bringing out the St. Augs

[hime]

So I was walking around in my yard yesterday and noticed that there is a lot of St. Aug in my lawn, but it's overrun by weeds. I'm renting, so it's not my fault.

Question is: What can I do to encourage the St. Augs to grow and the weeds to die, organically? You know, short of getting down there and weeding it myself. :) I am killing off one patch of lawn, either to make a new place to plant or a place to put a plug of St. Aug sod. Haven't decided yet, and I have some time.

[dogwind]

I wouldn't invest much into a rented lawn. However, by following all of the tips on here, you will be encouraging the Augustine to spread, to the detriment of the weeds. Most important is mow high and water deep. Read the sticky posts at the top of the forum for more detail.

[hime]

I know, I'm crazy. It's complicated.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

1. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.

2. Mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above.

3. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.

[Scott Fl]

weeds thrive when the PH of the soil is high or low!

start by finding out the PH of your soil which should be the basis of how you proceed.