Hi! I have St Augustine grass in Central FL. This patch has deteriorated over the last month. I am starting to see some new grass grow out of it, but I am worried it’s something that will overtake my entire yard. I’ve added photos of the left half of the yard, a close-up of the dark brown spot on that side, and the right half. I water 1x per week (water restriction) and irrigation does reach this spot. I bought the house in November, and lawn care started in December, but it hadn't been previously fertilized since July.
I have also attached two shots from the same camera of the yard a month apart. We got some really cold weather here in the interim, but I don't think that explains this
by AD-GG
2 Comments
That is classic Central Florida winter damage mixed with starved soil. Your St Augustine got hit by a cold snap right when it had zero nutrient reserves because it was not fertilized since summer. It either went into a deep shock dormancy or caught large patch fungus which loves cool damp weather. The good news is you are seeing new green shoots which means the root system and main runners are still alive under there. Take a rake and gently scratch out that dead brown thatch so sunlight and air can actually reach the soil. Put down a quality slow release fertilizer now that the weather is warming up and let the Florida heat push out new growth. Also put a tuna can in that exact dead spot while your irrigation runs because I guarantee your sprinkler coverage is weaker right there than you think.
You might want to rethink that whole area anyway instead of fighting a bare turf slope all the way down to the fence. You have a great water view but absolutely zero structure or framing in that yard. A sweeping bed of native grasses and tough low shrubs on the sides would frame the lake beautifully and reduce the amount of struggling grass you have to constantly water. Before you buy anything you should run a picture of this yard through the GardenDream web app. It is a solid blueprint tool where you upload your photo and overlay realistic plant layouts and curves so you can test out exactly what works without wasting money on a bad idea. Build a landscape that works with your water restrictions instead of fighting nature for a perfect carpet of grass.
Do you have a dog and does it do that area as a path?