Training your St. Augustine lawn

This spring, one Sat. we traveled 110 miles one way for two verticutting jobs. In this beautiful place Maitland, Florida, we found a 8,000 sq. ft. Zoysia lawn, and a 6,000 sq. ft St. Augustine lawn. Exquisite lawns, cared for by owners who care. They control the mowing, fertilizing and irrigation.
Rarely do you find a St. Augustine lawn, that is kept mowed at 2.5 inches. 90% of the St. Augustine lawns we verticutt are 4" above the sidewalk after mowing.

The thatch is on the surface and top inch of the soil

A while back in a speech I gave about verticutting, I told this true story. It was Sat. morning, John set out to mow his lush St. Augustine yard.  After mowing, it was so peaceful, with the wife and kids of to the park.  John decided to take a nap under a big oak.  With that 4 inches of top growth and a mat of

thatch

thatch, John fell fast asleep. Then he thought he was dreaming, when he heard a voice " i'm dying, i'm dying"  verticutt me, verticutt me, his lawn was crying out!  The moral of the story 'train your lawn'.

In conversation with the gentlemen in Maitland, he explained how he trained his lawn, by just mowing it down a little each week.  But the secret is just not more then a 1/4 inch at a time, and the drier the better.  Start here in Florida in early fall, or in the winter season.  This will get it ready for fall or spring verticutting.
Reasons for verticutting:

• Help remove the thatch
• Thin the top growth
• Prepare lawns for seed
• Thin the runners, cut the rizomes
• In some grasses like Bahia, cutting the rizomes will double it's density
• Aerates the lawn
• Improves the lawns ability to take-up water, fertilizer and pesticides
• Regular verticutting stimulates branching and tightens the turf

If you have any more questions, see all the posts here. Than ask why are golf courses verticutt multiple times a year?

York