A healthy lawn that is properly mowed, fertilized, and irrigated will generally out-compete most weeds. Here are a few tips for care that will help maintain good health:
- Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time. Cutting too much of the blade will stress the lawn by reducing its ability to make starches through photosynthesis.
- Mow at the highest height for your grass species. For St. Augustine and Bahia, this is generally 3.5 to 4 inches. Turfgrass weeds need full sun to grow successfully and by shading them with maximum height grass blades, their chances of success are reduced.
- For a basic maintenance level, it is recommended that a complete fertilizer be applied 2 to 3 times each year at rates in accordance with instructions on the product. The University of Florida recommends a 15-0-15 or 15-2-15 nutrient percent fertilizer.
- The best way to water an established lawn is on an as-needed basis. When the grass blades begin to show signs of stress, i.e., fold vertically, turn a bluish-green color, or will not recover quickly from foot traffic, it is time to irrigate with ½ to ¾ inch of water. Do not water again until the lawn shows signs of wilting. The existence of patches of dollarweed in a lawn almost always indicates too much irrigation!
Additional Resources
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH010
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP236

Your changes will require approval by an administrator before they are published.
The article has been updated successfully but requires approval before it is published.
