Weeds are simply defined as plants out of place, or anything growing where it wasn't wanted. Technically, St. Augustine grass can be a weed in a Zoysia lawn, or vice versa. Here is a list of the most common Gainesville lawn weeds that can be found in our area.

Yellow Woodsorrel – Oxalis stricta
Annual to short-lived perennial, upright, with a single taproot, spreads by seed. Leaves of three, heart-shaped, pale green and bitter to taste due to the presence of oxalic acid. Bright yellow flowers have five petals. Prolific seed producer, pods will scatter seed for several feet when touched.

Bull Thistle – Cirsium vulgare
Bull thistle is a biennial growing into a rosette with large, fleshy, coarsely-toothed spiny leaves. The second year, a woody, flowering stalk produces a few, rose-purple blossoms. Produces less flowers than Canada Thistle but all flowers are fertile.

Quackgrass – Agropyron repens
Blue-green rough bladed perennial reproducing by seed and aggressive rhizomes. Erect stems leaves rolled in bud, sheaths hairy. Short membranous ligule, large, very prominent clasping auricles. Spike seed head resembling perennial ryegrass. Spreads throughout lawn and from ornamental beds. Very difficult to control.

Broadleaf Plantain -Plantago rugelii / Plantago major
A perennial rosette reproducing from seed. Leaves are large, rounded and deeply veined with wavy edges and purple petioles. Seed stems resemble a rat’s tail and support small flowers and seeds. Long tap root, similar to Dandelion, increases plants’ hardiness to stress and herbicides

Crabgrass – Digitaria sp.
Several species that are true annuals. Peak germination by early summer. Yellow green leaves rolled in the bud with hairy edges, coarse-textured, broad collar, membranous liguile and hairy sheath. Blade flat with a sharp point. Seed head composed of three to ten finger like racemes or spikes, may appear purple to tan in color. Plant declines after seeding with shorter days. Eliminated by frost. Occurs all over the U.S., although less in the North than in Gainesville lawns

Dandelion – Taraxacum officnale
Perennial with long taproot produces by seed. Stems short arising from a rosette bearing oblong, lobed, narrow leaves. Large yellow flowers mature into round puffballs full of seed distributed by wind for miles. Mostly germinates during late summer.

Goosegrass – Eleusine indica
Annual forming rosette of flat stems, usually silvery at center. Leaves are folded in the bud with overlapping sheaths. Membranous ligule with sparse hairs on collar. Seed head forms two to ten finger-like spikes, zipper like, much broader than crabgrass. Germinates later than crabgrass. Persists under close mowing, even on putting greens.

Nutsedge - Cvperus esculentus (yellow) Cvperus rotundus (purple)
Also known as nutgrass, but is not a grass. Perennial, reproducing by seeds and nut-like tubers on roots. Stems erect triangular. Leaves 3-ranked, narrow, grass-like basal. Seed on unmowed plants arranged in narrow spikelets on umbel like inflorescence. Yellow nutsedge has single fleshy tubers on ends of roots. Purple nutsedge has strings of tubers on wiry rhizomes.

Pennywort: ( Dollarweed ) - Hydrocotvle sp.
A perennial growing from rhizomes, tubers and seed. Erect leaves with scalloped margins on a long petiole in the center of an umbrella-like leaf. Found in moist to wet sites. Most common in Transition Zone, South.

Spurge - Euphorbia maculate, E. supine
A summer annual that begins germination from seed when soil temperatures reach 85° F and continues all summer long. Small, oval, opposite leaves vary from dark green to red with a brown blotch on the upper surface. Reddish low growing stems, that fan out from the taproot, form a dense mat. Milky sap is sticky. Prolific seed producer, several thousand from one plant. Plant matures in a matter of days in hot weather.

Matchweed – Phyla nodiflora
Matchweed is a mat-forming perennial with opposing leaves on hairy branching stems. Leaves have small teeth at the outer tip. The purple to white flowers emerge around the tip of the seed stalk forming a match-head appearance. Matchweed spreads by both seeds and stolons along prostrate stems.

This time of year our phones are ringing off the hook and when those calls are about a client's lawn, there are two questions I hear all of the time. The first is "What can I do about the weeds taking over my lawn?" and second,  "Why isn't my lawn as healthy as the others in my neighborhood?".

 

While I wish I had a quick and easy answer to these common concerns the truth is that are a myriad of factors from the type of turf and mowing height to micronutients in the soil and drainage that need to be taken into consideration. There are, however, some common themes I find when a client's lawn isn't where they would like it to be.  In simplest terms the health of your lawn comes down to its most basic needs being met - Sun, water, and food. By taking a look at your lawn you can make a quick evaluation that could rule out one or two of these issues.

 

At Least 4 house of Sunlight

If you have dense tree cover from large oak trees and get less than 4 hours of direct sunlight a day, this is going to be your top problem and it's one of the more challenging issues to correct. You may also have an additional concern because you haven't fertilized or had any weed control done in your lawn recently - but your main reason why the lawn isn't as healthy as you want it is due to excessive shade. Canopy trimming, shade landscaping, and a couple other ideas can really transform your lawn quickly. Take a look at our full article about how to salvage a yard in deep shade. 

 

The Right Amount of Water

If you have a good bit of sunlight and the nutrition of the lawn has been handled well, the third concern to address would be the lawn's watering. We recommend that you conduct an annual inspection of your irrigation system to verify coverage is corect. Many times we see plants have grown up to block sprinkler heads, valves don't open properly, or heads have gotten out of adjustment and are missing the very area of the lawn you were concerned about. Also, using that inspection to verify the rain sensor is working properly and that it's set to run enough during the week and at the optimum times as well. We have a full article on water in regards to what happens if the lawn is watered too much, not enough, and how to fix it. 

  Fertilization and Weed Control

If you know you haven't had your lawn fertlized in more than 4 months, a lack of nutrition may be the main problem you are facing. It's important that your lawn get the correct balance nitrogen, potassium, and iron to help green up and choke out the weeds.  Carefully managing weeds and turf pests is another area that can be a challange for some of our Gainesville lawns. A good lawn care program is one that focuses on the overall health of your lawn and encourages healthy growth rather than just spraying pesticides.   

We hope this quick tip has been of assistance to you in getting your lawn bouncing back for spring. If you have time, take a look at our full article on lawn nutrition and how The Master's Lawn Care differs from the competition in our area. We also have selective weed control products that won't harm your lawn but will kill out the weeds that are invading. If you would like to get our professional opinion please don't hesitate to call our office at 352-378-5296 or e-mail me directly at rusty@themasterslawncare.com. 

   

Part of caring for your Gainesville lawn is creating an environment that’s pleasing to the human eye, yet unattractive to pests. The good news is you don’t have to be a Gainesville lawn pest control expert to have a decent looking lawn. You just have to invest the right time, preparation, materials, and money to make sure your lawn stays protected - especially in the fall.

 

By preparing lawns in the late summer and early fall, you help strengthen lawns and prevent the growth of unwanted weeds and uninvited critters that like to pop up throughout fall and spring. .

 

Pests of concern

• White grubs: Grubs eat the roots near the surface of the soil, causing your lawn to die. The presence of white grubs often attracts birds, armadillos, and moles to dig up your Gainesville Landscape as well searching for food.. 
• Chinch bugs: In Gainesville Chinch bugs destroy St. Augustine lawns by sucking the moisture out of grass blades, leaving them looking drought stressed. 
• Weeds: Weeds germinate in the fall to prepare for springtime growth. Pre-Emergent weed control is a must to help keep these under control.
• Fertilize: Gainesville lawn fertilization companies often recommend the use of a natural winterizing fertilizer to promote lawn root development and pest resistance.   
• 
• Eliminate leaves:  Fallen leaves make great places to hide for insects and rodents. Turn the leaves into mulch and use it in your beds to avoid having to buy pine bark as often..
• Keep mowing: Use the highest setting on the mower through the year so the grass stays insulated and strong during the winter.              
• Clean up food sources: If a client has plants or trees that bear fall fruit, pick up produce that falls to the ground so it doesn’t attract pests.

 

Pest prevention
As a Gainesville landscaper, it’s not unheard of for us to encounter a pest infestation on a client’s property. When this happens to you, make sure to call a professional lawn and landscape pest service. The techniques that the professionals use are tailored to the type of pest in question and eliminate unnecessary pesticide use, which helps keep a landscape and the environment safe and healthy. 

 

A healthy lawn prevents the presence of unwanted pests. By employing smart lawn care techniques, you’ll simplify future landscape care and go a long way toward preventing pests that can destroy your hard work. Never hesitate to call a local pest control service that uses green practices to help maintain a pest-free landscape that’s in line with your wishes.

Sod webworms begin to show in Gainesville, Florida lawns around August and don't stop eating until the first frost. They can occasionally show up earlier though, if certain weather patterns occur. This pest feeds on all types of warm season turf, and the only way to protect from them is to be on a Gaineville Lawn Fertilization Program that includes a mixture of residual insecticide with proper nutrients that keep your lawn healthy and less suceptible to webworm invasion.

Above is a photo of a local Haile Plantation lawn with sodworm damage. Take notice of the chewed leaf blades and damaged turf from the little insects. Another way to be aware if you have webworms early are if you see moths flying up in the moring as you walk through your landscape. 

The caterpillar is 1/25" when hatched and grows to ¾" in maturity and are usually light green with black spots. It takes 12 weeks to mature to adulthood. The adult moth is brown and has wings that fold beneath the body.

Sod webworms destroy Gainesville lawns by chewing away the tissue of the grass blade leaving only a colorless membrane on the leaf. As the grass is aggressively attacked by the webworm its leaves become ragged and yellow to brownish in color.

Rapid growth from applications of nitrogen fertilizers attracts egg laying female moths. Using a slow release nitrogen fertilization rogram will reduce the incidence of damage from these pests.

Professional Gainesville lawn spraying is the best solution for controlling sod webworms. Retail pesticides sold in Home Improvement stores are also effective solutions for killing sod webworms, but be careful with mixing as they can be overmixed and damage your lawn and it's ecosystem if not used in accordance with the label.

Without a program in place to regularly spray lawn pest control and keep lawns healthy, webworm control in the fall will always be a losing battle. That's why we're doing this blog series on noticing problems in Gainesville lawns. For more information, feel fee to read the articles about Gainesville Chinch Bug Protection and Gainesville Lawn Weed Identification too. 

Gainesville lawn Chinch bugs love the heat of the Florida climate and prefer dry sunny areas of St. Augustine grass, which is we have seen so many active colonies of Lawn pests these past few weeks around Alachua County.

Chich bugs damage grass by feeding on the plant juices through a needle-shaped beak causing lawns to develop yellow and brown patches that resemble drought stress. Chinch bug eggs begin to hatch in Florida during early spring and multiply continuing well into summer when they start to be seen in 1 out of every 3 Gainesville lawns that aren't on a Lawn Pest Prevenative Program.

Their eggs hatch in 10 days and the young develop into adults in as little as 3 weeks. Although chinch bugs are most commonly found feeding on St. Augustine grass, they will infest other grass species. They rarely cause enough damage in grasses besides St. Augustine to matter though. See the photos above for great photos of the stages of growth for a chinch bug.

The nymphs start out red in color changing to orange as they begin to mature. They molt 5 times before reaching adulthood. An adult  Gainesville chinch bug is about 1/5 inches long and has black a body with white wings.

Chinch bugs can produce 7 generations in a year to feast on your Gainesville lawn. The time frame from hatching to maturity is about 3 weeks. One female chinch bug can lay up to 500 eggs.

Infested areas usually start along drive ways,sidewalks, and other concrete edges where its is warmest. Frequent application of nitrogen fertilizers can cause St Augustine grass to be more susceptible to chinch bug invasion, as well as drought problems.

Diligent lawn mowing keeping St. Augustine grass at a height of 3 to 4 inches will not only give better appearance but will make the grass more tolerant toward chinch bugs.

Problems are usually noticed first along concrete edges or in areas without adequate moisture receiving full sun. 

Professional Gainesville Florida lawn spraying is the best solution for controlling chinch bugs.

There are a number of products on the market that will kill Gainesville chinch bugs at various stages of the life cycle including the eggs. Granulated insecticides are usually the most effective for long term results for the do-it-yourself solution.

 Without a program in place to regularly spray lawn pest control and keep lawns healthy, chinch bug control in the summer will always be a losing battle. That's why we're doing this blog series on noticing problems in Gainesville lawns. For more information, feel fee to read the articles about Gainesville Sod Webworm protection and Gainesville Lawn Weed Identification too. 

Thanks!

    -The Masters Lawn Care Team

One of the most frequently asked questions I am asked on an initial consultation with a potential client is, "Why isn't my grass as green as the other people in my neighborhood?" My response always starts the same way, that a lawn has three relatively basic needs for long-term health: Food, Water, and Sunlight. In the past two articles, we've discussed the right amount of water and sunlight, so that leaves the last tip of the series to be about food, also known as lawn fertilization. 

Many homeowners in our area use the ‘feast or famine’ method fertilizing once or twice a year because of chain stores recommending the spring and fall lawn feedings. This is one of the many ways that turfgrass and the human body are very similar. This is not unlike eating one or two large meals a day and expecting a healthy physique – It just doesn’t work like that. In the same way that many nutritionists recommend 5-6 small meals a day because your body needs to be fed constantly, your lawn is at its best when it is given 5-6 doses of nutrients per year too.

Nutritionists also recommend not eating within an hour or two of going to bed so that you don’t go to sleep with a full stomach. Likewise, lawns do not take in any nutrients in the winter when it goes dormant. Too much nitrogen laid down at the wrong time of year can contribute to many environmental issues that are affecting our drinking water and our ecosystem. This is why we recommend early fall fertilization with a lower dose of Nitrogen (the first number on the fertilizer solution label), and focusing more on Potassium (the third number on the label) which increases the root structure.

One other commonality between humans and lawns are vaccinations. In the same way that getting properly vaccinated can help prevent diseases, one important piece of any fertilization program should include pre-emergents to help prevent weeds. Pre-emergents are formulas that bond to weed seeds before they germinate and render them useless so weeds cannot spread. This keeps the turf weed-free and healthy.

The ultimate goal of every homeowner who takes pride in their landscape is to have a thick, green, and lush lawn to enjoy. The easiest way to have that is to make sure it has the right amount of irrigation, a healthy dose of sunlight, and the proper lawn fertilization program. With those 3 things in-tact, your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood.

If your lawn is not as healthy as you would like and you want some help getting on a fertilization program, call our office at 378-5296 or fill out our lawn care analysis form. We would be glad to serve any way we can!

Related Reading:

• 1st Basic Need of a Lawn: Sun
• 2nd Basic Need of a Lawn: Water
• Video Blog: Side by Side lawn comparison 
• TMLC Lawn Care Program: Six Visits explained 

One of my constant talking points is that a Gainesville lawn needs 3 main ingredients to thrive: water,  food, and sun.  If it has all three, grass will grow on concrete (not forever, but if it didn’t, we wouldn’t need edgers).  If you’re missing one of those three things the lawn won’t get any better regardless of what you do.  Today, I want to discuss the importance of water, or more importantly how you can tell if your lawn problem is water-related.

If your lawn developed brown spots last spring in the sunny areas, I’d venture to guess that your problem is water-related.  Most of the lawn issues we see in May and June are from the dry spells we experience.  These brown spots during droughts are generally caused by one of two things if you have a Gainesville Irrigation system:  Improper irrigation coverage or incorrect watering times. 

Imagine filling a gallon bucket with water and setting it out in your yard. When you check your bucket a week later, you’re going to find it still has water, but you’ve lost an inch or so from evaporation.  That’s what happens to your lawn and landscape plants if the evaporation isn’t replaced by rain and/or irrigation water. If you had the bucket of water in full sun, it would experience more evaporation than one in deep shade. Also, a bucket put out in summer would lose more to evaporation than one in winter. 

All of that is just to explain that drought stress is most prevalent in the sunny areas of your lawn and in the driest times of the year.  

 

How can you be sure it's drought stress? Good news! St. Augustine and Zoysia lawns are very easy to diagnose drought stress in. Both leaves have a midvein that acts as a “spine” for each individual blade of grass, allowing it to open and close as needed.  Healthy, well-watered grass blades will appear almost completely flat and totally open. When grass begins to dry out, the blade will close in half upon itself, to reduce its exposure to the sun and thus reduce its need for water. This will also give the grass a “hazy” look, as the backs of the blades are not as deep a green as the enclosed fronts.

 

In addition to making sure you get enough water on your lawn, it is just as important to not get too much as well. Ever heard the old saying about there being "Too much of a good thing?" This is the case with water too, especially in the shady areas of your lawn. Not allowing your Gainesville lawn to dry out (whether it's St. Augustine or Zoysia) will cause it to get what's commonly called 'brown patch fungus' and it will damage your lawn if not handled appropriately.

Four Quick Tips to Avoid Over or Under Watering Your Lawn:

1. Run your irrigation early in the morning. I set mine to start at 4AM. 
2. Run your Rotor or Rotator Zones for about 45 minutes. Shrub/Ornamental zones can be set to 25 (deeper root systems).
3. Run your irrigation system in accordance with local county or city restrictions, but optimal settings are 3 times per week.  
4. Have your system serviced by a locally licensed irrigation professional seasonally to ensure proper coverage, reduce water waste, and keep it in working order. 

If you have questions or concerns about your lawn, call (352) 378-5296, email me at info@themasterslawncare.com or fill out our contact form for more information.

Resources (click the links below):

• How to Program Your Irrigation Timer Settings
• University of Florida 'Watering Your Lawn' Information
• 1st Basic Need of a Lawn: Sun
• 3rd Basic Need of a Lawn: Food
• Video Blog: Side by Side lawn comparison 
• TMLC Lawn Care Program: Six Visits explained 

The secret to a healthy Gainesville lawn is comprised of three main ingredients: Sun, Water, and Food.  Today I want to focus on the one that a lawn cannot live without - sunlight. Depending on how much your lawn gets in a typical day, is one of a couple factors that directly affects the health of your Gainesville lawn.

Shade Trees.  Nearly everyone loves and wants them on their lot.  A big, beautiful, well-established tree can not only add beauty to your Gainesville Landscaping, they can also provide shade which in turn keeps your home cooler and will save you on your energy bill.  What is good for your wallet, however, isn’t good for your lawn. Too much shade is often the culprit for an unsightly dirt patch in a lawn.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone tell me they think all they need to do is install a pallet of sod and their lawn will be fine.  What actually happens is the sod looks great for a few months, but over time begins to fade and, six months later, their unsightly dirt patch is back. They're treating the symptom of the problem (the dead sod) rather than the actual problem (the amount of shade on that area of the lawn). 

The bottom line is that St. Augustine and zoysia need about 4-6 hours of sunlight a day.  

If your lawn isn’t getting that much sun then you need to have some tree canopy trimming done or a solid "plan B" which is why roughly two-thirds of the Gainesville landscape projects The Master's Lawn Care installs are for customers with heavy shade in their yard.  

The funny thing is that once these customers accept that these areas will never be able to support a lush green lawn with heavy shade, they soon realize that these areas can be the prettiest and most welcoming places of their lawn.  

A shady area can be a great place for a bench on a flagstone patio, maybe with a water feature nearby to enjoy during a beautiful day.   And for large areas, ground cover, such as liriope or Asiatic Jasmine can be added and then be broken up with shrubs of different sizes and textures such as variegated pittosporum or Azaleas.  If irrigation is a concern, you can use river rock and mulch areas to break up large areas while reducing the watering requirements. 

If you have the right amount of sun on your lawn and are wondering about the other two basic needs for a healthy Gainesville lawn, please read about Water and Fertilizer  by clicking the individual links. 

If you’re searching for ideas on how to fix an unsightly brown patch in your lawn, or just looking for some Gainesville landscaping ideas, I invite you to visit our photos page.  The page contains several photos of our recent projects designed by our staff and our testimonials page shows about 120 of our clients' thoughts of our work.

If you have any questions regarding your Gainesville lawn and landscape please don’t hesitate to contact us at 352-378-5296, email us at info@themasterslawncare.com.  We’d be happy to answer any of your questions.

Related Reading:

• 2nd Basic Need of a Lawn: Water
• 3rd Basic Need of a Lawn: Food
• Video Blog: Side by Side lawn comparison 
• TMLC Lawn Care Program: Six Visits explained 

 

 

Advertisements do not tell you what a service or product won't do - on purpose - they do not want to discourage you from buying their product or service. Every service or product has strong points and limitations. Lawn spraying has some great strong points - fertility, insects and weeds. Lawn spraying has definite limitations - there are problems with St Augustine turf grass lawn that lawn spraying just will not fix. When a homeowner with a persistent problem - like poor irrigation - hires a Gainesville lawn spray company to spray away irrigation problems - they will be disappointed! So I always tell potential customers what lawn spraying cannot do - lawn spraying cannot fix irrigation, raise the mower height, eradicate weeds or bugs and watch over the lawn like a superintendent.

Spray Away Irrigation Problems - Not Going to Happen

The number one determining factor for the success or failure of your lawn is Gainesville Irrigation. Broken heads, poorcoverage or just plain being stingy with water will stress your St Augustine turf grass lawn. And stressed turf is not healthy turf. A St Augustine turf grass lawn that is poorly watered will be always be a poor lawn. And no amount of lawn spraying will fix poor irrigation.

A good Gainesville lawn spraying service will recognize poor irrigation and recommend a course of action to fix and repair the system. I always tell new customers - even to the point of losing the customer - that if the irrigation system is poorly maintained, there is little that lawn spraying can do for their lawn. And, I am quick to point out to a potential customer that their well-watered lawn will quickly recover and benefit from lawn spraying.

Best Advice: Either hire a Gainesville sprinkler system professional or learn how to keep your irrigations system at its best.

Lawn Spraying Is Not Sun Block

A St Augustine turf grass lawn must be mowed at 3" or higher to thrive and be a healthy lawn. St Augustine turf grass has above ground stems - it lives on top of the soil. Low mowing exposes the stems to the harsh Florida sun causing the stems to stress and die. High mowing produces a thickcanopy above the stems absorbing the sunlight to produce food (photosynthesis) and protect the stems from the harsh Florida sun (sun block).

No amount of lawn spraying can protect exposed stems from the harsh Florida sun. The only way to protect the stems from the harsh Florida sun is to raise the mower. I am quick to point out to a potential customer the difference between two lawns is mower height. Standing in the weak thin lawn of the potential customer, I'll point out my shoes are fully exposed. Then standing in the lush green lawn across the street, I'll show them that only the top of my shoes are exposed in the deep thick canopy.

Best Advice: Raise the Mower as high as it will go or get your Gainesville lawn maintenance company to mow at 3.5" or higher.

Pest Control Not Pest Eradication

Bugs do what bugs do best - they crawl and fly around. And weeds do what they do best - perpetuate the species by germinating and producing seeds. You cannot defeat either - the forces of nature will not be stopped. Every lawn has bugs. Every lawn has weeds. No amount of lawn spraying will stop nature from continuing this cycle of life.

What lawn spraying will do is reduce the bugs to levels that will not damage or kill your lawn and reduce weeds for best appearance. I am quick point this out to a potential customer. If a customer thinks that lawn spraying will prevent every bug and every weed from showing up in their lawn, they won't be a customer long.

Best Advice: Relax! Weeds don't kill lawns. Not every bug is lethal. It is the outdoors and not everything can be controlled.

Lawn Spraying is not a Watchful Eye on Your Lawn

Every day is a new day to your St Augustine turf grass lawn. Lawn spraying happens every 56 days. There is no way a lawn spraying company can be a watchful eye over your precious lawn. Oftenhomeowners - especially absentee owners - hire a Gainesville lawn treatment company to be exactly that - the watchful eye or superintendent of the lawn. They expect the lawn spraying company to fix everything that could go wrong with a lawn by showing up every two months. But it doesn't work. A lawn can die from a broken irrigation system in less than a week.

The best watchful eye over your lawn is the person who is there the most - the owner, the maintenance company or a neighbor. The lawn spray company can keep the lawn safe from bugs, but there are many other forces that can destroy a lawn in just a few weeks. I listen for the telltale signs of a customer wanting a superintendent: "Can you take care of my lawn" or "I need to someone to make sure my lawn looks good year round". When I hear this, I try to convince them that not only do we need a lawn fertilization company, but our landscape maintenance services as well so that we can keep a watchful eye out for potential problems every week during mowing; rather than every 6-8 weeks when the lawn is getting treated. 

Best Advice: The person who sees the lawn most often has the best chance to see and solve problems before the lawn is destroyed.

What TMLC Lawn Spraying Does

Lawn spraying has limitations. I recognize that and try to educate my customers not only on what we do, but what we can't do. TMLC Lawn spraying keeps the fertility high, kills the bugs during the warm season months and we work on weeds every application. Our philosophy is to encourage St Augustine turf grass and discourage everything else from a prevenative approach, rather than remedial (waiting till after the problem occurs.) From that - fertility, insect and weed control, your lawn will reach its highest potential - limited only by your irrigation system and mowing height.