In the late winter, we talked about the best defense for lawn weeds being pre-emergent weed controls (before the seeds germinate).  As we now are heading into late spring, the second-best time to get them under control is while they are still young and juvenile. Crabgrass is the best example of this. If you do not get it under control in spring, you will be having to hand pull it in summer because it will be too developed to control.

Prevention:
Applying a quality pre-emergence herbicide according to label instructions before soil temperatures get too warm is the best way to prevent crabgrass. Of course, having a thick, healthy lawn can win, but it is tough. A properly applied pre-emergence herbicide labeled for crabgrass should prevent the weed from growing throughout the summer. Keep in mind that even the best pre-emergence herbicides will lose their effectiveness later in the summer.

Late in the game?
While it is true that the best way to treat crabgrass is to prevent it, all is not lost. There are post-emergence, selective herbicides labeled for crabgrass, but it gets tricky. Crabgrass is very similar in structure to the desired turf grass in which it grows. Therefore, proper application of these products is very important. Never apply if the temperature is outside the range listed on the label. Applying these products incorrectly may result in damaging your lawn.

If you're tired of fighting the battle for weed control in Gainesville lawns, call our office at (352) 378-LAWN or fill out our online form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how we can help!

The old saying "April showers bring May flowers" was said by someone who didn't live near Gainesville Florida. In our area, April is consistently the driest time of year. It’s when the spring season starts and Gainesville yards begin to heat up, but the summer afternoon storms and humidity haven't come yet.

This dry weather also brings in a past "Pest of the Month," which is Drought Stress. Although the word 'pest' is typically used to describe an insect such as chinch bugs or webworms, the term is actually used to describe anything that is 'pestering' the lawn, and this month it is drought stress.

As water becomes limited, your turfgrass will give off signs that it’s in need of watering. If you spot these warnings in advance, you can alter your sprinkler schedule to avoid drought stress and keep your lawn green and healthy.

Here are a few warning signs to keep in mind:

Color:
If the color shade of your grass is just grayish and lacks color, especially in full sun areas, it could be suffering from drought stress. Unless you take action, it could turn brown and die sooner rather than later.

Footprints:
Walk around in your lawn and take a moment to turn around, look at your path, and search for footprints. If you see prints clearly laid out in your grass, you are likely dealing with a drought stress problem.

Shaded Areas:
Look at the shaded areas of your lawn. Is the grass healthy and green in those areas? What about in the areas of your lawn exposed to the sun? If there is an obvious difference between the two—with the sunny areas showing patches and brown spots—this is a definite sign of drought damage, because the shaded areas are more protected from the heat.

Folded Blades:
The best way to identify drought stress in turf is finding leaves folded in half. (A seen in the image above)

This issue is commonly found in the sunniest areas of your lawn, and the folded blades are actually trying to reduce their sun exposure to protect itself from further stress.

To avoid these issues, make sure to service your irrigation system and bump settings back up for spring, even if it's just for a short time to get your lawn through the dry spell.
You can find more information about Gainesville Irrigation Settings here.

The biggest mistake homeowners make with irrigation settings is assuming they can be "set and forget." This couldn't be further from the truth. Irrigation systems should be cut back drastically in winter, turned up for our dry season and to help redevelop strong roots in spring, and then average out in summer as the afternoon storms and humidity come in to play. Leaving the settings constant all year will set you, your lawn, and your water bill up for failure.

When your lawn shows signs of drought stress, we also recommend mowing holding off on mowing or mowing at a higher height than normal, this will help the grass hold moisture and color.

If you need assistance with your lawn’s irrigation and fertilization needs, The Master’s Lawn Care can help. Please contact us today for a free lawn consultation to help develop a plan custom-tailored to the specific needs of your lawn.

Related Reading:
5 Tips to Avoid Drought Stress
How to Change Your Irrigation Timer Settings
Tips for Watering Your Gainesville Lawn

Have you noticed a black moldy coating on the leaves of your holly plant? This isn’t mold, it’s actually a symptom of our pest of the month. Holly Scale. Your hollies have an infestation of one of the many kinds of scale insects. Scale can’t digest all the sap they suck from leaves so they secrete honeydew, which allows sooty mold to grow on leaves. The honeydew accumulates on the foliage and can cause it to look shiny and feel sticky.

This rich food source does not go unnoticed. Ants, wasps and other insects may be attracted to the sweet honeydew. Even more common is the growth of fungal organisms that produce an unattractive black coating on the leaves called sooty mold. These fungi feed on the honeydew and do not attack or directly damage the plant, but the appearance of sooty mold is often the gardener’s first noticeable sign of trouble.

Light infestations of scale can be scraped off by hand or infested branches pruned out. Promptly dispose of prunings. For heavier infestations, spray with horticultural oil in the early spring to kill adults. An oil spray should be applied before new growth begins to kill both over-wintering adults and eggs.

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. Follow label directions carefully.

If you come across a Gainesville lawn pest or Gainesville, Florida landscape 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. We are a locally owned and operated lawn pest control service proudly located in Gainesville, Florida.

During the winter months, your grass may begin showing brown circular spots that seem to be struggling. This is the first sign of Large Patch Fungus, which is a fungal disease commonly seen in Florida lawns during the cooler months, particularly St. Augustine and Zoysia grass.

Turf in Florida is most vulnerable to this  Fungus when rainfall, high humidity, or excessive irrigation leave your lawn damp for a duration of more than 48 hours. This turf disease is active when nighttime temperatures range from 60-75 degrees and daytime temperatures don’t exceed 85-90 degrees. This is the biggest reason why it is so prevalent in spring and summer, as the high temperatures that typically evaporate the moisture aren't present in early spring and late fall.

To reduce the chances of being infected by Brown Patch Fungus, or limit and manage the disease water your lawn on an as-needed basis, rather than just a set schedule, and consider the time of year and rainfall, to ensure your turf is receiving the proper amount of water. A fungicide application should also be made in order to stop the spread of the fungus. New grass will grow in eventually, but this can be a slow process in the Fall, as turfgrass is heading toward its dormant period.

As ugly as Large Patch can look, it’s important to remember this disease typically does not kill the entire grass plant - and is mostly cosmetic. Frequent mowing at the recommended mow height is critical to the health of the turf. It is very important that your turf is not cut too short, or “scalped”.

It must be mentioned, though, that active Large Patch fungus can be spread easily without much effort. In the event an area with active Large Patch Fungus is mowed, make sure to clean off the tires and blades of the mower after going through the affected area to avoid spreading it through your entire Gainesville lawn.

Large patch Fungus is a disease that has once infected the soil, will reoccur every year in the fall and spring. This is why we offer a disease prevention lawn health program that keeps it from popping back up every year. It won't cure it, because there is no known cure yet - but it stops it from presenting symptoms in your lawn which is the most important part.

Keep in mind, there may be other causes for brown patches in a lawn though. Ching Bug damage from summer or sprinkler service may be needed? If you see discoloration in a lawn and aren’t sure what the cause is, contact us at (352) 378-LAWN for a complimentary lawn inspection.

During the cool season here in Florida you will find frost damage to your lawn that almost looks like leopard print. Frost damage can happen without freezing temperatures. The National Weather Service measures the air temperature about 6 feet above ground level however, the ground-level temperature might be even lower.

This swirly leopard print pattern is caused by the grass going into a dormant state during the cool season and may also happen as your lawn comes out of hibernation in late winter.

If you notice this pattern in your winter lawn, don’t fret, it can be fixed. Your grass will steadily green-up moving into the spring with the longer days and warmer temperatures. Allow your lawn to recover and continue mowing at the optional mowing height for your particular grass. It may take a few weeks for the pattern to dissipate, once it does, you can mow the grass back down to ⅓ of the blade to avoid scalping the grass.

Your landscape creates a powerful first impression. At The Master's Lawn Care, our customized Gainesville lawn health program is much more than just lawn spraying. It targets common lawn problems that negatively impact the health and appearance of your turf. If you want help preparing your lawn to thrive season after season, call our office for a free lawn evaluation today at (352) 378-5296.

As winter comes, grass grows dormant for the cold winter months, by shutting down and turning brown in order to conserve water and nutrients.

Common winter annual weeds are chickweed, henbit, Carolina geranium, annual bluegrass, hop clover, and lawn burweed. These weeds will be bright green in comparison to your dormant grass.

You can control these weeds by preventing their growth in the warmer months. These weeds are in your lawn all year long but are dormant in the warmer months. Once you begin seeing the weeds, they are actually close to the end of their life cycle. So for now, mowing over the weeds might be your best bet. But this is not your permanent solution.

To be sure you do not struggle with the same problem next winter, it is important to spray preemergence herbicide in the fall when nightly temperatures are between 55° to 60°F
for several consecutive nights (Usually beginning in October). Doing this will form a barrier on the soil surface that prevents the winter annual weeds from emerging.

Be sure to use a herbicide that is labeled for use for the lawn grass that you have. If you aren’t sure what kind of grass you have, we would be happy to help you out with identifying your grass, treating the problem areas, and controlling the weeds before you even notice them.

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!

Mosquitoes are an unfortunate fact of life, especially in Florida. They can quickly turn your backyard landscape oasis into a nightmare you’d rather forget.

Like many insects, mosquitoes are prolific breeders. A female mosquito needs a blood meal to lay eggs which is why they’re persistently looking to feed from you. A mosquito can lay anywhere from 50-300 eggs at once depending on species and the time of year – that’s a lot more mosquito bites coming your way!
It may not be possible to get rid of mosquitoes completely, but by making some changes to your property you can make your home and backyard much less inviting for these pests. Some smart Gainesville landscaping changes around your house can change your yard from a haven for mosquitoes to a place that offers them nothing beneficial and they’ll go terrorize someone else. Here are some things you need to do to prevent as many mosquitoes as possible from setting up camp around your home.

Unlike some pests, there’s a lot of landscaping changes you can make to minimize the mosquitoes you see. By understanding mosquito biology (where they prefer to live and lay eggs), we can make a big impact quickly.

#1 Eliminate Standing Water

Mosquitoes require calm water because it gives them a place to lay their eggs. Without standing water to live in, the mosquito larvae can't survive. This is the most important weakness of mosquito biology to exploit in your landscape plan. Getting rid of sources of standing water will have the greatest impact in reducing the local mosquito population. Here’s a few of the most common sources of standing water around your home that mosquitoes love -

• Backed up gutters. Keeping your gutters clean and clear of debris makes sure the water flows through them and drains away, rather than collecting and providing mosquitoes with a place to lay their eggs. Let us know if we can help with this. 
• Ensure good 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.
• Clean up the clutter. Make sure to remove anything that can collect water such as buckets, tires, uncovered garbage cans, etc. Place covers on outdoor rain barrels so that mosquitoes can't get inside. Regularly empty drip trays from planters and make sure your planters aren't collecting too much water.
• Treat your outdoor water. It's not always possible to entirely eliminate all the water sources in your yard. For instance, if you have a pond or fountain, you may want to keep it. Luckily, there are some good solutions. You can install a water circulator to move water around enough that it won’t be a breeding site. You can also use a product called “mosquito dunks”. These contain Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, also known as Bti. These bacteria, though harmless to people and wildlife, kill mosquito larvae before they can hatch into adults.

#2 Use Scents to Repel Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes track us primarily through the smell of the CO2 we exhale with every breath. By using competing scents, it’s possible to repel mosquitoes.

Lavender, citrosa, basil, 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 yard anyway.

Citronella oil on the other hand is studied and known to have a repellent effect on mosquitoes. This oil comes from lemongrass, and it produces a smell mosquitoes don't like. Burning citronella candles or tiki torches in your backyard can help to keep bugs away.
It’s also possible to use an active mosquito trap such as the Mosquito Magnet. The Mosquito Magnet burns propane which emits CO2 and traps mosquitoes that come nearby suctioning them into a net which they can’t escape from. A device like this may be a bit overkill for a small yard, but it’s one of the few ways to effectively control adult mosquitoes.

#3 Upgrade Your Outdoor Living Space

There are a few smart changes you can make to your outdoor living space to significantly reduce your chances of being bit. The first – a screened-in porch. If you're not ready to stop using your yard during high mosquito activity, consider a screened-in living area. Screening off your porch lets you take the fresh air and experience the outdoors while keeping mosquitoes at bay.

Another small change that can make a big impact is installing some outdoor fans. Mosquitoes are weak flyers. Their delicate bodies are easily blown around, so they tend not to fly in strong winds. Installing a ceiling fan or just running some larger fans in your backyard can prevent mosquitoes from getting near you.

#4 Start a Mosquito Perimeter Pest Treatment

When applied by a knowledgeable technician, a mosquito control can be provided that will keep your lawn safe from mosquitoes. Although The Master's offers Gainesville Perimeter Home Pest Control programs, we do not offer mosquito control services at the time of this blog post. A Mosquito pesticide treatment 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 such as trellises, shaded walls, the underside of bushes and trees, crawlspaces, sheds, underneath swimming pools, and anywhere else that doesn'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 on your property.

You may not be able to rid the world of mosquitoes, but there’s a lot a quality Gainesville landscaping company can do to reduce the population on your property. With the right landscaping, you can have less 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!

One of the most common plants in Gainesville landscapes are the Crape Myrtle tree or dwarf shrub, known for their beautiful summer colors. Their pink, white, red, and purple flowers brighten north Florida landscapes throughout the late spring, summer, and early fall. However, they are also known for getting a black sooty mold covering the leaves that may leave you wondering, "why does my crape myrtle have mold?"

The black covering isn't a mold, fungus, or disease  - it's actualy the symptom of a Gainesville landscape pest-  the crape myrtle aphid.

To control these Gainesville lawn pests (Crape Myrtle Aphids), we recommend one of three ways. However none of these will remove the sooty mold - just the pest causing the sooty mold. The black discoloration will go away as it drops it's leaves and regenerates growth in the spring.

1 - If it's late enough in fall and the temperatures are below 85-degrees, you can use Horticultural oil as a contact killer. https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Earth-Monterey-Horticultural-Oil/dp/B001R…
2 - If it's still the heat of season, use bifinthrin as the contact (quick control) and immidacloprid as a systemic (long-term) insecticide. https://bit.ly/2HxkXw9
3 - If it's just before the first frost and it's about to lose it's leaves, wait until spring and use the bifinthrin/immidacloprid mixture so that it controls them in next years growing season, as the Crape Myrtle is going dormant soon.

To learn more about our Gainesville, Florida lawn service, visit our website at http://www.themasterslawncare.com

The time has finally come to begin planning your fall Gainesville landscaping tasks with Fall just around the corner. It may not feel like it, but cooler days will be here in a month or so, and evening temperatures are already on a downward slope. Get ready for fall landscaping activities by planning for and scheduling tasks those hard-to-get-to tasks now.

Schedule the projects, purchase supplies, and plan what your priorities are -although the actual work won't begin just yet. You will be fertilizing your lawn, monitoring lawn pest and weed activity, and dialing in irrigation schedules. You may also choose to add some fall seasonal color or add new shrubs and trees.

Plan Cool-Season Annuals
Right now, your warm-season annuals are still looking good. Angelonia, torenia, vinca, zinnias, coleus, and caladium are blooming well. In our Gainesville, Florida lawns, these will continue thriving into mid-October. Depending on if you're using Fall color such as Mums or moving straight to Pansies and Petunias, you can delay purchasing and installing cool-season annuals until November. For Mums it would be an earlier timeline though.

If you like to grow flowers from seeds, however, now is the time to start thinking about it, especially if you plan to order supplies and seeds online. Setting up your seedling areas can be a project if you want to sow lots of seeds. This can also be a great project for kids to see as the plants grow.

Consider these Gainesville area cool-season annuals for your flower beds:

Snapdragons, Pansies, Violas, Mums, Petunias, Phlox, or Sweet Pea

Fall Gainesville Lawn Fertilizing
Be ready for the year's last round of nitrogen feeding in September or October. General garden fertilizer is suitable for most trees and shrubs (12-4-8 or 15-5-15 or 15-4-8) and your turf mix would vary depending upon your grass type - St. Augustine, Zoysia, or Centipede.

For tree and shrub fertilization (Ornamental fertilizer), spread it evenly on the ground under the tree out to the drip line (edge of the outer mimbs of the trees).

For lawns, look the turf fertilizer depends on your breed of turfgrass. St. Augustine and Bahia get their final feeding of the year in September; Zoysia and Bermuda will be later in the year, although continuing to feed other micro and macro nutrient s is important for root density and health through the winter. 

Add New Shrubs
Want to add new shrubs or flowers? Fall is the perfect time. If you wait until October when the days are cooler, the planting process doesn’t stress shrubs as much, and our winters aren't extreme so it gives new plants a long time to adjust and root before the next heat wave of summer.

Use September as the month of ground prep for new shrubs. Get rid of all weeds, either by hand-picking or spraying weed contorl. Remove plants that are failing. Dig up the soil and turn it over, adding enriching amendments such as cow manure (purchased in a bag at a nursery or garden center), grass clippings, wood chips, straw, and wood ash.

The ground will be ready for installing new shrubs in late September or October. Fall is also a good time to add new trees.

Keep a Watch for Pests
Until the days really cool down, pests remain active. On shrubs and plants, keep a watch for aphids, mites, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. Crape Myrtle's will regularly struggle with black sooty mold from Aphids,

As for your Gainesville lawn pests, look for chinch bug damage (dry patches by concrete and curbs), moths fluttering in the lawn (which is the adult sod webworm), and their damage of chewed leaf blades. Leave the beneficial insects alone: lacewings, spiders, mantids, and ladybugs. These good bugs eat the destructive ones. You can also look for lawn fungus, leaf spot, and melting out this time of year as well.

Turn on Irrigation as Needed
Early September may still see afternoon showers. As the fall progresses and less rain falls, homeowners should be prepared to turn on irrigation systems more fequently. Fortunately, many systems are equipped with rain sensors or smart controllers to keep them from running too often. However, the grass still needs monitoring to ensure that it is receiving enough water. 

I hope this is helpful as you plan your Fall Landscape To-Do List. Let us know if we can help your Gainesville lawn or landscape in any way by calling/texting (352) 378-5296 or emailing us at info@themasterslawncare.com.

Each year around Summer, we get clients inquiring about 'these weird little round growths' they are finding in their trees, commonly Live Oaks.

These 'weird little balls’ are called galls, which are plant tissue growths caused by exposure to small doses of hormone-like chemicals, which are produced by the gall makers. The gall makers can be many different things - but usually it is insects that cause them. Galls can actually occur on roots, flowers, bark, and buds, but people generally notice them when they are on leaves or twigs because they're the easiest to spot. 

Most often clients ask me about the galls that are appearing on their oak trees, as they are common in Gainesville, FL landscapes. It is usually mealy oak galls they are finding which are tan and can be roughly the size of a jaw breaker, as the photo shows.

The galls will eventually drop, at which point they are woody and hard under bare feet in your lawn. If you look closely at one you’ll note a single exit hole where the adult gall maker gnawed its way out of its home.

With mealy oak galls the gall maker is a wasp. However, most people associate wasps as an insect that can sting and in this case the wasp that has produced the gall isn’t the stinging type.

The way it works is that a mother wasp finds an appropriate live oak twig to which she attaches her egg, and the chemicals on the egg induce the oak to grow a home for the soon-to-hatch grub. That is how Mealy Oak Galls are formed. The grub dines on the interior tissue of the gall until it matures and chews its way through the outer shell. Once vacant the gall shell can persist on the twig for a long time until it eventually drops into your lawn.

While some galls can be harmful, it is important to note that oak goals are not. They don’t do much to harm you tree. And applying insecticides to manage any perceived problem is overkill in my professional opinion. If you are worried about how they look, take comfort that gall makers tend run in cycles. Some years will be heavy and others will be minimal

If you need help with a lawn or landscape problem, we would love to earn your trust. We have been helping our Gainesville, Florida lawn and landscapes for over 15 years. Give call us at 352-378-5296 or info@themasterslawncare.com.