Is my St. Augustine dead or dormant?
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St. Augustine coconut palm: dead
Comments (13)After the lingering effects of the winter where I am, I didn't expect that palm to make it. As to the comments to plant a majesty palm, the answer is no. Majesties don't do well in Florida, the need much more water and much richer soil than they are given (even queens get nutrient deficiencies in our sandy soil, and Majesties need MUCH more fert than queens do). I've only ever seen a couple good majesties in Fl, and they were given super rich soil, lots of fert, and water 24/7, something which I doubt would be given to a palm in that spot. Every other one I've seen here grows to a point and then the trunk gets really thin to the point where it just falls over. I'd say if they were to replant something close to a coconut, a Beccariophoenix alfredii would be the plant for the spot, but they aren't readily available. Maybe someone on the east coast can donate one...See MoreHelp: St. Augustine Grass is dead from fertilization mishap
Comments (8)Linda- I've yet to meet anyone who knows how to water properly around here. They are often surprised just how much is really required. To keep things in perspective... My little sprinkler puts out 5 gallons per minute. Covers maybe 20 ft by 20 ft so 400sqft. 1 inch needed to thoroughly saturate ground 6 inches deep. That's 600 gallons of water per 1000 sqft for one inch of water. My sprinkler puts out 300 gallons per hour per 400 sqft. My total yard is probably 6000 sqft. You can see how long it really takes to thoroughly saturate the ground to keep everything alive. Most folks do not simply water deeply enough. They never reached the roots... Yet some neighbors don't believe me and water 15-30 minutes 3 times a week while I water every 7 to 10 days or more depending on weather. Trees are too valuable. The mature trees will have roots covering much further out beyond branches. Water deeply and they will be healthy. Grass happened to get it anyway and stay alive anyway. That's why my lawn looks great without having to water all the time. I care more about trees actually. I have probably 12 trees and still planting new trees till I run out of space. I prefer shade so I'm willing to spend a few more dollars on water bill than paying thousands of dollars to remove trees......See MoreSection of St. Augustine Grass dead in zone 10
Comments (4)Sooooo, which part of Los Angeles? So far in my informal poll, 12 years long, only one person lived in LA. I grew up in Riverside and have lived all over the Southland for school and jobs, so I'm fairly familiar with the micro climates that matter to you. You were watering totally wrong. We talk about watering deep and infrequent. Deep means 1 full inch all at one time. Measure that with your clock and time how long it takes to fill some cat food or tuna cans placed around the yard. That will be your watering time from now on. Infrequent depends on the temperature. That's where I need to know where you live. If you live in El Segundo it will be different than if you live in Pomona. Most lawns in SoCal are small rectangles. Those can be watered very efficiently with a hose and a turbo oscillator type sprinkler. And yes, I realize this advice flys in the face of everything you read and hear in SoCal, but those people are wrong. Deep and infrequent works everywhere with very few exceptions. Phoenix is not an exception but El Paso is (soil type is much different). If they can deep water once a week during the summer in Phoenix, then nobody in SoCal needs to be watering more often. Getting back to the original issue, you do not need to pull out the dead grass. St Augustine turns a golden color before it dies. It looks very dead but it will return when watered. If it turns to a dry straw color, then it's dead. St Augustine spreads when the temps are between 70 and 80 degrees. That means just about all year long if you live west of the 405. If you live east of the hills around Pomona, that means twice a year in the spring and fall....See MoreWhat to do with my dead new st augustine lawn.
Comments (9)Yes I'd like to see the pictures. You were watering far too long at first and then switched to far too frequently. Here's more on watering. For most lawns you cannot go cold turkey from new grass to mature watering, but St Aug and bermuda are much more tolerant of the switch. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall....See MoreRelated Professionals
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