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St Augustine lawn
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Author:  doorhinge [ Thu May 10, 2012 4:28 am ]
Post subject:  St Augustine lawn

I live in coastal Alabama. I have aerated and applied corn meal 20 pounds per 1000 sq ft three weeks ago. Lawn looks a little better. The reason I chose corn meal is because I was having signs of grey leaf spot and small areas of brown patch. I still see some leaf spot in areas, should I reapply corn meal? I have the ability to purchase alfalfa pellets or cottonseed meal too. Should I stick with cornmeal or choose one of these others for my monthly application? My south facing lawn is beautiful. Thick and lush with very little problems. The north facing side with more shade is sickly. It has more of the grey leaf spot and has the brown patch. Turf is not as long and healthy looking. Any thoughts?

Author:  northwesterner [ Thu May 24, 2012 5:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: St Augustine lawn

What is the north side like - is it well-drained, and how much shade is "more shade?" How many hours of direct sun a day? Was the lawn treated with chemicals before? How long as the lawn been in place - might there have been debris or chemicals left on that are from building, etc?

I don't pay much attention to my turf, whatever is there gets mowed when it needs it, and a lot of it in front is St. Augustine that grew from next door. I don't claim grass expertise, but when dealing with fungal problems some of the things like straight 3% hydrogen peroxide (grocery store strength) sprayed on the spot might help, or some of the plant wash products. If you find a mix of too much shade and perhaps poor drainage are contributing to the poor health of the lawn you may need to decide what to do about the shade or switch the groundcover in the area. Your best bet for whatever you grow there is to be sure the soil is well-drained, aerated and healthy.

Here is an old newsletter about brownpatch and if you look through the library you'll find a variety of grass fungal problems, like dollar spot and take-all patch.

Author:  user_48634 [ Mon Jun 11, 2012 7:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: St Augustine lawn

Yes absolutely reapply corn meal. The best time to reapply is 3 weeks after the first app but you should still get some benefit after 6 weeks. The reason to reapply is the first dose builds the population of microbes that take care of the disease. When you reapply you are amplifying, reinforcing, and repopulating those little critters.

Author:  doorhinge [ Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: St Augustine lawn

Thanks David
I did reapply the cornmeal. It has really made a difference. Whenever I see an area of grey leaf spot try to develop into brown patch, I just douse the area with cornmeal and lightly wet it. Within a few days, the area has new healthy green grass with no evidence of grey leaf spot, and the brown patch never increases in size. I even had an area of some sort of rust disease. The cornmeal worked wonders on this area. It completely cleared up, and the turf in that area is tall, thick and healthy. I've been using the turf thrive and garrett juice once a month in a hose end sprayer, and plan on continuing this practice till September. I plan to apply dry molasses at 20#/1000sq ft this week for my second application this year. Still watering deeply, and infrequently. Mowing at 4 1/2". I plan on reapplying cornmeal as a spot treatment as needed.

All the best,
Rick

Author:  user_48634 [ Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: St Augustine lawn

It is always good to get first person reports of what is working and what is not. Thank you for taking the time to write back!!

:D :D :D

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