I have a lawn in the Houston Texas area and the soil consistently tests very
low in Potassium. I bought some 0-0-60 fertilizer and I am wondering when I
should use it and how much. Also, why would I have such a problem in the
first place?

Is your lawn showing signs of a problem?

"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
I have a lawn in the Houston Texas area and the soil consistently tests
very
low in Potassium. I bought some 0-0-60 fertilizer and I am wondering when
I
should use it and how much. Also, why would I have such a problem in the
first place?

Yes, it is not nearly as lush as others even where we have good sun. In the
shade it is pathetic. We have neighbors that have grass in the shade that is
as healthy as ours is in the sun
"Matt" wrote in message
. ..
Is your lawn showing signs of a problem?

"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
I have a lawn in the Houston Texas area and the soil consistently tests
very
low in Potassium. I bought some 0-0-60 fertilizer and I am wondering
when
I
should use it and how much. Also, why would I have such a problem in the
first place?

You have to be careful with St. Augustine and nitrogen fertilizer. More
than 2 lbs. per 1,000 per year will contribute to St. Augustine Decline.
Could this possibly be your case?


"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
Yes, it is not nearly as lush as others even where we have good sun. In
the
shade it is pathetic. We have neighbors that have grass in the shade that
is
as healthy as ours is in the sun
"Matt" wrote in message
. ..
Is your lawn showing signs of a problem?

"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
I have a lawn in the Houston Texas area and the soil consistently
tests
very
low in Potassium. I bought some 0-0-60 fertilizer and I am wondering
when
I
should use it and how much. Also, why would I have such a problem in
the
first place?

"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
Yes, it is not nearly as lush as others even where we have good sun. In the
shade it is pathetic. We have neighbors that have grass in the shade that is
as healthy as ours is in the sun

Ralph, I lived in Houston for a long time and had several St. Aug. lawns. The
best thing I ever did for them was to dethatch it. Poke around and see if you
have a heavy layer of thatch.

If so you can rent a dethatcher or power rake. You will be absolutely amazed at
how much dead grass clipping will come up. Have a good leaf rake handy. ;-)

Also, don't buy one of those lawn mower blades advertised as a dethatcher.
Generally they will just have tines on the end and will rip up the sod.


Tyler

P.S. - Dethatching is typically done in cool weather. If you also want to top
dress afterwards go see the folks at Teas Nursery over in Bellaire. They sell
some excellent mixes.

You are going to put down a very high level of K and that is not such a great
thing for the soil. I"m sure it will say on the bag when and how much to use.



On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 13:01:40 -0500, "Ralf G. Toennies" opined:

Yes, it is not nearly as lush as others even where we have good sun. In the
shade it is pathetic. We have neighbors that have grass in the shade that is
as healthy as ours is in the sun
"Matt" wrote in message
...
Is your lawn showing signs of a problem?

"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
I have a lawn in the Houston Texas area and the soil consistently tests
very
low in Potassium. I bought some 0-0-60 fertilizer and I am wondering
when
I
should use it and how much. Also, why would I have such a problem in the
first place?








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On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 18:27:07 GMT, "Tyler Hopper" opined:


"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
Yes, it is not nearly as lush as others even where we have good sun. In the
shade it is pathetic. We have neighbors that have grass in the shade that is
as healthy as ours is in the sun

Ralph, I lived in Houston for a long time and had several St. Aug. lawns. The
best thing I ever did for them was to dethatch it. Poke around and see if you
have a heavy layer of thatch.

If so you can rent a dethatcher or power rake. You will be absolutely amazed at
how much dead grass clipping will come up. Have a good leaf rake handy. ;-)

Also, don't buy one of those lawn mower blades advertised as a dethatcher.
Generally they will just have tines on the end and will rip up the sod.


Tyler

P.S. - Dethatching is typically done in cool weather. If you also want to top
dress afterwards go see the folks at Teas Nursery over in Bellaire. They sell
some excellent mixes.


Thatch is not grass clippings. It is an occurrence caused by poor watering
practices. Watering deeply is how to maintain a beautiful St. Augustine lawn.
I don't waste water, so I simply bought a four nipple hose connector. I
connected four soaker hoses, 75 feet long, to the connector. I run them one at
a time, using a timer for each. With my water pressure, 45 minutes will soak
the soil to a depth of 8 inches, which is ideal for St. Augustine. I do this
once every ten days all summer and I have the greenest grass on the block, in
full and deep shade. I live in Austin. I fertilize once a year and I use
LadyBug Brand, which should be available in Houston. If you can't find that,
use Sustane, which can be found at good garden centers. It has, I believe, an
8-2-4 ratio of N-P-K and it's certified organic. Organic fertilizers not only
have NPK, they also have trace minerals, as well as molasses and other organic
matter which feeds the soil organisms. That's how you prevent thatch, which is
an overgrowth of the roots, at the surface, when you don't water deeply enough.

Victoria


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The bag does not have application rates. It does say that the buyer should
write a letter to the manufacturer for application guidelines. I will do
that. But, I just looked at the instructions for my soil test kit and they
have suggested application rates for each of the 3 components depending on
the test results. I am fairly confident that the low potassium is my problem
especially when I look at our grass this year (lots of rain) and compare it
to my neighbors.
As far as the thatch possibility goes, I certainly do have a thin layer of
dead grass under the green foliage but they appear to be clippings. If I
grab a pinch they come up without any roots attached. If I look for thatch
in the other areas of the lawn where the grass is healthier and the
Potassium is more normal), I see yellowish grass beneath the green and maybe
that is a normal level of thatch. The other complicating factor is that the
poorer looking (and low potassium) areas are for the most part heavily
shaded. But, even in the lighter shade parts of these areas, the grass looks
bad.
"escapee" wrote in message
...
You are going to put down a very high level of K and that is not such a
great
thing for the soil. I"m sure it will say on the bag when and how much to
use.



On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 13:01:40 -0500, "Ralf G. Toennies"
opined:

Yes, it is not nearly as lush as others even where we have good sun. In
the
shade it is pathetic. We have neighbors that have grass in the shade that
is
as healthy as ours is in the sun
"Matt" wrote in message
...
Is your lawn showing signs of a problem?

"Ralf G. Toennies" wrote in message
...
I have a lawn in the Houston Texas area and the soil consistently
tests
very
low in Potassium. I bought some 0-0-60 fertilizer and I am wondering
when
I
should use it and how much. Also, why would I have such a problem in
the
first place?








Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html