How to Grow Saint Augustine Grass
>> Monday, November 5, 2012
Article from : ezinearticle.com
Causes Of Thatch In Saint Augustine Grass By Wade Garrett
The thatch layer in St Augustine grass is one of its greatest
drawbacks. Over the years as this thatch layer continues to increase in
thickness, we will begin to find our turf is slowly rising higher and
higher above the pathways surrounding our lawns. Its something which all
homeowners of this grass type have always complained about, so what are
the causes of excessive thatch in St Augustine grass, and what can we
do to prevent it?
Saint Augustine grass is prone to this heavy thatching, so if we're going to use this turf type as a home lawn, then we should understand that we're going to have to expect to be dealing with its thatch layer in one way or another over the life of the lawn.
This grass is quite unique amongst the warm season grass types, in that it doesn't have underground runners called rhizomes. Instead, this lawn type only has above ground runners, which are called stolons. It is these thick stolons which grow above the soil level which make up the majority of thatch and the reason for the thatch occurring so dramatically in St Augustine lawns.
Apart from the natural inclination of this lawn type to thatch heavily, we also have one major factor involved in how we look after this grass type, and most importantly where we choose to grow this sod, which will in turn increase of decrease the incidence of excessive thatch in these lawns.
The biggest factor above all others when it comes to causes of thatching, is whether we grow Saint Augustine grass in the sun or the shade. St Augustine is predominantly a shade type grass, which excels at growing in partial shade levels of up to 70%, whereas other grass types such as Bermuda grass would otherwise just drop dead from lack of sun.
These lawn types also do their very best when grown in these partially shaded environments. And when we grow these lawns in these partial shaded conditions, the turf will natural develop far less thatch. In fact, the thatching of St Augustine grass when grown in partial shade is often negligible, and may not even need any treatments to control thatch in these conditions whatsoever.
However, once we begin growing Saint Augustine grass in full sun, it will be in these growing environments that we will see thatching get to its worst levels. Independent studies into St Augustine grass being grown in Australia recently proved that thatching in St Augustine lawns is substantially worse in full sun, than when this grass is grown in its favourite position in the yard, which is in partial shade.
With these important considerations in mind, if we're wanting to grow St Augustine grass as a home lawn, and to enjoy all the wonderful benefits this lawn provides, then we should also pay careful attention to where we intend to plant this lawn type, before it goes into the ground, while thinking to the future maintenance and care of our St Augustine lawns with careful planning and consideration.
Saint Augustine grass is prone to this heavy thatching, so if we're going to use this turf type as a home lawn, then we should understand that we're going to have to expect to be dealing with its thatch layer in one way or another over the life of the lawn.
This grass is quite unique amongst the warm season grass types, in that it doesn't have underground runners called rhizomes. Instead, this lawn type only has above ground runners, which are called stolons. It is these thick stolons which grow above the soil level which make up the majority of thatch and the reason for the thatch occurring so dramatically in St Augustine lawns.
Apart from the natural inclination of this lawn type to thatch heavily, we also have one major factor involved in how we look after this grass type, and most importantly where we choose to grow this sod, which will in turn increase of decrease the incidence of excessive thatch in these lawns.
The biggest factor above all others when it comes to causes of thatching, is whether we grow Saint Augustine grass in the sun or the shade. St Augustine is predominantly a shade type grass, which excels at growing in partial shade levels of up to 70%, whereas other grass types such as Bermuda grass would otherwise just drop dead from lack of sun.
These lawn types also do their very best when grown in these partially shaded environments. And when we grow these lawns in these partial shaded conditions, the turf will natural develop far less thatch. In fact, the thatching of St Augustine grass when grown in partial shade is often negligible, and may not even need any treatments to control thatch in these conditions whatsoever.
However, once we begin growing Saint Augustine grass in full sun, it will be in these growing environments that we will see thatching get to its worst levels. Independent studies into St Augustine grass being grown in Australia recently proved that thatching in St Augustine lawns is substantially worse in full sun, than when this grass is grown in its favourite position in the yard, which is in partial shade.
With these important considerations in mind, if we're wanting to grow St Augustine grass as a home lawn, and to enjoy all the wonderful benefits this lawn provides, then we should also pay careful attention to where we intend to plant this lawn type, before it goes into the ground, while thinking to the future maintenance and care of our St Augustine lawns with careful planning and consideration.
Wade Garrett is a turf professional with over 10 years experience
in the field of lawn care. With these many years of experience, backed
up by training and ongoing research. Wade now shares his knowledge with
readers on The Buffalo Lawn Care Site, where all matters of Buffalo lawn care are discussed, such as Controlling Armyworm In Buffalo Grass, and the highly respected Buffalo Grass Review, plus discussions of all other aspects of this specialised field of lawn care.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7361655
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