The Grass Doctor

Is it the right time to fertilize my lawn?

I finally got my sprinklers fixed and we got enough rain for my lawn to come back to life but now it's over-run with weeds. I live in South Florida and it's St. Augustine grass so some weed and feeds will kill the grass. Would it help to bring back my yard if I fertilize now? Are there any special tricks to thickens the lawn up? Should I seed too? Will the seed take at this time of year?

Public Comments

1. Where you live, it's perfectly reasonable to fertilize your lawn now. Ask some of your neighbors what products they use for fertilizing and killing weeds. What I use on my lawn up here in northern Florida probably wouldn't be right for your conditions.
2. Check with Home Depot. They have fertilizers that you can use on St. Augustine. With your weather conditions, almost anytime is OK to put down fertilizer. I have a St. Augustine lawn here in Texas, I use the fertilizer at Home Depot. Read the instructions for use on St. Augustine grasses.
3. I will not profess to be either a Professional in either your area orturfgrass. I wiill profess to have both graduated from Penn State and worked at both a Major University for Fifteen years and continue to this day to manage a major Landscape Firm in the area. You may take my accessment as it is based on that. Fertilize away. You do nothing more than feed the weeds. Your turf is that which dominates over time. Frankly, you should be more worried about insect control. There are so many agents that control the insects below, and above, your turf that you need to worry about What I want you to do is to take a soil sample. This will tell you the specific needs of you turf. Augustine is tough, but, suspectable to various insects and virus. The Soil Sample must be sent to the Extension Service from the State College. Checking the Phone Book You will find it. Do not use the local landscape retailer. This test will show the needs of the soil to grow your specific turf. I suspect that they will suggest a combination of Fescue and Ryegrass, and possibly a small percent of Blue. More important is the actual soil content to maintain it. The extension agent will direct you to, if not directly do, the soil test. This is the first step in recovery. Did you aerate the turf? Do you do so twice yearly? What is your cutting height? When and If do you fertilize and then with what? Do you use a pre and post weed control? What Insect Control and when? Does your irrigation meet the standard of 1" per week? I am at your disposal. I am at gjgjobs@yahoo.com. As a retired Landscape Manager and Designer I find questions that make me think. Yours did. I started young and retired young. I'm proud to look on projects I undertook ten to twenty years ago and see them as I designed and intended them to be. ..
4. Do not over seed st augustine, unless its with annual rye for color during the winter months( it will die off in the spring). Yes you can weed and feed but be sure that the active ingredient is atrazine. Scotts Bonus S Southern Weed and Feed is made for use on st. augustine in your area( as well as a liquid concentrate with atrazine.)You can apply it now for controlling winter weeds or in the spring to control spring and summer weeds. If you just want to fertilize then a winterizer by Scotts will green it up and strengthen the roots for spring growth.A well kept st augustine lawn will give weeds a hard time growing, read the back of a scotts fertilizer bag and get on their 4 or 5 step fertilizing program or go on line for the program..it does work if followed. Hope this helps. Once again do not over seed st augustine it is a dominate grass that spreads you do not want other type grasses growing in with it. now if you want to sprig some parts of your lawn then check for st augustine plugs in your area.