As we have mentioned before, the second basic need for a lawn is water. But what about your plants? Each plant has different watering needs.Some factors to consider include the species and age of the plant, the type of soil in which it is planted, and its exposure to the sun.

The symptoms of drought stress may be similar to the symptoms of over watering or even to some pest and disease problems.  It is important to identify the causes of the problem in order to take corrective steps.

Under drought stress, many plants shut down their specialized leaf tissue openings to minimize the dehydration loss. However continuous drought conditions can lead to internal head load and limit the plant's vital gas and nutrient exchange causing partial or complete collapse of the plant. Drought stressed plants are highly vulnerable to pest (insect and disease) and winter damages.

Here are some tips to help with drought stress on landscape and garden plants:

Trees and Shrubs
1) Give trees a good soaking water once or twice a week. Newly planted trees and shrubs (1-3 years old) need twice a week of watering to about one inch depth (0.6 gallons of water is needed to cover an inch deep per square foot). If trees and shrubs are mulched, place the soaker hose underneath the mulch to ensure the soil root zone gets adequate water. Or use 15-20 gallon Tree gator bags on young trees that drip on the root ball.

2) Control any weeds or turf growing underneath the tree’s drip line area. Weeds and turf compete with trees for water.

3) Spread wood chip mulch to about 3-4 inches deep and keep it 6 inches away from the tree trunk. Avoid volcano mulching around the tree trunk.

4) Don’t fertilize drought-stressed trees and shrubs.

5) Avoid unnecessary pruning or transplanting of trees and shrubs.

Flowering annuals and vegetable crops
1) Mulch your vegetable crops and flowering annuals using clean straw or hay, rice hulls or leaf mold.

2) Before watering, check the soil moisture by poking a finger an inch deep into the soil media. If the soil is dry, give a good soaking water around its root zone area. Shallow containers and 6” deep raised beds may require twice a day watering.

3) Water gently around the base of the plants and avoid splashing on its leaves. Morning hours are good for watering plants.

4) Control weeds by mulching or pulling them.

5) Avoid frequent fertilization of your crops, if needed, use granular products containing some slow-release formulation and water it immediately after application.

Perennials
1) Water the perennials when the soil surface dries out moderately. Place the soaker hose a few inches away from the crown of the plant and water to an inch deep (0.6 gallons of water is needed to cover a one inch depth for one square foot). If using a wand, direct the flow of the water around the base of the plant.

2) Avoid overhead watering to prevent foliar diseases. Water early in the morning to reduce evaporation loss.

3) Mulch helps in conserving soil moisture and smothering annual weeds. Use shredded wood or bark mulch to a depth of 3 inches.
 
If you need help with Central Florida Lawn Irrigation, give our team a call or text at (352) 378-5296. We look forward to working with you!

The armyworm is the most common cause of damaged turfgrass on golf courses, athletic fields, and home landscapes.

The larva of armyworms can cause rapid, significant loss of leaf tissue in turfgrass. They feed primarily on Bermuda and Ryegrasses in our area, but can also move to Zoysia and St. Augustine grass where they swarm.

The name ‘armyworm’ originates from agriculture, where infestations sometimes resemble an army as they move across large agriculture fields. The same behavior can sometimes occur in turf, where areas as large as a football field can be consumed in the course of 2-3 days!

If armyworms are present in turfgrasses in large numbers, it is important to treat them as soon as possible to avoid further injury. There are several active ingredients that are effective in controlling fall armyworms, but many variations exist in formulation, use site, applicator requirements, etc.  As always, be sure to follow the product label for specific instructions on timing, use rate, and application methods. For a complete list of products labeled for fall armyworm control, consult the Florida IFAS website as they are updated regularly.

They're most active at night and hide in plants and under garden debris during the day. In their larva stage, armyworms attack a variety of crops as well as grasses, sometimes moving in masses to new areas in a way as its name suggests, an army on the march.

Identification
Markings on newly hatched caterpillars are usually hard to distinguish, older larvae have distinctive stripes that run the entire length of the body. Fall armyworms are brown with yellow stripes, beet armyworms are green with light stripes. Adults are gray, mottled moths (1-1/2 inch wingspan) with a small white dot in the center of each forewing and dark margins on the hind wings.

How to Control Webworms
Treating early is the best way to control an armyworm infestation. If this happens in your yard, you can control armyworms with an insecticide. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) sprays are a safer alternative and ideal for use in home situations. Bt is most effective when applied to small caterpillars. If you find armyworms in your lawn, they're surface feeders so you should be able to spot them in the turf.

If you suspect armyworms as the cause of your garden/lawn woes, it’s important to identify and treat the problem quickly. Armyworms can lay devastation to a lawn or garden in a matter of days. At the first signs of brown patches and chewed plants, look for the small armyworm larvae, which are identifiable due to their green, yellow, brown, or reddish stripes that span their body length. Then, it’s time to consider treating your yard! We are here to help you get through this!

If you need help with Gainesville lawn pest treatments, give our team a call or text at (352) 378-5296. We're local and have been serving Gainesville for over 15 years. We look forward to working with you!

When hearing the word “scale,” someone might think of scales on reptiles. It is not that far off for comparison. Cycad scales grow under a wax covering resembling reptilian scales.

There are many species of plant-scale insects. Asian cycad is one of the most common scale insects that infect the Sago Palms by feeding on the bottom of the fronds. These insects are flat and oval and are commonly tan, white, or brown. Scale insects are tiny, as tiny as a pinhead.

Over time Cycad scale will cover the entire plant stems, trunks, and foliage.
The eggs hatch under these scales and become larva or crawlers.

How does the scale cause damage?
Scale insects, specifically the crawlers, suck sap from the Sago Palm. As the crawlers feed on the sap of the plant,  it excretes a sticky substance called honeydew.
This honeydew attracts ants, flies, and other insects.
Honeydew also traps fungus spores. The honeydew leads to sooty mold, which looks like black soot and prevents light from getting through to the leaves.

How to identify an infestation?
While scale insect pests are incredibly tiny, the “scales” are easy to see.
Check for white or black dots, or scales, on the tops and bottoms of your Sago Palm. On heavily infested Sago Palms, the leaves will look white.

Natural Ornamental Pest Control Treatments To Get Rid of Scale
Effectively, natural treatments only prolong the life of the Sago, and are not effective in stopping the scale infestation. Pruning- heavily infested fronds can be pruned, placed in a sealed bag, and disposed of away from plants. Prune any sick-looking fronds too.
Scraping- If the scale found is not too much, you can scrape it off with a fingernail, or dull object. Note that the scale infestation will return.

Traditional Pest Control Treatment Strategy:
To reduce insecticide use, our team will use horticultural oils in the cooler months to control this common landscape pest. In the warmer months, the best method is systemic insecticides that are soaked into the plant and kill the scale as they suck the sap. Often living in the soil, these insects are not well controlled by contact insecticides. We work around this by using systemic ornamental pest control treatments that move into the plant tissues these scales feed on.

If you need help with Gainesville lawn pest treatments and fertilizer programs, give our team a call or text at (352) 378-5296. We're local and have been serving Gainesville for over 15 years. We look forward to working with you!

This article was written for our industry association, the National Association of Landscape Professionals

When you take on a new lawn care client, you may think you know what products should be applied based on what you’re seeing in the turf. However, there is a lot more going on than meets the eye and this is where the importance of soil tests come in.

“It’s like going to the doctor,” says Mike Hall, COO of Spectrum Analytic, Inc. based in Washington Court House, Ohio. “They’re going order a battery of tests if you’ve never been to that doctor before to find out what’s going on inside your body. A soil test does the same thing. It finds out what’s going on in the soil so you can amend it properly and not just guess.”

Hall guarantees that if you pulled a soil sample from each house in a cul-de-sac the results would be different for each lawn, so it’s important not to assume the soil is the same as the other properties you care for in the area.

Soil tests can tell you what is deficient and what may be in excess in a lawn.

“That’s an enormously important thing to know because we live in a world where all the inputs that people are using are becoming ever more expensive,” says Bob Mann, director of state and local government relations for NALP and agronomist. “So, if you’re using them improperly to excess or not enough or not charging what you should be charging that comes right off your bottom line. It’s good business sense to know exactly what you’re dealing with on a per lawn basis.” 

When it comes to conducting soil tests it’s critical you gather enough cores. You can’t just pull one sample from a corner of a yard and expect it to tell you anything. Also, be mindful of what you’re sending to the lab.

“You want to get rid of the verdure, the growing portion of what you pull up, get rid of the thatch layer, that intermingled layer of living and dead tissue, and then the first couple of three inches of soil put in the bag,” Mann says. “You want to be specific to where the roots are going to be growing to the exclusion of all that organic matter.”

Majority of the time the sample bag from the laboratory will indicate where to fill it so you know the amount of soil to provide. Hall says if you are planning to treat the front and backyard the same, pull 10 to 12 cores and mix the soil well so you can treat the property based on that one sample. However, if there is a problem area in a yard, it’s best to do a separate soil test for that spot so you can properly diagnose the issue.

“Your results are as only good as the person that takes that sample,” Hall says.

As for when you should conduct soil testing, Mann and Hall agree that after taking an initial soil test for a new client, they should be placed on a three-year rotation. Mann says the best time to conduct soil testing is in the spring before anything has been treated so the soil test does not reflect any recent applications.

When selecting who to send your soil tests off to, Hall advises looking for a soil lab that has quality control methods, competitive prices and agronomists on staff who will help you understand the results. Mann says whether you choose to work with a cooperative extension or a private company’s soil lab, you need to establish a relationship with them first before sending them hundreds of soil tests.

“You want to set up an account first off, so they know who you are,” Mann says. “You want to tell them ahead of time ‘Hey, I’ve got 1,000 customers, and I want to do 333 soil tests every year. Put everybody on a cycle, plus I budget 500 new sales a year.’”

Once you’ve established a relationship with the soil lab of your choice, then comes the matter of deciding what tier of testing you want to go with. Mann says this depends on how detailed you want to get and how much you want to pay.

The most basic level of soil testing looks at the soil pH, which affects how other elements are taken up by the grass. For those who are applying lime no matter what, they can be compounding the problem if the soil pH is already over 7.

“Grasses grow in a wide range of pHs but you want to be in that proper range so the other elements in the soil, the micros and macros, are taken up by the turf,” Hall says.

Another soil test level is looking at the nutrient levels in the soil – both the macro and the micronutrients. The third type of testing level looks at the physical aspect of the soil including the level of organic matter, the texture and the cation exchange capacity.

Mann says it’s important to work with a soil lab so you are not overwhelmed by the results. They are a resource for your company.

Both Mann and Hall advise not absorbing the cost of soil testing. Instead, communicate to the customer why soil testing matters, and provide them a PDF of the soil test results so you can back up why you advise making certain applications.

“I think it’s like anything else, I’ve never found a hospital where they did free blood testing,” Hall says.

Depending on what lab you’re using, you’ll get some basic recommendations back from them, but how you interpret those recommendations is what really matters. Dr. Frank Rossi from Cornell University says don’t let the data lead you astray.

“What he meant by that is don’t just look at the soil test numbers in a vacuum,” Mann says. “You have to be engaged in a constant effort to educate yourself as to what’s going on.”

While soil testing can ensure you have better success with your lawn care practices, it also helps with significant savings, so your company isn’t applying expensive products that are unnecessary for certain properties.

“We want you to be successful,” Mann says. “We want you to be professional. We want you to be a trusted resource when it comes to this and part of that is getting engaged with soil testing.”

The Master's Lawn Care conducts a soil test in partnership with UF-IFAS and their turfgrass department on Hull Road to ensure our programs for lawn health clients are tailored for each lawn's specific needs, related to soil, grass type, cultivar, amount of sun, and other property dynamics. 

The fungal disease known as melting out is seen most commonly in cool-season Zoysia grass, but it can also be a killer in warm-seasons as well.
Symptoms of melting-out resemble leaf spot symptoms and these two diseases are often grouped together. Melting out however is a cool-weather disease where leaf spot is a warm-weather disease. Symptoms first appear as black to purple spots on the leaf blades. Spots eventually move to the leaf sheaths, and the fungus invades the crowns and roots of the grass. The grass will appear yellow or blackish brown from a distance depending on the nitrogen level of the turf during infection.
Melting-out has two stages of disease development; one being in the early spring in cool, wet weather, which brings about spotting on the leaves of the turf. As cool, wet conditions persist, the crown and root rot stage of the disease follows, and infected turfgrass begins to thin and die.

How to manage Melting Out:

• Raising the height of your lawn mower during the cool, wet weather of early spring and fall will help turf to survive an attack of melting-out.
• Proper fertilization during the cool weather of the spring and fall will help to reduce disease severity.
• Managing the irrigation settings to reduce watering should reduce the severity of melting out.
• Finally, systemic and contact fungicides can be used after all of the above measures are taken into account.

If you need help with Gainesville lawn weed treatments and fertilizer programs, give our team a call or text at (352) 378-5296. We're local and have been serving Gainesville for over 15 years. We look forward to working with you!

Chickweeds form low, spreading mats that can take over vast swaths of land in no time at all. Though they thrive in cool, moist areas with shade, they have the capability to spread despite sun exposure. This annual weed creates small, star-like flowers that look pretty but can cover your lawn in no time—so don’t let these beauties fool you!

These and other winter annual weeds germinate from seeds during fall as the soil temperature cools and the day length shortens. The seedlings usually go unnoticed but continue to slowly grow through the colder winter months. 

Timing is critical when it comes to Gainesville lawn weed control. The mistake most homeowners make is to wait too late to treat winter weeds.

There are  two ways to get rid of chickweed:

1. A good ole fashion pulling session. These have pretty shallow roots, so hoeing the ground and pulling up the weeds are fine strategies for this type of nuisance.

2. Treating them with a combination of pre and post emergent lawn weed controls at the right time is the key to your success.

If you have a history of problems with winter weeds in your lawn, attempt control measures before the weeds go to seed. If you intend to use a preemergence herbicide, apply it during October, just before the winter weeds germinate. Then you'll only have to do clean up on a lot less tubular weeds that come back up.

If you need help with Gainesville lawn weed treatments and fertilizer programs, give our team a call or text at (352) 378-5296. We're local and have been serving Gainesville for over 15 years. We look forward to working with you!

For the most part, hollies are extremely hardy, suffering from few pests or diseases. In fact, most problems that do occur are usually associated with other factors, such as environmental conditions. However, pests damaging holly bushes can happen so it’s important to become familiar with this common one for help in prevention as well as treatment.

Holly Scale insects can be found feeding on the back sides of the leaves of hollies. These sucking insects use a needle-like mouth-part to pierce leaves and drink the sugary sap inside. Scale insect droppings are sugary and drip onto the upper surfaces of leaves below. A black fungus called sooty mold grows on the droppings. It is the secretion from a pest known as scale that releases a sticky substance that dirt sticks to, causing the black fungus-like appearance. The scale pest can be treated with a contact or systemic insecticide as well as organic treatments.

To reduce insecticide use, our lawn pest team at The Master’s Lawn Care will use horticultural oils in the cooler months to control this common landscape pest. For proper control, it is critical to apply the oil spray over every surface of the plant. If the insects are on the underside of the leaves and the oil is only applied to the upper surface, it will have no effect on them. Because scale insects are difficult to kill, one or two follow-up applications should be made after the first one.

In the warmer months, the best method is systemic insecticides that are soaked into the plant and kill the scale as they Feast on its nutrients.

Check out our video for more information on Holly Scale:
Is Black Sooty Mold a Pest on my Holly Bush?

If you come across a Gainesville Lawn Pest, please don't hesitate to let us know if we can help. Contact our office at (352) 378-5296 and one of our technicians would be glad to assist you!

Nutsedge, also called nutgrass, is an aggressive weed that often plagues lawns in the wet seasons like we have been in. There are several different varieties of nutsedge, and they're all perennial weeds in the sedge family that regrow each year and reproduce in a manner that makes them difficult to manage.

Nutsedge outbreaks often start in moist, poorly drained lawn areas, where they quickly develop into large colonies. Their extensive root systems may reach up to 4 feet deep. Once established, these weeds can tolerate drought, but grow best in the damp areas of the lawn.

Identifying Nutsedge:
Shape- Nutsedge weeds, like all sedges (grasslike plants), have a triangular stem that can be felt in your hands. The stem of the sedge feels like it has 3 sides or 3 points, much like a triangle.

"Sandspurs" - Many Floridians mistake these weeds for sandspurs, because of their green spiky flowers that resemble sandspurs. However, they are not sharp and are soft enough to crush between your fingertips. True sandspurs are brown and very tough on fingers.

Roots- Nutsedge has roots, called rhizomes, that can reach 8-14 inches below ground. Rhizomes will grow horizontally under the soil and emerge out of the soil to form a new sedge plant. This means multiple sedges may be connected by one series of rhizomes.

How to control nutsedge:
First, and this is very important - Don’t pull it.  Most of the time pulling nutsedge doesn’t work because it has two nuts attached to the roots.  You can pull up the first one but if you don’t get the second one, and you almost never can get it, you usually end up with it splitting and getting even more nutsedge.  In fact, nutsedge reminds me of the stories of fishermen who tried to get rid of starfish by cutting them up and throwing them back in the sea.  What happens when you cut up starfish?  The pieces each turn into a starfish and you end up with a lot more starfish.  That’s pretty much what happens when you pull nutsedge in Gainesville landscapes

In terms of how to get rid of nutsedge, you will need to implement specialty post-emergent control products. These products are specifically targeted to nutsedge and won’t damage the rest of your grass. Sesgehammer and Pro-Sedge are two of the most common - but during the rainy season just can bairly stunt the growth.

Due to its hardiness and the fact that it grows rapidly, nutsedge will require repeated controls to knock back. And even when you successfully achieve this in one season, it may return.

This is why it’s important that nutsedge control is part of an ongoing and comprehensive weed control program. You simply can’t let your guard down with a persistent weed like nutsedge.

If you come across a Gainesville Lawn Weed, please don't hesitate to let us know if we can help. Contact our office at (352) 378-5296 and one of our technicians would be glad to assist you!

Short on time?
Watch our YouTube video that explains this yard pest!

Have you noticed black sooty mold on your landscape plants?

That powdery, black residue on your landscape plants probably isn't doing them any harm, but the same can't be said for the pests that cause it. The black coating is called sooty mold, and it's a sign your plants are under attack!

Insects, such as aphids and scales, are attracted to plants and will suck the leaves for plant juices. As they digest the plant nutrients, they excrete a very sugary substance that we call honeydew.

The first sign that you have a sucking insect problem will be very shiny or oily-looking leaves. These leaves will feel sticky from the sugary honeydew. You will usually notice ants trailing up the tree to get the sugar, and you might notice a lot of wasps and bees flying around the tree also. If you park your car under the tree, you will also see the honeydew dripping on your hood.

The sugar not only attracts other insects, but it also attracts sooty mold, which can live and grow on the honeydew. You might see a white fence under the tree or plant turn black, as well as patio furniture or even your car if honeydew is falling on them!

Although it looks unsightly, sooty mold isn't harmful to human health. If you touch or rub leaves, stems, or bark that has that characteristic black coating, you're left with dark smudges on your fingers.

You'll probably also feel the sticky honeydew that the mold is growing on. But there's nothing to worry about. Just wash your hands with warm water and soap to remove the black marks.

It is easier to prevent sooty mold than to control it, and that means starting early.

Sooty mold is really an insect problem, and if you control the insects, you will not have sooty mold. You have heard that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It applies here. The scale pest can be treated with a contact or systemic insecticide as well as organic treatments.

To reduce insecticide use, our team uses horticultural oils in the cooler months to control this common landscape pest. In the warmer months, the best method is systemic insecticides that are soaked into the plant and kill the scale as they feast on its nutrients.

If you come across this lawn pest, please don't hesitate to let us know! We are ready to help. Contact our office at (352) 378-5296 or (904) 913-5296 or fill out our form at the top of the page, our technicians would be glad to assist you!

Mosquitoes are an unfortunate fact of life in Florida. Nothing is worse than being in a backyard full of mosquitoes, especially since mosquitoes aren’t just annoyingly painful, they also carry many life-threatening diseases. To prevent your yard from being overrun with mosquitoes, try these five tips.

1. Remove Standing Water
Female mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. The eggs hatch into larvae about three days later, and about 12 days after that, adults emerge and fly away. Considering that each female can lay up to 400 eggs and the life cycle is complete in about two weeks, you can see why mosquito populations can increase so quickly. Reducing the amount of standing water around your home will minimize breeding sites and reduce the number of mosquitoes. Some places to look include children's toys in the yard, clogged rain gutters, tree holes, old tires, discarded cans, and the saucers of your outdoor flower pots.

After eliminating the yard's water collectors, ensure your lawn has functional Gainesville drainage. Eliminate wet spots in your yard that are prone to flooding or where stagnant water collects. You can eliminate these areas through the use of gravel, stone pavers, or more advanced landscape solutions like adjusting the pitch of your yard or installing a French drain.

2. Keep the grass cut and plant growth under control
Like how mosquitoes need water to breed, they like to live in an overrun yard. Tallgrass, plants, and shrubs are where mosquitoes go to rest, relax and play. Getting rid of standing water will prevent them from breeding, but if you have a standing mosquito problem, maintaining your landscape will help eliminate the existing population.

3. Use Scents to Repel Mosquitoes
Lavender, citrus, basil, lemongrass, peppermint, and geraniums are fragrant plants that some people swear by as deterring mosquitoes from hanging around. However, you should be aware that the science on this is not settled. While some gardeners swear by them, these plants have not been found in a lab to provide a repellent effect. Still, thanks to the pleasant smell they make for humans, they're not a bad thing to have in your Gainesville landscape design anyway.

4. Attract natural predators
Predators can’t completely eradicate your issue if you’re overrun with mosquitoes, but if you’re just getting a few unwanted critters here and there, attracting them is worth a shot.

Many birds are natural mosquito predators, including purple martins, waterfowl, swallows, and migratory songbirds. Setting up bird feeders is a solid step in attracting these birds. Installing a bat house can also help. Bats eat up mosquitoes, but you may not want to attract bats near your home.

If you have a pond, you can benefit from predators like goldfish, koi, and red-eared slider turtles.

Mosquitoes also fall prey to other insects—some you’d be happy to see in your garden and others, not so much. Spiders eat mosquitoes when they fly into their webs and dragonflies gobble mosquitoes right up.

5. Start a Professional Mosquito Control Program
While you may find some measure of success with DIY methods, if you’re dealing with tons of mosquitoes, you need to call in a professional pest control company. Professional pest control companies have the expertise to kill mosquitoes at all stages of the life cycle and are more knowledgeable about safety practices when applying chemicals.

A Mosquito pesticide treatment offered by a company like Gainesville's Mosquito Joe can help to greatly reduce the mosquitoes living directly around your house. Because of their high humidity requirement, mosquitoes like damp and shady areas to shelter in. Regularly treating these areas with an appropriately labeled pesticide can kill mosquitoes and make it impossible for them to breed.

A pesticide with a long-lasting residual effect that will continue to kill mosquitoes for weeks even after the chemical has dried. Multiple applications will probably be required throughout the summer season.

Areas that don't get a lot of sun should be treated regularly. These are the areas where mosquitoes like to rest during the day when it’s hottest, so treating them with a pesticide will greatly reduce the number of bugs in your yard.

With the right actions in your lawn, you can have fewer bug bites and more peace of mind. Call us today at (352) 378-5296 if we can help you with your drainage, pest control, gutters, or landscaping in any way!