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Homeowner Forum / Lawn and Garden / July 2006Low mow, now dead lawn!
Okay, so I thought the grass looked nicer when it was mowed really short. What did I know about St. Augustine and drought? We left town for a few days after I mowed and the sprinklers stopped working while we were gone. Go figure. So now the lawn is yellow and crispy with patches of green. What can I do at this point? The soil is very shallow, would it help to add a topsoil now? The sprinklers are set to run for 15 minutes every morning, and I've heard this is no way to water St. Aug. in dry conditions. But with such shallow soil, can we really do the deep water/ skip a few days thing? The lawn is in full sun. Should I broadcast some Bermuda? We're also considering cutting out the yellow areas and creating xeriscape gardens, but that will have to be done in phases since we're do-it-yourselfers. The HOA is bound to get on us about it soon. Any advice would be great! > Okay, so I thought the grass looked nicer when it was mowed really > short. What did I know about St. Augustine and drought? We left town [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > to be done in phases since we're do-it-yourselfers. The HOA is bound to > get on us about it soon. Any advice would be great! Well, the advice I'm inclined to give, "move the h*** out of a neighborhood with St Augustine lawns and HOAs" isn't likely to be well received. <G> Google "turf dye." That ought to keep the HOA off your back for a little while. -- Mike Harris Austin, TX > Well, the advice I'm inclined to give, "move the h*** out of a neighborhood > with St Augustine lawns and HOAs" isn't likely to be well received. <G> Oh! I so agree. I had no idea what an HOA was before I moved into my house. Dirty bastids! >> Well, the advice I'm inclined to give, "move the h*** out of a neighborhood >> with St Augustine lawns and HOAs" isn't likely to be well received. <G> > >Oh! I so agree. I had no idea what an HOA was before I moved into my >house. Dirty bastids! Even if you don't have a HOA, there are deed restrictions put in place by the original developer and the city. I am fortunate that my development has no HOA, but if my neighbors wanted to they could call the town and insist I remove a lot of the native plants out front which look rangy for a period in the summer. "austinartistdotnet" <sjacksonstudio@gmail.com> wrote a sad tale of woe and sorrow ... Even the most militant of HOA's (like mine) would surely understand if you simply explain that the sprinkler system failed while you were out of town and the grass died. Do not bring up any of the other issues. Tell them you are working with the County Extension Service to solve the problem. Mike's idea of lawn dye might be a good temporary solution, but use something gentle so as not to kill what's left or poison the soil. I don't know much, nor care much, about lawns, but I know not to make those mistakes ... so here's my 2 cents worth of advice: Call your county extension service! It is their job to help you. See http://texasextension.tamu.edu Go to http://www.growgreen.org and read about proper lawn care. Make sure it is not a chinch bug problem, acerbated by the lack of water. See my post of 7/26/2006 Subject: Fw: summer pests -- Chiggers, Fleas, Chinch bugs Don't do anything rash right now. Grass can come back from the roots. If the soil is deep enough to grow St. Augustine grass, it is deep enough for you to follow the recommended watering regimen. I'm really curious as to why you decided to not follow the recommendations. Did you fancy yourself an expert? Don't put topsoil over the grass unless you're going to re-sod it. Check with your county extension service (or the Travis County Extension Service, who frequently deal with lawn questions) and ask if there is a mulch or compost you could apply and follow their advice (more is not better). Don't plan your Xeriscape now because the lawn is in an unnatural state (even for a lawn). I think a good way to Xeriscape is to replace difficult or problem areas in an otherwise healthy lawn with Xeriscape landscaping. The Travis County Extension Service will send you a Native and Adapted Landscape Plants guide for free (supposedly $1 for non-Travis County residents, but they never charge. Don't tell anyone else :-). Call 512-854-9600. NEVER mow St. Augustine grass short again! It looks better tall. If you really like the putting green look, plant a different grass. Take everything I say with a grain of salt and CALL YOUR COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE! j jhnsn I'm not a Texas Master Gardener, but I sleep with one. > "austinartistdotnet" <sjacksonstudio@gmail.com> wrote > a sad tale of woe and sorrow ... [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > > I'm not a Texas Master Gardener, but I sleep with one. While I agree that putting topsoil over St. Augustine at this time of the season is probably inappropriate, putting topsoil down over St. Augustine will work fine if done in 1" depth increments if kept irrigated in late spring or early fall. In light of current drought, not appropriate until it lets up. A good looking cactus and rock lawn is appropriate for this drought. Not a thing the HOA can say about it that carries any weight. In fact, would probably draw return fire from politicos as they're becoming water conscious as well. My opinion is too treat the lawn for subsurface infestations, keep it mildly irrigated as before. Hope for the best until we've seen the drought subside for at least two month period during a growing season.  SignatureJonny > If the soil is deep enough to grow St. Augustine grass, it is deep enough > for you to follow the recommended watering regimen. I'm really curious as > to why you decided to not follow the recommendations. Did you fancy yourself > an expert? Well, I agree with the deep water/less often regimen. It's my stubborn partner who thinks the soil is too shallow for it to work, so he decided 15 minutes of water a day would be swell. And, by the way, he fancies himself an expert at most things. I'll fiddle with the sprinkler system while he's at work. That should fix it. *grin* Better to apologize (or be thanked) later than to ask permission now, right? > Well, I agree with the deep water/less often regimen. It's my stubborn > partner who thinks the soil is too shallow for it to work, so he > decided 15 minutes of water a day would be swell. And, by the way, he > fancies himself an expert at most things. I'll fiddle with the > sprinkler system while he's at work. That should fix it. *grin* Better > to apologize (or be thanked) later than to ask permission now, right? Have you tried just watering it to see if it comes back. I was on a week-long vacation a few years ago and came back to find that my St. Augustine lawn had lard brown dead-looking swaths in it. I turned on the sprinklers and it came right back. I do deep-water, so the roots were still alive. You may be surprised to find some of the roots still alive. Try watering again. You may need to do nothing else. Mike > to be done in phases since we're do-it-yourselfers. The HOA is bound to > get on us about it soon. Any advice would be great! You should never water every day. Deep waterings every 4-5 days are better. SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com I'm afraid you St Augustine is gone. 1. Buy a pallet(s) of new grass and resod laying over the existing lawn giving you a deeper soil layer 2. Plant bermuda which loves sun and will come back after such a incident and needs less water. 3. Do the xeriscape thing 4. Let it go natural or plant a flower/veggie garden good Luck JEM > Okay, so I thought the grass looked nicer when it was mowed really > short. What did I know about St. Augustine and drought? We left town [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > to be done in phases since we're do-it-yourselfers. The HOA is bound to > get on us about it soon. Any advice would be great! > Okay, so I thought the grass looked nicer when it was mowed really > short. What did I know about St. Augustine and drought? We left town [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > to be done in phases since we're do-it-yourselfers. The HOA is bound to > get on us about it soon. Any advice would be great! Problem is the shallow soil. Native soil here has no appreciable moisture retention capabilities. The subsoil inhabitants are fighting over any moisture if left unirrigated for any length of time. You do have the right idea of adding topsoil. Just the wrong time of the year for doing so. No one can take away your birthday, even the HOA. Just go back to your watering routine until the time comes in fall you can dump an inch or so of topsoil to the lawn. Or, wait till early spring/late winter. SignatureJonny |
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