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Akula · 09-05-2017, 11:08 PM

I would like to say "Congratulations" to everyone that has a thick, tall, St. Augustine lawn! This is the objective!

A thick St. Augustine lawn suppresses weeds and a tall lawn requires less water due to deeper roots and the shade effect of the tall grass blades.

A thick lawn can be produced by more frequent mowing. I mow my lawn about every five days at 4.25" setting on my mower. My OEM mower maximum height was 3.75" but I gave it a "lift kit" by changing out the front wheels with bigger wheels from Home Depot. Cost about $10 or so for the wheels. I only have 0.3 acre so I use is a push rotary mower and skip walking lunges in the gym!

Thatch buildup can develop and can be reduced as noted above by vertical mowing but can be risky due to potential damage and most people don't do it correctly. The shorter, more shade tolerant cultures of St. Augustine are more susceptible to thatch buildup. I have it in some parts of my lawn and am hesitant to vertically mow it. I will probably try aggressively raking it out with a leaf rake followed by a dirt/garden rake.

In regards to reel mowers my understanding it that these type of mowers are best for grasses with short mowing heights of say 2" or less or grasses with thin leaf blades. They are great mowers (higher quality cut) but more expensive than rotary mowers and require more maintenance (more blades to sharpen).

Make sure you keep your blade sharp to reduce disease especially in the
South where fungus is a big issue.

09-05-2017, 11:08 PM	#15 (permalink)
Akula Location: Pensacola, Florida Find me on the map! Zone: Zone 9a Join Date: Jul 2017 Posts: 1,236 BananaBucks : 70,493 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,540 Times Was Thanked 2,381 Times in 809 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 128 Times	Re: Really really thick st. augustine lawn I would like to say "Congratulations" to everyone that has a thick, tall, St. Augustine lawn! This is the objective! A thick St. Augustine lawn suppresses weeds and a tall lawn requires less water due to deeper roots and the shade effect of the tall grass blades. A thick lawn can be produced by more frequent mowing. I mow my lawn about every five days at 4.25" setting on my mower. My OEM mower maximum height was 3.75" but I gave it a "lift kit" by changing out the front wheels with bigger wheels from Home Depot. Cost about $10 or so for the wheels. I only have 0.3 acre so I use is a push rotary mower and skip walking lunges in the gym! Thatch buildup can develop and can be reduced as noted above by vertical mowing but can be risky due to potential damage and most people don't do it correctly. The shorter, more shade tolerant cultures of St. Augustine are more susceptible to thatch buildup. I have it in some parts of my lawn and am hesitant to vertically mow it. I will probably try aggressively raking it out with a leaf rake followed by a dirt/garden rake. In regards to reel mowers my understanding it that these type of mowers are best for grasses with short mowing heights of say 2" or less or grasses with thin leaf blades. They are great mowers (higher quality cut) but more expensive than rotary mowers and require more maintenance (more blades to sharpen). Make sure you keep your blade sharp to reduce disease especially in the South where fungus is a big issue.