Downloadable ProVista™ Guide

Irrigation

• Provide adequate water to avoid wilting or stress; the amount will vary as the seasons change.
• A target amount is 1” per week in times of no rain or excessive heat.
• Watering in the early mornings is ideal.
• For hot spots in the lawn, you can hand water in the middle of the day to cool the grass down.
• Your irrigation system should have a rain sensor to allow for shutdown during rain events.

 

Mowing

• The majority of mowing needs will be from May 1st – September 30th.
• Use sharp blades to ensure a clean cut.
• Leave clippings on the lawn to act as natural fertilizer (bagging is ok if preferred).
• A recommended mowing height is 3.0”-4.0”.
• Avoid waiting too long between mows. Mowing should reduce the height of
• the grass by no more than 1/3. Cutting off more will lead to ‘scalping’ which will injure the crown of the plant and ultimately stress the grass.
• Change the mowing pattern from time to time to avoid excessive traffic.
• Be careful not to weed-eat excessively in the same spots in the Fall and
• Winter (because of slowed growth); this will have the same effect as scalping with a mower.

 

 

Fertilizing

• A recommended fertilizer program for Scotts ProVista St. Augustinegrass is an application of Scotts® Turf Builder® Southern Triple Action in the Spring, Scotts® Turf Builder® UltraFeed™ in the late Spring, and Scotts® Turf Builder® Southern Triple Action again in the Fall. Substitutions to the program can be made depending on desired performance and presence of weeds and insects.
• Avoid applying dry fertilizer to wet grass.
• Lightly water in dry fertilizer applications when complete.
• Be cautious if using weed and feed fertilizer products (read label and follow instructions).
• Avoid applications ahead of rain events to avoid leaching of nutrients.

 

Disease

• GREY LEAF SPOT (small brown/grey lesions on leaves) prevalent in Summer
• Stress will trigger grey leaf spot (excessive fertilizer, excessive heat, scalping, excessive moisture).
• The lesions usually go away on their own once the stress factor is eliminated.
• LARGE PATCH (circular patches/rings of dried out, necrotic grass blades) prevalent in Fall/Winter.
• Large patch is a soil-borne fungus that is present all year; however, symptoms show in October-February.

 

Insect Pressure

• CHINCH BUGS (small, pinhead-sized black and white winged bugs that feed on stems) prevalent in Spring and Summer.
• The damage looks like dried out or burned, irregular-shaped patches of grass that can spread if untreated.
• Chinch bugs usually start along sidewalks or high spots in the lawn where the grass is dry and hot.
• Once chinch bugs are identified, an application of a labeled insecticide should be applied to eliminate spread.
• SOD WEBWORMS (small, rice-sized, clear/green worms that feed on leaf tissue) prevalent in Summer and Fall.
• The damage looks like dull colored grass; the leaves will be notched from the feeding, and worm grass will be present in the canopy of the grass
• Webworm moths will lay eggs in grass canopy – 3 weeks later, the worm larvae will be present. Multiple generations can persist if left untreated. The moths are attracted to green, lush grass.
• MOLE CRICKETS (similar in size to a peanut, brown in color, feed on the grass root system) prevalent year-round.
• The damage looks like dried out grass, loose soil, visible underground tunnels.
• Mole crickets will be in moderate to heavy populations before significant damage is visible in St. Augustinegrass.

*Adhere to any Local and State regulatory guidelines/restrictions

Consult the UF IFAS Extension publication, St. Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns

(https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh010), as a reference for maintenance recommendations.

 

 

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