May 20, 2025 Update

Posted on May 20, 2025 • 2 min read • 370 words

This weekend, I was watching some videos and got the urge to try planting some St. Augustine sprigs… just to see.

We’ve talked about installing a paver walkway along the driveway next year. But I hate looking at bare dirt. If this succeeds or fails, it doesn’t really matter, I suppose. But at least it looks like I’m trying.

First, I shuffled around the yard kicking up some stolons that had not pegged themselves to the ground and cut them off. I threw them in a shallow plastic container with water to keep them hydrated. For the soil setup, I dug holes about 6" long x 2" wide x 2" deep. I started with a big shovel to loosen things up. Then I went through with a small hand shovel to actually pull out the dirt. I threw the removed dirt in a bucket, about 6 holes-worth at a time, and mixed it with equal parts compost. Then I refilled the holes with this mixture and lightly watered.

Next, I cut the stolons into 4-6" long sprigs, each with 2-3 nodes. For planting, I stuck the ‘start’ of each sprig into the ground, then stepped on them to press them into the surface of the soil. (I read that this is sorta’ the way sod farms do it.) Finally, I did a top dressing with compost.

And now, the tricky part for the next 2 weeks is to keep this area damp enough, but not too wet, to encourage rooting.

As for the plugs I transplanted from the back yard… most still have at least a little green, but I’m not seeing any new lateral growth. As long as they’re green, I’m not giving up. I dealt with this last year and am still confident most of it will start growing… any day now.

And… I also have bad news, though not horrible. Looks like the sloppy watering job I did on the plugs was too much for some of the established grass. The heat and humidity along with my watering allowed a fungal infection. I applied a fungicide and have, since I noticed it on Friday, been trying to keep this area dry. It’s already looking a little better.