St. Augustine lawn potassium requirements

I have a lawn in the Houston Texas area and the soil consistently tests very low in Potassium. I bought some 0-0-60 fertilizer and I am wondering when I should use it and how much. Also, why would I have such a problem in the first place?

Reply to
Ralf G. Toennies
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Is your lawn showing signs of a problem?

Reply to
Matt

Reply to
Ralf G. Toennies

You have to be careful with St. Augustine and nitrogen fertilizer. More than 2 lbs. per 1,000 per year will contribute to St. Augustine Decline. Could this possibly be your case?

Reply to
Audrey

Ralph, I lived in Houston for a long time and had several St. Aug. lawns. The best thing I ever did for them was to dethatch it. Poke around and see if you have a heavy layer of thatch.

If so you can rent a dethatcher or power rake. You will be absolutely amazed at how much dead grass clipping will come up. Have a good leaf rake handy. ;-)

Also, don't buy one of those lawn mower blades advertised as a dethatcher. Generally they will just have tines on the end and will rip up the sod.

Tyler

P.S. - Dethatching is typically done in cool weather. If you also want to top dress afterwards go see the folks at Teas Nursery over in Bellaire. They sell some excellent mixes.

Reply to
Tyler Hopper

You are going to put down a very high level of K and that is not such a great thing for the soil. I"m sure it will say on the bag when and how much to use.

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Reply to
escapee

Thatch is not grass clippings. It is an occurrence caused by poor watering practices. Watering deeply is how to maintain a beautiful St. Augustine lawn. I don't waste water, so I simply bought a four nipple hose connector. I connected four soaker hoses, 75 feet long, to the connector. I run them one at a time, using a timer for each. With my water pressure, 45 minutes will soak the soil to a depth of 8 inches, which is ideal for St. Augustine. I do this once every ten days all summer and I have the greenest grass on the block, in full and deep shade. I live in Austin. I fertilize once a year and I use LadyBug Brand, which should be available in Houston. If you can't find that, use Sustane, which can be found at good garden centers. It has, I believe, an

8-2-4 ratio of N-P-K and it's certified organic. Organic fertilizers not only have NPK, they also have trace minerals, as well as molasses and other organic matter which feeds the soil organisms. That's how you prevent thatch, which is an overgrowth of the roots, at the surface, when you don't water deeply enough.

Victoria

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Reply to
escapee

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