How to revive St. Augustine grass? 4 Ways to Bring Him Back | lawn CG (2023)

Without proper care and maintenance, a St. Augustine can developdead brown spotsacross the yard. Pest infestation, overfertilization and lawn disease can cause your lawn to change color and look dead, but there is something you can do to revive your lawn.

The easiest way to revive St. Augustine grass is to water the lawn properly, remove pests like worms, and improve soil quality. Sufficient water helps the turf survive the drought that is common during the summer, while controlling grubs prevents root damage that often kills the turf quickly.

Why did my St. Augustine weed die?

Lack of water, disease and unhealthy soil are the main reasons why St. Augustine grass does not thrive. While it is possible to recover grass that has recently died, you must first identify the cause of the problem.

5 reasons why St. Augustine grass dies

lawn diseases

Several diseases can be the reason why your lawn is dying or looking dead. St. Augustine's herb isprone to some diseasessuch as brown spot disease, gray leaf spot and total root rot.

brown spots ofdead grassthey usually start appearing during fall and spring when the weather is warm and humid. These conditions are favorable for the spread of brown spot diseases on St. Louis lawns. Augustine.

On summer days when the weather is warm or hot, gray leaf spot can invade the lawn, showing signs such as purple to brown spots that eventually turn into dead spots as the disease spreads.

If you don't treat your lawn when you see the symptoms of these diseases, you'll likely end up with dead patches that look brown.

Over application of fertilizer

Another important cause of the death of St. Augustine grass is the excess of nitrogen fertilizer. During the spring, homeowners begin a lawn maintenance program. Most of them push their lawns tomake grass spread faster and grow thick and dense.

If you end up applying too much nitrogen fertilizer to get your grass to grow quickly, you run the risk ofburning your lawn. You will start to notice signs of brown spots that can turn into dead spots.

The good news is that these brown St. Augustine grass stains can be easily revived.

insect damage

Pest damage is one of the most common reasons why St. Augustine grass is dead. Worm larvae infestation is a common problem in lawns from summer to early fall.

Whiteworms eat the roots of your lawn, causing it to die due to its inability to extract water and nutrients from the soil. He canapply a grub control pesticide starting in the springcontrol the larvae.

Another common St. Augustine grass problem is bed bugs. These heavily infest southern lawns and can cause damage that manifests itself as “Irregularly shaped areas of dead and dying grass resulting from bed bug feeding.”

Most cases of insect damage to lawns can be corrected with early intervention. You can start reviving St. Augustineget rid of the larvaeand bed bugs as soon as you notice the symptoms.

drought stress

Summer usually comes with drought. If you depend heavily on rain to water your lawn, you may have dead grass when the drought hits. This is called water stress.

St. Augustine's wort thrives well when watered several times a week. If it goes about 6 weeks without water, it will turn brown and appear numb and dying.

If it's not too late, you can revive your lawn and bring it back to life simply by watering it properly usinga good sprinkler that sprays the water evenly.

just poor

Poor soil quality could be why St. Augustine grass is dying. Have a thin layer of topsoil with gravel, stones orhighly compacted clayey soilunderneath can be a real problem for the lawn.

The roots don't grow long enough to support the healthy growth and development of the lawn, and any water and nutrient deficiencies will begin to manifest as a withered, dying lawn.

Soil Remedy can easily revive your lawn and bring it back to life, but you may need tostart with a soil testto learn about deficient nutrients and what type of soil you may need to install in your garden.

Can the dead grass of St. Augustine come back?

You can easily return dead-looking St. Augustine grass to a dense green lawn. However, it will depend on the cause of your darkening.

A lawn that appears to be dead for a period of 3 to 5 weeks can be revived. If he stays dead for too long, you might not be able to bring him back to life because he'll be totally dead.

Before pulling up the grass to grow new grass, you may need to examine it to see if the grass is really dead or just dormant and can be revived.

How to Revive St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustine grass that appears to have been dead for less than 5 weeks may revive depending on the underlying problem.

Here's how to reclaim dead St. Augustine grass and make it grow green again:

1. Water your lawn properly

Prolonged periods of hot, dry weather St. Augustine grass may begin to die. The best way to get her back is to start watering her about 3 times a week.

Water your lawn deeply to get the correct amount of water your lawn needs.St. Augustine grass requires about ¾ inch of water twice a week. If you water it properly to bring it back to life, you may need to do a total of about 1 ½ inches of water per week.

However, if the grass is completely dead due to drought or lack of water, you may not be able to revive it.

Will watering brown grass make it green?

Try to water the dead grass deeply to get to the roots. This should get the grass growing back, especially if it's the kind that has rhizomes that spread deep into the soil. You must be able to see thegrass growingback and starting to turn green after 3 to 4 weeks.

While watering grass that has been dead for about 1 to 3 weeks can bring it back, it can be difficult to bring back dead St. Augustine grass that has been dead for more than 5 weeks.

2. Improve soil quality

If your St. Augustine is dying due to poor soil quality, the solution is to improve the soil quality to ensure it is suitable for this type of lawn.St. Augustine grass likes to grow in well-ventilated soil.then you might want to tackle soil compaction and deep thatch mulch in your garden.

Here are some steps you can take to improve soil quality and revive St. Augustine grass:

• Examine the garden to ensure you have an adequate layer of potent soil so the roots grow deeper for a healthy lawn.
• Test the soil to determine the composition and nutrients needed. You will need to ensure your lawn has around 5% organic matter to recover dead St. Augustine grass.
• Place some topsoil on the lawn and water it to provide nutritious soil for grass growth.

Tidying up the soil in your yard goes a long way toward maintaining a healthy lawn. Clay soil can be one of the main culprits for lawn death, especially during drought. Make sure it's well ventilated to help the grass survive.

3. Clean the lawn

A thick buildup of thatch on St. Augustine grass can cause suffocation and a slow death of the grass. Coarse straw is a good habitat for insects and disease-causing agents. It leads to shallow roots and winter death.

To try to revive your lawn,remove itto allow an easy delivery of nutrients during feeding. You toomay need airingto prevent root smothering that could be killing your lawn.

4. Replant the lawn

As the grass dies, it begins to form bare patches. In most cases, extensive grass damage may not be repairable. The solution may be to pull up the grass and start over.

However, for gaps, scrape off the dead grass to loosen and remove it, then proceed to fill in the gaps. You can do this by planting new plugs, feeding and watering for proper growth.

When I lived in Florida, I had a 1/4 acre lot where the St. Augustine was stained, and instead of tearing up the existing grass, I gave it a round ofroundingand let it rest for a week. So I ordered some St. Louis popsicles. Augustine fresh and just put them on top of the old ones. It rooted well and established itself. The courtyard still looks great today.

Here's a great video to help bring your lawn to life:

References

• Texas A&M University Agrilife Extension:Chinches em St. Augustine Lawns
• University of Florida IFAS extension:Gray spot of Saint Augustine grass: cultural and chemical management options
• Oregon State University, OSU Extension Service:Why is my lawn dead?
• Michigan State University, MSU Extension:Winterkill de Turfgrass (E0019TURF)

alex k

Hello, this is Alex Kuritz. Growing up, I remember my family having one of the best gardens in the neighborhood. Richly green and lush. As I've gotten older, I've done a lot in terms of tending and caring for not only my family's lawn, but my neighbors' lawn as well. I can say that I have years of experience and I am here to share it with you.

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