Lets discuss what variety of grass is best for your lawn?

1.   See video  after Verticutting                https://youtu.be/B7U3W3R0suE

This blog is geared for Central and South Florida lawns

Why are golf greens verticutt so often? 

Golf greens ( Bermuda grass) are built on special soil structures, The

 additional traffic then creates compacting of the soil.

Making aeration and verticutting so necessary to the health of the green.

Also because the customer is paying, so the ball must roll on a beautifully clean and smooth surface.

Mowing will require a reel type mower mowed almost daily at about 1", for golf greens.

Greens require much more attention to fertilizers, pesticides, and watering.  As a rule, I would not recommend Bermuda grass for the homeowner, in Central and South Florida. 

The Bitter Blue variety of St. Augustine after Verticutting

excellent for shade and the sun.

   Dwarf Seville St. Augustine after Verticutting

Varieties of St. Augustine

Dwarf Cultivars

'Captiva.'

'Captiva' (Figure 4) was released by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station in 2007. It has dark green, short, narrow leaf blades and reduced vertical leaf extension, making it a slower-growing cultivar. It exhibits improved tolerance to chinch bugs compared to other commercially available cultivars. It is somewhat susceptible to diseases such as large patch and take-all root rot, particularly if it receives excess fertilizer or irrigation. Although it has not been officially evaluated for shade tolerance, the dwarf St. Augustine grass cultivars all have better tolerance to shade than the standard cultivars. It should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches.

Figure 4.  

'Captiva' St. Augustinegrass

Credit: 

K. Kenworthy

[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

'Delmar.'

'Delmar' is often sold as sod or plugs. It has good shade tolerance and also does well in full sun. It has short internodes, a dark green color, and good cold tolerance. ‘Delmar’ is susceptible to chinch bugs, tropical sod webworms (Herpetogramma phaeopteralis), and large patch disease. Like the other dwarf cultivars, it has a tendency to become thatchy. It should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches.

'Sapphire.'

‘Sapphire’ has a blue-green leaf color, purple stolon color, and long leaf blades that remain folded, giving the grass a fine leaf appearance. It spreads rapidly and grows aggressively during the growing season. It is susceptible to most major pests associated with St. Augustinegrass. ‘Sapphire’ should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches.

'Seville.'

‘Seville’ is a fine-leaved variety with a dark green color and a low growth habit. It is susceptible to chinch bug and webworm damage. Like the other dwarf cultivars, ‘Seville’ tends to be prone to thatch. ‘Seville’ performs well in both shade and full sun, but is cold sensitive. It is not as common as ‘Delmar,' but is also a good choice for shady sites. ‘Seville’ should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches

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Bahia grass

Many years ago Bahia was the dominant grass in Central and South Florida. Now it is commonly used for cheap sod installations, and along roadways, etc.

Because of the damage by the mole cricket,  the University of Florida developed Floratam St. Augustine.

Now many years later you rarely see a beautiful Bahia lawn, why?   

• Possible lack of know-how on how to care for it?
• Poor sod quality; it falls apart when trying to pick it up.
• Installation is like piecing a puzzle together.
• Almost always needs to be leveled with a lawn roller, after installation.

The benefits

• Can be considerably cheaper than other grasses.
• Can be grown from seed
• Requires fertilizer only twice a year.
• One good watering every other week will keep it green.
• Requires mowing maybe once a month in what we call our winter season.
• Benefits greatly from verticutting.
• With proper care, you may have a beautiful and cheap lawn.
• 
  

Some  disadvantages

• May grow 6 inches a week in the summer months.
• Will require at least two-mole crickets treatments a year.

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My recommendations

• If you want simple and cheap go with Bahia.
• For a St. Augustine lawn, only a dwarf variety ( Seville ), it will not build up the matting like Bitterblue and Floratam.
• Seville may be mowed at 2-2.5', this is never hard to mow.
• Other non-dwarf varieties will need mowing at 4 -5"

You decide: If you want less work as the cost of keeping a lawn beautiful can be expensive for some, then Bahia is best.

1. Does not require a sprinkler system.
2. Fertilize only twice a year.
3. Must have mole cricket control.

Drawf St. Augustine: Seville is the best choice.

1. My opinion; because St. Augustine lawns are over watered and fertilized here, the Seville is by far the best choice.
2. You will never see a homeowner strugging to mow it!

 On June 8tth,  I Verticutt this beautiful lawn in the photos below 

This woman is my hero; she is mowing this beautiful lawn with a a small 21" mower. The matting along with top growth and thatch was as high as 6".  You could nap there in the shade thinking you were sleeping on the best mattress ever!

This Seville below will never be like the lawn above. The truth is on the same over fertilizing and over watering programs, this Seville will maybe grow to a height of 3".

The non-drawf variety above can never be mowed at even 3" in the season, except after Vertictting.

1. The homeowner will never struggle to mow Seville.
2. When the Lawn Maintenance contractor comes to mow, he has to lower his mower, On the non-drawf variety, they will have to raise their mower deck in the growing season to 4-5.

Make an appointment now for the fall Verticutting season and save $50.

Contact York: 727 455 7337 or york.ysta@gmail.com