Creating a Path

Worn PathSt Augustine grass is the least tolerant of traffic. A well worn footpath is easy to make in St Augustine grass with a few trips back and forth between two points. A nervous dog pacing back and forth can create a crisscross network of paths in just a few days. It is a known issue. St Augustine grass does not make a good sports turf - The Bucs play on Bermuda grass - a very tough durable grass. The most obvious places for foot paths to form are at exit points from doors and patios and along the sides of houses. Once worn, the path never seems to fully recover. There is always an indentation in the lawn where the path once existed.

What to Do?

Stepping Stone pathStepping Stones! It is that simple. A stepping stone diffuses the traffic and absorbs most of the impact from traffic. In addition the grass grows vigorously around the edges and fills in quickly between stones. Another plus is the mowing height required by St Augustine grass allows you to run a mower over the top of stones without damaging your mower. Another plus is the stepping need not be solid edge to edge layout. Setting stones at a “stride” apart or even an alternating left/right patterns is enough to prevent a path from forming.

Get Creative

The stones are available in every imaginable form – from Sand dollars to redMulch Path: Shady Path thru the planted bed bricks. One set of stepping stones was made from recycled material from a house demolition – radiator vents, floor grates, bathroom tile, etc to form a “history lane” of the house that was demolished. A solid meandering path made of crushed shell edged with a decorative border provides a great path. And meandering paths are visually better than a straight line connecting two points.