I am really trying to help you out here, but if the back yard has really been taken over by Bermuda, it is going to take a whole lot of work to get rid of it and keep it out. As I mentioned earlier it will be a never ending battle.

Rather than fighting Mother Nature, have you considered switching to Bermuda? Your area is perfect for it. It would be a lot easier just to buy a quality Bermuda sod, and you can start now.

Just a thought OK.
0
rahobbs
Original Author
14 years ago
OK, thanks for the advice. That is certainly something to think about.
0
dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
At the same time, I would continue with the St Aug. I've seen St Aug completely overrun bermuda in a matter of a few years. It was a situation where the neighbor's St Aug encroached into a very nice bermuda turf. Both lawns are now 100% St Augustine with no apparent signs of bermuda.

These two grasses can dominate over each other depending on how you care for them. If you keep the turf watered regularly (at least ever 2 weeks in the heat of summer) and you mow it at your mower's highest setting, you will have a lawn that looks like St Augustine. In fact I believe the St Aug will completely kill out bermuda turf. Texas Weed and I have different experiences with this, and we've talked about it. But if you let a drought go without watering at all, you will have a bermuda lawn with no St Augustine at all. St Augustine will die if not watered whereas bermuda just goes dormant. When a St Aug turf dies, there will be common bermuda seeds ready to sprout and fill in. I suspect that is the case in your yard. The biggest problem comes if you mow low and still water. Then you will have a lawn that looks very weedy because the two grasses will both kick into a low growing mode. Low growing St Aug is pretty ugly in my opinion. Mix it into bermuda and mow low and it gets uglier.

I would rent a sod cutter to remove the surface grass and then get enough pieces of Floratam St Augustine to cover the lawn. Roll that down and keep it moist until the roots knit in with the underlying soil. Don't get the grass and then the sod cutter. Fresh St Augustine grass on a pallet can suffocate before you get it down.
0
rahobbs
Original Author
13 years ago
I have killed all of the bermuda and haven't seen any come back in a couple of weeks. Should I put down a layer of sand or soil or something else before I lay down the new sod? I have seen lots of people use sand but I just don't think it looks right or if it provides any benefit. Any other tips to prepare for it?
0

Preparing to Resod St. Augustine Grass

texas_weed

Comments (7)

dchall_san_antonio

Related Discussions

rahobbs
Original Author

texas_weed

rahobbs
Original Author

dchall_san_antonio

rahobbs
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Preparing to Resod St. Augustine Grass

texas_weed

Comments (7)

dchall_san_antonio

Related Discussions

rahobbsOriginal Author

texas_weed

rahobbsOriginal Author

dchall_san_antonio

rahobbsOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

rahobbs
Original Author

rahobbs
Original Author

rahobbs
Original Author