Plugging St augustine.

[odln018]

I've got fairly large "chunks" of St. Augustine in my yard, with the rest being either bare dirt, or dead winter rye.

Ideally, I'd like to put plugs of St. Augustine in, as I like the look, and it seems to do well in my shaded yard.

I understand it will take a while for these plugs to spread, but I'm curious as to whether or not using sod might be better to fill in the bare areas. My only concern with this would be that sod would be higher then the rest of the yard, unless I removed an even amount of dirt to make the sod level.

What would you folks recommend?

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I would let it fill in naturally, but I'm not in a hurry.

Water deeply and infrequently. Water for an hour on a weekly basis.

Mow as high as the deck will go. 6 inches is not too high.

Fertilize regularly with corn meal, alfalfa, or another organic fertilizer. Application rate is 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

[Billusa99]

I plugged a 2 by 6 foot area a year ago and am still waiting for it to fill in. I find the weeds in spring and the dry cracking dirt in summer, where the plug's are not present, a sightly mess.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

And are you watering deeply and infrequently?

And mowing high?

And fertilizing?

[khwoz]

To Billusa99:

If your soil is cracking, you are not watering properly. It also seems like your soil has a problem. Ck this website and the other forums to find your answers. Good luck.