With the arrival of spring comes colorful, blooming flowers, singing birds and the return of green St. Augustine lawns. Spring care for your St. Augustine is just around the corner and for us lawn and garden lovers, this is an exciting time of year!
It's important to note that seasonal St. Augustine maintenance slightly differs each season as temperatures and soil conditions change. In the spring, St. Augustine is just starting to come out of dormancy and turn green again.
Depending on where you're located, your St. Augustine may not have even gone dormant at all!
Read on for a list our turfgrass experts put together on some of the most important spring lawn care tips for your St. Augustine grass going into the spring season.
Spring St. Augustine Grass Care Tips
Watch our series of St. Augustine spring lawn maintenance tips in the playlist below. Select the icon in the top right-hand corner to navigate through the playlist.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXNGBwPrZQQpwcj1xzcwjDYDcKKqG_gyZ&si=DmITQ1LW9fKBm1bS1. Proper Spring St. Augustine Mowing
Timing:
Start mowing when your St. Augustine begins its growth cycle, typically around mid-March, but adjust based on your local climate.
Height:
Maintain a height of 2-4 inches, varying slightly with specific types like Palmetto® or CitraBlue®, which may require slightly lower heights.
Blade Care:
Ensure mower blades are sharp to prevent tearing, which can expose the grass to disease.
2. Choosing the Best Zoysia Lawn Fertilizer for Spring
Timing is Key:
Wait until after the last frost to fertilize to prevent damaging new growth.
Product Recommendations:
Use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer like the Lawnifi Spring Fertilizer Box, which is specially formulated for zoysia’s needs. Apply it only after ensuring there’s no risk of frost, typically after Easter in cooler climates.
3. Setting Up Your Spring Irrigation Schedule
Water Requirements:
St. Augustine needs about 1 inch of water per week, including rainfall. Begin regular watering once the grass exits dormancy.
Efficiency Tips:
Conduct an irrigation audit to ensure even distribution and avoid wastage, especially important in areas like South Florida where watering needs may decrease in winter.
4. Fixing Bare or Damaged Spots
Using St. Augustine Grass Plugs:
Use St. Augustine plugs to fill in bare spots. Prepare the soil properly with a mix of sand and topsoil, ensuring it’s loose and nutrient-rich.
Soil Preparation:
Before planting, prepare the soil by loosening it and adding a light layer of compost to provide nutrients. Do a soil test to make proper amendments to your soil to set it up for success this season.
5. Aerate Your Lawn
Why Aerate?
Aeration helps relieve soil compaction, allowing roots to breathe and absorb nutrients more effectively.
Best Practices:
Aerating is best done during your lawn’s peak growing season. For cool-season grasses, early spring or fall is ideal, while warm-season grasses benefit most from late spring aeration.
Spring Lawn Treatment
6. Weed Control Strategies
Preventive Care:
Apply a pre-emergent herbicide when soil temperatures consistently reach about 55 degrees Fahrenheit to stop weed seeds from germinating. Learn more here.
Active Management:
Use post-emergent herbicides to tackle visible weeds like dandelions and crabgrass. Ensure selective herbicide use, as non-selectives will kill any and all vegetation it comes into contact with
Apply post-emergent weed contrl throughout the spring as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like:
- Crabgrass
- Goosegrass
- Sandspur
- Dallisgrass
- Dandelion
- Chickweed
- White Clover
- Knotweed
- Spurge
- Dollarweed
- Doveweed
- Lespedeze
If you notice weeds and you aren’t sure which type of weed it is, check out our Identifying Common Lawn Weeds blog.
Note: St. Augustine and centipede lawns are sensitive to active ingredients like 2,4-D, MSMA or Mecroprop. Apply an Atrazine-based weed control product like Hi-Yield Atrazine to control weeds. Atrazine products serve as both pre- and post-emergent herbicides.
Pictured above from left to right: Crabgrass, goosegrass and dollarweed.
7. Insect Monitoring and Control
Treatment:
Use appropriate insecticides, ensuring they are suitable for St. Augustine to prevent damage.
Common Pests:
Keep an eye out for pests such as chinch bugs and white grub worms that commonly affect St. Augustine in the spring.
Dylox 6.2 is often used to treat currently existing grub worm infestations that may show up in the summer whereas Imidacloprid-based products like Imidacloprid prevent them as it begins to warm up in the spring.
If the insect control product you use is a granular product, be sure to water it in so that it soaks into your soil. On the other hand, if it’s a liquid product, you will either need to attach it to the end of your garden hose or tank mix it.
Sod webworms are typically more of a summer or fall pest, however, they can still cause a significant and costly nuisance to lawns located throughout the Southern regions of the U.S. during the spring season. Use a product like Natural Guard Spinosad if you notice sod webworm damage.
You can read more about these insects in our Insect Identification blog. Read product labels thoroughly before application.
Pictured above from left to right: White grub worms and a Southern chinch bug.
8. Prevent Disease as Temperatures Begin to Warm Up
As previously mentioned, disease may start to show up as St. Augustine comes out of dormancy. If this is the case, you may need to make applications of a systemic fungicide.
St. Augustine may be prone to gray leaf spot, a disease that shows up around this time that looks like little gray/brown spots on St. Augustine leaf blades.
If you notice any disease outbreaks, you may need to make applications of a systemic fungicide like Heritage G or Propiconazole.
Systemic fungicide applications should take place before you apply any spring fertilizer. If you have fungus in your lawn, the nitrogen found in fertilizers oftentimes feeds it and helps it spread. Apply a systemic fungicide and wait a few weeks before applying any fertilizer.
Read product labels thoroughly.
Pictured above: A closeup of gray leaf spot in St. Augustine grass.
What Should I Do for My St. Augustine Lawn This Spring? - Answered
- Mowing: Begin mowing as St. Augustine starts showing growth. Maintain a height of 2-4 inches, adjusting for specific cultivars. Ensure your mower blades are sharp to avoid tearing the grass.
- Fertilization: Fertilize after the last frost using a formula like the Lawnifi Spring Fertilizer Box, which is designed to support healthy roots and vibrant growth.
- Watering: Increase watering to approximately 1 inch per week, factoring in rainfall, and conduct an irrigation audit to maximize efficiency.
- Weed and Disease Control: Apply pre-emergent herbicides as soil temperatures reach about 55 degrees Fahrenheit and treat any active weeds or diseases with appropriate products.
- Insect Management: Monitor for pests like chinch bugs and grub worms, using targeted insecticides if necessary.
- Repairing Bare Spots: Use St. Augustine plugs to repair bare areas, preparing the ground properly to encourage successful integration.
By adhering to these steps, your St. Augustine lawn will not only sustain its health but also display enhanced beauty, ensuring it remains lush and vigorous throughout the spring and beyond.
