Done a pretty lackluster job of taking care of my yard the first couple of years in our house. Not lacking in mowing, weed eating, spreading mulch in beds... but grass is not what it should be. Would like to change that moving forward and take some pride in it. That said, I'm a total novice. Feel free to share the best times to water and fertilize, how often for both, what products are best, etc. Grass is about 95% St Augustine that we laid when built and a little bit of whatever is native in the back corners. First outdoor board post... so take it easy on the rook and my yard ignorance.... know I could probably research all of this, but I trust the good Ags here more so. TIA!

Look up Randy Lemmon lawn fertilization schedule

Getting close to pre-emergent weedkiller time. Halts or Dimension a couple of weeks before the average last freeze, basically meaning late Feb in south TX and early march in north. Do it again in 3 months. Then 3-1-2 ratio fertilizer April 1 and repeat every 2 months with last feeding Oct 1

First things first:
Where do you live and do you have a sprinkler system?
Sun/shade? Drainage good? What is your soil profile? (Blackland clay or 2" sandy loam over caliche and limestone?)

If you haven't been following the randy Lemmon schedule and have some weeds already present, not a ton but a decent amount, is there something you should do for the existing weeds? Or just jump into the schedule?

Go watch TheLawnCareNut on YouTube and buy his warm season plan if you want something to follow

DannyDuberstein said:

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Getting close to pre-emergent weedkiller time. Halts or Dimension a couple of weeks before the average last freeze, basically meaning late Feb in south TX and early march in north. Do it again in 3 months. Then 3-1-2 ratio fertilizer April 1 and repeat every 2 months with last feeding Oct 1

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Did my early year pre-emergent last weekend (Barricade). Will hit it again in a couple of months. Have to catch up for missing November's application last year, so now I'm fighting weeds.

FWIW, Randy Lemmon has a decent schedule but I think he is part of an over problem with over application of chemicals.

I'm in favor of chemicals to get unruly yards into shape, but after that backing off & doing the following:

Use a compost topdress instead of fertilizer. You'll replenish the nutrients & replace soil that has been washed away. I topdress once in the spring & that's pretty much it for my zoysia.

For weeds, I used pre-emergent for a year & got things under control then backed off. I mow regularly & don't give things a chance to get started and re-seed. I'll hand pull a few thistles here & there and spot treat things with chemicals if there really bother me. Despite being in the business, I'm ok with a few weeds here & there if it means less chemicals. No one notices them when it is mowed down anyway.

One thing I haven't done is gone organic for grubs & chinch bugs. Haven't found anything that works well, but I haven't looked too much. I treat in late May & then again in July typically.

Proper watering is a must... most people over water which leads to all sorts of fungal issues & drowns the lawn. I only water when my lawn looks dry & don't follow any schedule. With the new controllers, you have an app on your phone & it is easy. Water deeply & infrequently.

Agree that good compost cures many lawn ills (over time) and can help build a better foundation in a struggling lawn.

It's surprises me that more people don't lay down at least a thin layer in early spring

Apache said:

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First things first:
Where do you live and do you have a sprinkler system?
Sun/shade? Drainage good? What is your soil profile? (Blackland clay or 2" sandy loam over caliche and limestone?)

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I live in Bryan, and yes have a good sprinkler system. Front yard is east facing, so it gets the most amount of sunlight during the day. The backyard gets it's sunlight for most of mid-day onward, but we have a greenbelt behind us that limits it later in the afternoon. Drainage isn't an issue except for a couple corner spots that are an easy fix. Should be just regular clay for soil

A few Aggie professors posted a quick lawn care guide for St Aug as well

http://publications.tamu.edu/TURF_LANDSCAPE/PUB_turf_Maintaining%20St.%20Augustine%20Grass%20Lawns.pdf

This the Randy Lemmon schedule mentioned above.
http://www.randylemmon.com/lawns/fertilize.html

This is the same schedule in chart form for the entire year.
http://www.randylemmon.com/pdf/randysfertilizationschedule.pdf

I have this scheduled printed out in my office at home and follow it. Great results year after year.
Get to work !!!

Fwiw, in the BCS I have used Aggieland Green since 2011 and zero complaints

They even advise on sprinkler settings throughout the year

I've put down pre-emergent like it was going out of style the last 6 months to try and get a hold of the spring weed issue at our new house. Every 2 months instead of the recommended 3. With the mild winter and more rain than normal, it looks like I've been putting down weed fertilizer instead.

I broke down and sprayed yesterday before it completely got out of hand.

In response to post regarding Randy Lemmon, he recommends organic and chemical free options most often. Following his schedule and suggested products, you should rarely if ever need chemical treatments.

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AgLA - what kind of grass?

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