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Weed Control

Weeds in St. Augustine grass

Weed control in your lawn may be one of the primary reasons you hired a professional service like ours. However, the realities of weed control are often different from what our customers are expecting.

Eliminating and preventing weeds in St. Augustine grass is always difficult. Despite the advertising you may hear there is no single formula that will ensure a weed-free lawn. It takes a combination of practices and efforts. Chemical applications are part of it, but they are not fool-proof.

The most important way to fight weeds is to promote healthy, vigorous grass that will dominate the turf. Anything that weakens the grass can create an opportunity for weeds to infiltrate. We encourage vigorous turfgrass with proper fertilization, along with pest and disease suppression. However, some weeds are also encouraged with fertilization. Crabgrass is one that often thrives on the same quality of care given to St. Augustine grass. Other conditions that promote weed growth are the following.

• Over-watering
  Watering the lawn too frequently is the surest way to promote weeds and damage the turf. Even though the grass may seem to thrive for a while with daily watering, it will eventually suffer. Many weeds will flourish with continual watering.
• Too Little Water
  St. Augustine grass is not drought tolerant. Anything that causes it to decline will allow weeds and foreign grasses to take its place. Full coverage from the sprinklers is the key here.
• Scalping
  Mowing too short weakens the grass, making it less able to successfully compete with weeds.
• Shade
  Even the so-called shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine grass will grow sparse in the shade. Sparse grass and low sunlight are made-to-order for many weeds.
• Seasonal Outbreaks
  Spring and fall are the times for many weeds to flourish and multiply. Many weed seeds lay dormant until the weather favors their growth. On the other hand, in the heat of the summer, crabgrasses and other summer annual weeds multiply.

Blanket treating the lawn with a herbicide is generally not recommended and especially not in the summer. Blanket applications often do not accomplish what property owners are expecting.

Aside from potential damage to the grass, the herbicide will only control a limited number of weed types. "Weed n' Feed" broadcast applications can be used successfully in the cooler seasons but they control only broadleaf weeds and only certain varieties of these.

Products for crabgrass and sedge control are specialized and always have to be limited to spot treatments.

Preemergent herbicides are used to prevent weed seeds from germinating but these products are far from foolproof. These are one of the tools available to us to help prevent crabgrass. They should only be applied to healthy, vigorous grass and should not be used on new sod or grass recovering from damage.

Finally, a certain amount of weed growth in the grass simply has to be tolerated because there is no other option. During much of the year weed control is very successful. At other times there is nothing that can be done except to perform additional treatments more often. For those accounts that are more demanding of weed control, monthly inspection and treatment services are recommended.

We hope that this fact sheet helps you understand what is involved in weed control for your lawn. You can always be sure that we will give this process our best effort. When problems arise just call us. We will always respond quickly.