How Often Should You Water Floratam Grass?

Newly Established Lawns

• To establish a Floratam St. Augustine grass lawn, sprigs, plugs or rolls of sod are laid across a property in spring or summer. When air and soil temperatures are warm, root and shoot growth is fastest, ensuring a strong root system and dense carpet of leaves before the coolness of winter. For the first seven to 10 days, irrigate daily to apply 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water to keep the new Floratam plant roots evenly moist. In the second through fourth weeks after planting, irrigate 1/4 to 1/2 inch every two to three days. After a month, a regular irrigation schedule must be used.

Floratam Water Needs

• An established Floratam lawn needs between 1/2 and 3/4 inch of water every 10 to 21 days during the cool weeks of late fall through early spring. In the heat of mid spring through mid fall, this same amount is needed every two to five days, depending on soil type and weather. Natural rainfall is the primary water source for all St. Augustine lawns, so supplement rain with irrigation as needed to reach the 3/4-inch target in maintaining a healthy Floratam lawn.

Effects of Soil

• Sandy soils hold less moisture than loam or clay soils. Sandy soils require more frequent waterings than clay soils. The point of irrigating a Floratam lawn is to provide moisture only to the regions of topsoil that contain the roots. Applying too much water is wasteful, while too little moisture encourages shallow roots. In sandy soil, applying 1/2 to 3/4 inch of irrigation wets the top 12 inches of soil. In clay, that water amount moistens the top 6 to 8 inches. These are the soil depths where the Floratam's roots dwell.

Watering Insight

• It's better to water infrequently and deeply rather than numerous light, shallow irrigation events on a Floratam lawn. A good indicator of the need to irrigate is when 30 to 50 percent of the leaf blades on the Floratam lawn begin to show signs of water stress -- when the blades attain a slightly gray hue and the leaf blades curl. A water-thirsty St. Augustine grass lawn also will display your footprints after you walk across it. If the leaf blades spring back after you walk across the lawn, ample water exists in the lawn grass tissues.