Currently in a rental home in Orlando, FL that I’m responsible for lawn maintenance. The bad part is that the grass has been overrun with lawn and lots of dead St. Augustine. Our lease is up next year and we are going to be charged if the yard is in bad shape.
Trying to renovate the yard with the cheapest route possible. Also, we live here and want a halfway decent yard anyways.
Whats the best course of action? Dethatch to get up all the dead St. Augustine and seed Bermuda? New to lawn care so any help is appreciated! Sandy soil too.
by SenorCappuccino
3 Comments
Personal disclaimer… if you have photos that showed what the yard started like when you moved in I’d hold on to that. Its a rental so outside of basic mowing and watering it shouldn’t be your responsibility.
Don’t dethatch. Don’t overseed. These are cool season grass things. You need to spray for weeds. MAKE SURE THE HERBICIDE IS SAFE FOR ST AUGUSTINE GRASS. St aug can be killed by some herbicides listed safe for grass. Blindside may be a good fit for you. Always read the label. You can rake out the dead material or mow low and bag it of you want a cleaner look.
If you live in Florida then you may have a summer fertlizer ban. The lawn care nut, Allyn Haney, has a special made slow release fertlizer that is made to put down before the ban and last all summer. You need fertilizer to feed you st sug so it will spread. Water 1 to 2″ a week spread over 3 different days. Try to water in the morning, not evening, if you can help it. Mow at 4″. St aug likes to be kept high. Mow atleast once a week. Don’t cut off more than 1/3 of the grass blade. Be consistent with this and the yard will fill in on its own over the next year.
https://thebermudabible.com/
Do you want St. Augustine or do you want Bermuda? And what’s a realistic budget that you’re looking to spend on it? Also, I dont ever advise dethatching a southern lawn. Our lawns honestly love thatch.