[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by jimbomaybe

pics

Those are the seed heads of St Augustine grass. They are non-viable. St Augustine doesn’t regenerate by seed. It has stolens that crisscross all over your yard and “weave” a thick turf.
The appearance of the seed heads is a sign of stress for your lawn. It could be heat, drought, disease, insects etc. It can also come from seasonal changes such as from spring to summer when humidity increases.
Don’t pull them!! Just cut your grass normally and mulch these into your yard. They contain a lot of moisture and nutrients that your yard needs. As your grass comes out of its stress you’ll see fewer of them.

[bark4me]

Yes, they are correct. They're St Augustine seeds so leave them be. A big mistake everyone makes down here is that they cut St Augustine grass too short. St Augustine likes to be 3 to 4 inches long at least. Enjoy and welcome to the Villages

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by PugMom

idk what exactly it is, but some kind of weed. we have them here, i pluck every 2weeks, & they come right back up. the roots are VERY long & woodlike above ground. i pulled one that was like a string of lights, with smaller ones attached. the landscaper sprayed & it seems to be controlled. personally, i think it came from under the privacy wall

If your landscaper sprayed these to kill them then it’s time for a new landscaper; it’s the seed head of St Augustine grass and not a weed!!

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by Teemotay

If your landscaper sprayed these to kill them then it’s time for a new landscaper; it’s the seed head of St Augustine grass and not a weed!!

Unless you don’t have St Augustine grass. In that case I guess it could be considered a weed. 😎

[NavyVet]

Originally Posted by Teemotay

Those are the seed heads of St Augustine grass. They are non-viable. St Augustine doesn’t regenerate by seed. It has stolens that crisscross all over your yard and “weave” a thick turf.
The appearance of the seed heads is a sign of stress for your lawn. It could be heat, drought, disease, insects etc. It can also come from seasonal changes such as from spring to summer when humidity increases.
Don’t pull them!! Just cut your grass normally and mulch these into your yard. They contain a lot of moisture and nutrients that your yard needs. As your grass comes out of its stress you’ll see fewer of them.

I am voting this most helpful post of the day. Good info! :-)

[jimbomaybe]

Originally Posted by Worldseries27

me too

Is that a Florida herbicide or another dog poop solution ?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by bark4me

Yes, they are correct. They're St Augustine seeds so leave them be. A big mistake everyone makes down here is that they cut St Augustine grass too short. St Augustine likes to be 3 to 4 inches long at least. Enjoy and welcome to the Villages

Personally, the height and fast-growing quality are what I do NOT like about St.Augustine grass. I don't like to cut it so often so I try to use shorter grass like Zoysia or whatever seeds blow in because they are usually shorter than St Augustine.

I realize that I sound like a dunce about grass topics, so bear with me. I have a problem with about 1/2 of the Zoysia plugs that we put in around December. We water them every day that it does not rain. We have tried Sevin dust, insecticide, and fungicide. But, no change. 50% of the plugs are dying - have turned brown with thatch. The other 50% seem healthy and are sending out thin runners. Any helpful information would be appreciated.

[mrf0151]

St. Augustine runner. Up north we would consider it a weed. Down here we call St. Augustine lawn. No fun to walk on barefoot and no friend to your mower.
Zoysia is a great grass for this area. We have had ours for 17 years and looks great, but that is because I take care of it. Massey and some other companies don't care.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by kcrazorbackfan

Part of your St. Augustine grass; that’s normal. Don’t pull them out.

no way!! i've been doing exactly that! oh Lord, did i cause damage & have to get sod. i feel so stupid

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by PugMom

no way!! i've been doing exactly that! oh Lord, did i cause damage & have to get sod. i feel so stupid

Don’t feel stupid please. I had to learn that too just about a year ago. I hadn’t seen them before and thought they were a weed. Then I did some serious study on St Augustine grass because it’s what my new lawn consists of and I’m caring for it myself.

Without seeing your lawn, I’d say you haven’t done any serious damage and you likely don’t need new sod. They will keep coming and spreading as long as it’s treated correctly; watering, fertilizing, proper mowing, weeding, etc.

Keep in mind that those “string of lights” you have pulled up are how this grass grows and thrives.

[PugMom]

thx so much for ur kind words, as long as i know i'm not the only one, it eases the burden of making a fool of myself a fool online

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by PugMom

thx so much for ur kind words, as long as i know i'm not the only one, it eases the burden of making a fool of myself a fool online

Ha! I do it all the time! We’re not alone either 😁

[jimbomaybe]

Originally Posted by Teemotay

Don’t feel stupid please. I had to learn that too just about a year ago. I hadn’t seen them before and thought they were a weed. Then I did some serious study on St Augustine grass because it’s what my new lawn consists of and I’m caring for it myself.

Without seeing your lawn, I’d say you haven’t done any serious damage and you likely don’t need new sod. They will keep coming and spreading as long as it’s treated correctly; watering, fertilizing, proper mowing, weeding, etc.

Keep in mind that those “string of lights” you have pulled up are how this grass grows and thrives.

Thank you for your input, any suggestions for weed / insect control and fertilizer .

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by jimbomaybe

Thank you for your input, any suggestions for weed / insect control and fertilizer .

I’d love to help you with that, however without seeing your lawn and digging into it, I don’t know what insects and/or weeds you may have. I wouldn’t want to steer you in the wrong direction. That could be a costly mistake. Same for fertilizer: I’d suggest a soil test first to better understand what your soil is lacking before making a suggestion on what to feed it.

I live in Lake County and we have a fertilizer ordinance that prohibits using fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus during the period of June 1 - September 30. It’s due to the heavy rainfall washing those nutrients into lakes and other water bodies, which create algae blooms and other problems for aquatic life.

The University of Florida has some great information on how to treat your lawn for just about everything including irrigation, mowing, fertilization, weed, fungus and insect pests, etc by time of year and grass type.

You can check with your local county extension office for help too. They have all the knowledge for such things. They can help with info on soil testing and all the other info you asked me for. They helped me with my viburnum shrubs over the phone and now they’re looking beautiful.

Good luck to you.

[Ozzello]

Originally Posted by mrf0151

St. Augustine runner. Up north we would consider it a weed. Down here we call St. Augustine lawn. No fun to walk on barefoot and no friend to your mower.
Zoysia is a great grass for this area. We have had ours for 17 years and looks great, but that is because I take care of it. Massey and some other companies don't care.

Zoysia is NOT a great grass for this area. Never was, and still isn't. Centipede would be a scientific and well known choice as the best grass for this area. VERY low water, fertilizer and needing mowed only once a year added to a resilient pest resistance gives this low growing turf grass, that not only re-seeds itself, but spreads on runners as well. When zoysia is brown from frost, centipede is still green but does add a faint burgundy hue.
Zoysia migrated to this part of FL in spite of it's high water requirement ( EXACTLY the same as St Aug.) Tendancy to suffer badly from fungus and a myriad of pests that call this area home... because of a very rainy summer flooding St Aug farms in this area. My theory is the deal made for Zoysia was cheaper than St Aug, and powers that be found the problem that go along with zoysia do not outweigh the saving, as they have returned to St Aug south of SR44.