Howdy!

We have St. Augustine grass that has seen better days. I am wondering what kind of fertilizer I ought to be using?

Thanks!

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Meow!

call Bryan at 979-492-3111

Lowe's has a "Texas Turf" fertilizer that has done well for me in the past. It's slow-release and lasts about 3 months. It also has a little iron, which our soils lack.

You want a fertilizer with a ratio of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 on the analysis of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (in that order). For ex, the Texas Turf I use has a 15-5-10 analysis (or 3-1-2 ratio).

I heard Neill(sp?) Sperry a couple of weeks ago say not to use any phosphorus with our clay soils.

Ammonium nitrate and water the hell out of it...

Gig'em

Get some concentrated Nitric Acid...
Get some potash...

Some iron filings...

mix until you feel it is right and spread/water.

Should help out the lawn.

~egon

I put some Scotts weed and feed about a month ago and I have the greenest lawn on the street....and you don't have to water anymore than you normally would this time of year.

Pour concrete and paint it green.

Scott's Bonus S if you want a weed n feed. Otherwise use their Turf Builder for southern lawns. Scott's is more finely ground and evenly mixed than many other brands.

On a side note--if you use a product like Ironite or other fertilizers that contain iron granules DO NOT let it sit on any concrete and get rained or watered on. You will have permanent rust stains everywhere! (Don't ask how I know).

I have always used Bonus S as well. I think it's a good product for our area based on annual results I get when I use it/vs. forget to use it. Good luck

Brazos Best from Producers Cooperative in Bryan.

Scotts hands down. Nothing will even come close!!!

Here is some fertilizer economics for you. Add all of the numbers up (ex. 3-1-2=6) and that represents the percent of actual fertilizer in the bag. The rest is filler. You want the the highest total numbers (in the correct ratios) for the lowest price.

Scott's does make a good product. Their slow release formulation is ldeal for any soils and they usually have about 2% chelated iron which is what really greens your grass up. Someone had mentioned iron filings; you could get the same results from parking an old Chevy in the yard and letting it rust. Iron that isn't chelated will simply bind up in the soil and be unusable to the roots. That is due to our very high pH in this area at which levels iron is insoluble.

[This message has been edited by Aggeepop (edited 4/3/2009 7:12a).]

[This message has been edited by Aggeepop (edited 4/3/2009 7:13a).]

Second all the suggestions for Scotts and Brazos Best. We have used both with great success. I did learn several years ago to add a small box of Epsom salts with the fertilizer to counter the chlorine in our water. Seems to work well.

Once you get the lawn back into shape, get a hose end sprayer and mix: 1 can of Coke, 1/2 cup of ammonia, and 1/3 cup of liquid soap. Spray over the grass once every 6 weeks or so. The ammonia is liquid barnyard, and will help with the green up, and the sugars form the Coke work with the good things in the soil to help break down the thatch. The soap is a surfactant and helps the grass and soil absorb the mixture. This has done me well for many years.

rsa, I thought I had heard them all from years working in the Extension Horticulture department at A&M but that takes the cake. That is the funniest thing that I have ever read on this site.

On second thought, to hell with spraying it on your lawn. Just add some Captain and start your night off right.

Scott's Weed and Feed is great. But watch out if you have a pear tree. This stuff almost killed mine. Two years later it's still sickly.

Aggeepop--a little Captain (or a lot!) makes any chore more pleasant.

The coke and ammonia recipe came out of a couple of Jerry Baker's lawn & garden books. Sounds goofy, but it seems to work.

Thanks very much for all the helpful replies! I ended up using Scott's. Will hopefully see an improvement soon

--
Meow!

Double check what the ratio of the Scott's you used is. The reason you want a 3-1-2 is because you want to develop the root system better. Last I checked, the Scott's Southern TurfBuilder that my roommate bought last year is like 28-3-7 or something stupid like that... putting that much nitrogen down on your lawn will make it nice and green, but as soon as July hits it'll turn brown and die forever. Then water deeply once or twice a week.

If you live in a house that was recently sodded, make sure you use some root development fertilizer, aka 'starter fertilizer' for a month or two and then hit it with a 3-1-2.

I have a clay soil with very little moisture retention and some serious trace mineral deficiencies, so I also hit it with lime or gypsum a couple times a year ... about every six months. The extra calcium helps break down the clay a bit. It'll take a few years to really show a BIG difference, but I've already had the lawn come back in a major way from when it pretty much died the first year I was here.

In CS, Lowe's has the best selection of fertilizers... they have a generic 15-5-10 that was like $4/bag, and one bag will do a huge lawn for an entire year.

superspeck says: "the Scott's Southern TurfBuilder that my roommate bought last year is like 28-3-7 or something stupid like that..."

This is not stupid but rather is basically the correct ratio for our soil. Producers in Bryan makes and sells their own fertilizer (Brazos Best) specialized for our area soil at a ratio of 23-0-3, because there is so much phosphorus here already (see Neil Sperry recommendation above by taxpreparer). Scotts is just made with a larger southern audience in mind, not only the Brazos valley. Any low middle number fert will work well here, inc. the scotts.

3(or4)-1-2 is a general national recommendation, but is basically much too much phosphorus for repeated applications here. Results might be good with a 3-1-2, but will be better with something with much much less P...

Vitagro

Ophelia wanted me to tell you all, that her grass looks AMAZING! Used Scott's Weed & Feed and we're now having to mow weekly!

Thanks TxAgs!

Everyone remember to but their anti-grub application of choice down the last week of May. Those dying patches showing up when the heat hits in early June aren't directly from lack of water with the increased heat. They are typically from the grubs eating the roots in those areas.

My husband a CCA( certified crop advisor) says, you have to be careful with the weed and feed part. Some yellow herbicides tend to root prune which will reduce coverage of grasses.

The last number K promotes root growth and will help with coverage. Khelated or sequestrened(?) iron depending on upon the soil will help green up the yard. These iron formulations are available to the plant immediately and are different than what a rusty pickup truck would leave.

We hope this helps. We do have a pretty yard. So, I guess he knows what he is doing. he he

just do what this guy did and put Field Turf in your front yard..stays green year around

quote:

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This is not stupid but rather is basically the correct ratio for our soil. Producers in Bryan makes and sells their own fertilizer (Brazos Best) specialized for our area soil at a ratio of 23-0-3, because there is so much phosphorus here already (see Neil Sperry recommendation above by taxpreparer). Scotts is just made with a larger southern audience in mind, not only the Brazos valley. Any low middle number fert will work well here, inc. the scotts.

3(or4)-1-2 is a general national recommendation, but is basically much too much phosphorus for repeated applications here. Results might be good with a 3-1-2, but will be better with something with much much less P...

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Funny, the 3-1-2 is the recommendation of the Texas Agrilife Extension for our county... and I could swear I have Neil Sperry's book on gardening in Texas, and that's what he says is best for a zone 8 St. Aug lawn.

Brazos County has several soil types and not all of them are overdosed in phosphorous, especially if you're on fill that was hauled in from elsewhere to a new subdivision.

My experience with the all-nitrogen Scotts weed&feed products was poor. I uesd them last year and the year before. The St. Aug grass (from sod, 3 yo lawn) did not root deeply and had no drought tolerance. I lost most of my lawn last year to the point where the HOA was making grumbly noises in my direction and I had to irrigate almost nightly just to get it through the hottest months. This year, I've been applying the cheapest 3-1-2 at Lowe's ($5 a bag for 15-5-10) once a month and my lawn looks ten times better, and deep watering has been effective. I also added some lime and iron.

[This message has been edited by superspeck (edited 5/11/2009 1:06p).]