ARTICLES :: St Augustine Spring Green up

Spring Lawn Green Up By: Melinda Sperl Warmer weather is here, the birds are singing and our yards are coming to life.  You may be tempted to go out and buy that bag of fertilizer and be the first one on your block to have a green lawn.  While it may look good after the gray of winter, you actually are harming your grass for the long term.  By fertilizing now, you actually will force the grass out of dormancy before it is ready.   St. Augustine grass is the most common grass in homeowner’s yards.  It is considered warm season turf and should stay dormant during the cooler months.  Forcing grass out of dormancy can lead to a stressed lawn during the summer months which is the main cause of insects and disease. The recommended time to fertilize warm season grass is after you cut it two times.  Cutting the grass, that is, not your weeds!  This is your cue that the grass is actually growing and is ready to green up.  While most homeowners will not wait that long for a deep green lawn, at least wait until every day and evening is over 80 degrees. It is important to note that this recommendation is only for synthetic fertilizers.  Organic fertilizers, which I highly recommend, can be applied at any time of the year.  Some of these are worm castings, poultry litter and Microlife.  Melinda Sperl is a Horticulturalist and the owner of Dream Landscape Design, Inc.  You can reach Melinda at Melinda@dreamlandscapedesign.com or www.dreamlandscapedesign.com  Published in The Fulshear Times 2-2009