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How to Select a Lawn Mower for St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustine grass is a warm season turf grass that likes moist soil but is highly adaptive to soil nutrition, temperature and shade conditions. Depending on the growing conditions, the season and grass height, you will need to mow a St. Augustine lawn from once every five days to once every two weeks. St. Augustine grass performs best when mowed to a blade height between 1 and 3 inches.

Select a rotary lawn mower to care for your St. Augustine grass if you have a smooth and relatively level lawn surface and you are prepared to have the horizontal mower blades sharpened or replaced at least once a year. Rotary mowers are best when you prefer to mow your St. Augustine grass with a grass blade height above 2 1/2 inches.

Choose a push-driven reel mower with a cylindrical blade set up if your St. Augustine lawn slopes in parts, is generally uneven or has divots or lumps. Reel mowers are more forgiving of these imperfections while still providing a uniform cut. Choose a reel mower if you like to keep your St. Augustine grass shorter than 1 to 2 inches, as they are less effective when cutting long blades of grass cleanly.

  • St. Augustine grass is a warm season turf grass that likes moist soil but is highly adaptive to soil nutrition, temperature and shade conditions.
  • Select a rotary lawn mower to care for your St. Augustine grass if you have a smooth and relatively level lawn surface and you are prepared to have the horizontal mower blades sharpened or replaced at least once a year.

Purchase a lawn mower that has a mulching feature or a removable catch so that you can compost the lawn surface with the grass clippings as you mow. The clippings will add to the the nutrient content of the soil, reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers you need to keep the lawn green and relieve you of the extra step of tossing out or composting the clippings.

Tip

Establish the desired mowing height on any lawn mower by sitting the mower on a flat and level hard surface and measuring the gap between the lowest blade and the ground. Measure the mowing height by stationing the mower on a flat surface and noting the distance between the blade and the ground adjusting the position up for a taller blade height and down for a lower blade height.

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