[TampaBayFL]

Forgot to get pics today. Mowed the front and side yards at 2.75".

Are you able to maintain all cultivars at 2.75?

 

[ionicatoms]

Are you able to maintain all cultivars at 2.75?

I sort of doubt it. Palmetto is a semi-dwarf cultivar and not all of the blades point straight up so it is supposed to be more tolerant of a shorter cut. My neighbors with floratam and bitterblue seem to struggle with thinning when they cut too low for extended periods. Perhaps it is to do with something other than the mowing, but I agree it's safer to cut those cultivars higher.

 

[H12Mike]

My Floratam is actually denser at 2.5" HOC than at a 3" HOC. Texas A&M and local turf specialists recommend cutting at 2 to 4 inches. I water ever 2 days and the sprinklers are controlled by a evapotranspiration sensor.

 

[ionicatoms]

Well, I don't know what my neighbors are doing wrong then. Maybe it's cut frequency related?

In any case, I got some photos this morning. Didn't edge the curbs this weekend.

 

[H12Mike]

Cut frequency and watering are probably the culprits. I have to mow every two days to maintain the 1/3rd rule. My next door neighbor has his lawn mowed weekly at 3.5" and it is less dense than mine.

 

[TampaBayFL]

Forgot to get pics today. Mowed the front and side yards at 2.75".

Are you able to maintain all cultivars at 2.75?

The conversation took a nice turn, which is good, but what I originally meant was could you maintain the different cultivars in your yard at that same height. I thought you had more than one variety of St Augustine, but I am getting old so the memory is suspect....🤪

 

[TampaBayFL]

Well, I don't know what my neighbors are doing wrong

Honestly, anyone who is posting on this board is right out of the gate going to have a 25% better lawn just due to knowledge and interest.🤪

I think the base question would be for a disinterested homeowner who is not involved in lawn care at all......what is the best HOC? I would guess its going to be 4"ish. That's probably why most of them are in that range.

 

[ionicatoms]

The conversation took a nice turn, which is good, but what I originally meant was could you maintain the different cultivars in your yard at that same height. I thought you had more than one variety of St Augustine, but I am getting old so the memory is suspect....🤪

Oh! Yeah, I do have a small bit of Floratam and a couple CitraBlue spots. They're just experimental areas, I wouldn't try to cut them any differently than the surrounding areas. I've only been cutting lower this year for the first time, so may be able to draw some conclusions by next year.

 

[ionicatoms]

Ran out of space in my Plano Stack-and-Store boxes.





Ordered a rolling toolbox from HD:



It's a little awkward but will suffice.

It was delivered without the drawer liners! The manager at the local HD let me snag the liners from their floor model. Thankful for that!

 

[ionicatoms]

Drought stress is kicking back in over in my control areas, but it's still developing. If this treated area doesn't get much worse, I'll declare Hydretain a success. Otherwise, I'll apply more product before declaring failure.

Right now, it's looking ok.

 

[TampaBayFL]

Is that area being tested completely without irrigation?

 

[ionicatoms]

No, I run sprinklers in both the control and the experimental areas for up to 23 minutes twice per week. It's not enough to avoid drought stress.

Here's one of the control areas. Drought stress is most obvious in the area near the gladiolus.

 

[Ben4Birdies]

Have you done any tests of doing longer watering sessions twice per week?

 

[ionicatoms]

Nah, I have uneven coverage and my utility bill is already too expensive. I need to get the system fixed. In the meanwhile, just playing around with hydretain to see how it performs.

Here's my update on the experimental area today:



Drought stress continues to grow, but still not as bad as before.

 

[ionicatoms]

Drought stress is hitting the untreated areas hard now.

I would say it is working even though it seems I need to apply a third dose.

Before vs After:

 

[ionicatoms]

Mowed and fertilized all 3 yards. Used 30lbs Scotts GreenMax. Setting 4 was almost right, maybe try 4.5 next time. I double fertilized some areas, hope it doesn't burn.







Edit/Update:

Edged the curbs and blew back into the yard.

 

[TampaBayFL]

Love the crisp edges✔✔

 

[ionicatoms]

Update photo. Too hot to do much in the yard this afternoon.

 

[ionicatoms]

Mowed front and side yards at 3.25"

 

[ionicatoms]

Was leaving to go to CVS and snapped this photo.