Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Thursday - July 09, 2009
From: Spring, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Problems with non-native St. Augustine grass in Spring TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
St. Augustine. It's July 6th, 3 weeks ago my grass was green and healthy, today I've got large patches (20' x 3') that are dying. I water my yard 10 mins / day in the morning (5:00 am). It's been 100+ degrees everyday but I figured watering 10 mins. daily was enough. Any ideas?ANSWER:
Well, our first idea is that you need to replace that St. Augustine with a native grass that can withstand this drought and heat that Texas has been having. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to plants native not only to North America but to the area in which the plant is being grown. Probably you are not going to want to dig up your lawn, especially in the middle of summer, so since we don't know anything about non-native grasses, we found an article St. Augustine Grass by Richard L. Duble, Turfgrass Specialist, Texas Cooperative Extension. We suspect that your watering practices could be part of the problem, as usually two or three deep waterings a week, rather than a sprinkle every morning is recommended. Also, when you are reading the above article, be sure to read down to the end to the part about diseases.More Non-Natives Questions
Native grasses for golf courses from Austin
October 06, 2013 - I may be working on two different golf courses and wanted to know if any native or hybrid native grasses would work for the fairways and rough areas?
The rough areas are no problem as a number of ...
view the full question and answer
Does non-native mimosa tree have a tap root from Lubbock TX?
July 05, 2010 - Does a mimosa tree have a tap root? I would like to plant one next to a concrete driveway to help shade the garage and do not want to cause damage to the driveway in the future. Thank you in advance...
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native peach trees from Lago Vista TX
April 06, 2011 - I have two peach trees that are setting fruit. Last year the small fruit had sap coming out of most of them. When they ripened there was a rotten spot in each of them. I had to throw most of them aw...
view the full question and answer
Dying non-native cleyera in Lafayette, LA
August 01, 2009 - Thanks for all the information. One of my six year old cleyera shrubs turned completly brown within two weeks, it is dead. Another is beginning to do the same......do you think it was the recent dro...
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native yellow lantana from Elgin TX
June 17, 2012 - Why do my yellow lantana buds turn brown and do not open fully? The sprinkler system does not spray onto the lantana.
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |