A lush, well-manicured lawn adds to curb appeal and enjoyment of your home. But lawns are susceptible to diseases and pests, especially if they're left vulnerable from poor cultural practices like underwatering or being scalped too low. Here are five common things your Gainesville lawn is trying to communicate to you, and how to spot and fix each before they get bad.

Problem #1
Problem: Brown Spots

What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You: There are several causes of brown, or even dead, spots in your turf. Some are obvious, like a dog peeing in a certain area, but others require a little more detective work. It could be  weeds dying off from a lawn weed treatment, the soil pH could be too acidic, or even an area having too much shade or not enough water. How do you know? It may have a couple causes like the ones listed in the tips below, but I would start out looking to see if it's too shaded or not getting enough water - as that is most often the case.

If it's in full sun, check your sprinkler coverage by testing the system; you may need to adjust sprinkler head orientation to get full coverage. If it's in the shade, you need 4-6 hours of sunlight to grow a healthy Gainesville lawn. You may want to prune some tree limbs up. 

Problem #2
Problem: Grass Is Wilting or blades are folding up

What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You: It probably needs a deep watering. Most lawns have a mix of different types of grass, and some types will start to wilt or turn brown before the others. In our area, Zoysia is the first to decline in dry weather due to it going dormant. (I know, it's weird that the drought-tolerant grass shows drought stress the qucikest - see our YouTube videos for more on this)

The folding grass blades, even when mixed with healthy green blades, are early indicators that the lawn is starting to suffer from a drought. The photo above is a St. Augustine lawn with bad drought stress. 

If you haven't increased your watering in the spring, this is the time. Check soil moisture by sticking your finger in the soil. If the soil is dry, it will feel like sand and know you need to increase your irrigation settings. You will need to water for longer periods of time to allow the water to sink deeper into the soil, and water a minimum of 2x per week.

"You want to water infrequently but longer to encourage the roots to go deeper," our irrigation manager Chuck says. "Watering light everyday is not as good as a deep watering two or three times a week." The ideal time is between 4 and 6 am. Cooler temperatures limit evaporation, but the grass will dry during the day. Watering at night leaves wet grass, which can promote Gainesville lawn fungus and disease. 

Problem #3
Problem: Circles Pop Up in the Grass

What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You: The circles, are the result of a fungus in the soil and presents itself as Large Patch or Brown Patch Fungus.

The fungal threads in the soil will initially cause the grass in the circle to appear orange in the outer circle  because that is where the fungus is most active. As it grows, the middle will turn brown and the outer ring will expand to take over more and more of your lawn. This disease stays in the soil year-round, but typically pops up in Gainesville grass in Fall and Spring Seasons as we transition between cold and warm weather and there is excess moisture to make it activate.

Reducing irrigation and applying fungicide is your first line of defense against the circles. You only have to treat the affected area, but lawn fungus applications aren't inexpensive. Cutting back irrigation should be a priority, and whatever you do - do not fertilize when you have large patch in your lawn. It will feed the fungus instead of the lawn. 

Problem #4
Problem: Grass Won't Grow Under a Tree

What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You: Large trees can block the sun, while pine trees drop needles around the trunk, which also can kill the grass.

To be perfectly honest here: let it go. Trying to maintain healthy turf under the tree can be a constant challenge. You'll have to trim back branches to let the sun shine through, or continually rake up leaves and pine straw. Even then, the grass may struggle due to the fight for water and nutrients with the larger and stronger tree roots. 

You're better off not having the competition between the tree and the turf. Instead, we recommend putting mulch around the base of the tree and shade-tolerant landscaping like Hydrangea and Agapanthus to add color and create an attractive bed rather than a receding Gainesville lawn. 

Problem #5
Problem: Patchy dead spots by sidewalk, walkway, curb

What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You: Chinch Bugs can take up residence in your Gainesville lawn quickly and cause all kinds of problems. A lawn suffering from disease or heat stress from lack of water is most vulnerable, and typically they love to attack near concrete, driveways, or walkways (such as the photo shows). The trick is to identify it quickly and treat them before they damage more of the lawn. 

Common lawn pests include chinch bugs, army worms, webworms, and spittlebugs - but the most common this time of year are chinch bugs. These ant-sized bugs feast on drought-stressed grass and typically start by the concrete. But they overwinter in your lawn, and the larva emerge there, eating and killing turfgrass roots.

You can treat infestations with insecticides, but be careful. "Knowing what you're going after is the key," Chuck said. "It's important to use an insecticide that is labeled for that insect on not just any big box store product." If you aren't experienced in this area, hire a Gainseville lawn pest control professional. 

We hope these 5 tips about what your lawn is communicating are helpful to keep your Gainesville landscape looking top notch. If we can be of service, cal us at (352) 378-5296 or email info@themasterslawncare.com.

Zoysia grass and St. Augustine grass perform completely different in Gainesville lawns, and neither is the "perfect" Gainesville, Fl turfgrass. They both have different strengths and weaknesses.

In this video, we specifically discuss the watering or irrigation need differences between the two.

Zoysia is coined as more drought-tolerant, and that is a factual statement - but it's important to understand WHY. It's not just more attractive during drought (because it isn't).

It is drought-tolerant because it stays alive during drought, even though it gets brown quicker than St. Augustine lawns and looks terrible in dry seasons without extra irrigation.

Per University of Florida's IFAS department-

'While Zoysia grass is often marketed as being more drought tolerant than St. Augustine grass, Zoysia requires just as much water in terms of frequency and volume as St. Augustine to remain green and attractive.

The attribute that makes Zoysia grasses more drought tolerant is its ability to transition into a dormant state under drought conditions. In the dormant state, the color of the turf is brown to grayish-brown. Under short-term dry conditions, St. Augustine grass will wilt; upon receiving sufficient water, it will return to an attractive appearance within a few days. Under the same short-term dry conditions, Zoysia grass will turn brown in its dormant state and require new leaf growth to cover the dormant brown leaves.

The benefit of Zoysia grass over St. Augustine is only under severe drought conditions. In severe drought situations, Zoysia grass would be more likely to ultimately recover, while St. Augustine grass may require replacement.'

Make sure Zoysia is the right grass for the conditions of your lawn. Zoysia grass lawns perform best in full sun and will tolerate only moderate shade.

Zoysia grasses are equally or more affected by disease issues than St. Augustine grasses; dollar spot and brown patch fungus are the primary concerns.

For additional information or for a free lawn evaluation, give us a call at (352) 378-5396 or email info@themasterslawncare.com. we look forward to helping you.

A common question we get in spring is whether a homeowner should patch their Gainesville lawn with seed, plugs, or sod. The answer is always, 'it depends.'

It depends on the type of Gainesville lawn grass you have - St. Augustine, Zoysia, Bermuda, or Centipede . Some types of grass don't even have a seed available, so the choice is only to use plugs or sod.

Seed is only commercially available for Bermuda, Bahia, and Centipede (I forgot to mention Centipede in the video).

It also depends on the area you are trying to patch. Small areas surrounded with healthy grass are a better plug solution, and larger areas without any good turf are better for sod installation.

If you need help repairing your Gainesville lawn or would like a free lawn evaluation on how you can improve it, call our office at (352) 378-5296 or email us at info@themasterslawncare.com.

Here are a couple tips to avoid frost damage in your Gainesville turfgrass. Regardless of if you have St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, or Bermuda - these are great tips to help keep your grass protected on those chilly evenings in Northern Florida. 

• Wait for the sun to rise to melt the frost from your lawn before stepping, driving, or applying impact pressure on your grass.
• Give your grass a deep watering the night before an expected frost. The watering allows moisture to slowly evaporate overnight, causing friction and heat around the grass blades. As the night air drops below freezing, you turf will have a slightly higher temperature from the evaporating heat process, allowing your grass to not reach the freezing temperature that causes plant cell wall damage.
• Move the mower blades up .5 inches, allowing longer leaves to help shelter grass crowns from future frosts.
• Refrain from mowing right before a frost. Mowing creates a wound on the plant, making it more susceptible to frost damage.

If your lawn has already endured frost damage and you would like help in repairing it, The Master's Lawn Care offers sod replacement and fertilization programs to help renovate your lawn. Feel free to give us a call at (352) 378-5296. 

Are there Alternatives to the typical Lawn Pest Control program in Gainesville? 

Yes. Natural landscape maintenance programs can achieve a healthy and dense lawn using the latest scientific developments in organic-based fertilizers and soil amendments. The Master's Lawn Care is a Gainesville, Florida Natural Lawn Fertilization company introducing practices will lead to a healthy vigorous lawn which resists pests and disease over time.

The benefits of Organic-Based Lawn Health Care in Gainesville, Florida lawns are proven and sound. Here are just a few of the benefits of using Natural Lawn Fertilizers and Organic Based Soil Stimulants:

• Using organic-based lawn fertilizers to treat your soil causes a slow release of nutrients that allows grass roots to absorb them systematically. Roots become stronger and more fibrous, which results in a lusher and less toxic yard.
• Organic lawn care products create consistent growth during the entire growing season and a healthier plant. Quick release synthetic fertilizers will over stimulate growth and cause issues such as increased clippings, maintenance, insect infestation, and disease.
• Plant health begins with the soil. Bio nutritional products feed the soil with microorganisms and nutrient enhancers. With these Bio nutritional fertilizers constantly building the soil profile, the turf can yield optimum health, quality, color, and controlled growth with less fertilizer and pesticides.
• Selective use of yard health care products delivers a more beautiful and healthy lawn while managing lawn threatening pests with very little pest control intervention. It gives your lawn the care it requires while caring for both the community and environment, too.
• Organic based lawn care is not harmful to pets and wildlife because the proper application of organic based fertilizer does not cause concentrated excretions of bio-hazardous elements such as nitrogen to leach into lakes, rivers, and springs.

Naturally produced organic lawn products are ideal for your Gainesville lawn and landscape because they feed the soil, creating a sustaining environment. Healthy soil leads to healthy roots which leads to a healthy lawn. But when you fertilize your lawn organically, you do much more than nourish your plants.
As in nature, an organic soil alive with microbes and fungi releases nutrients slowly to plants. By enriching the soil with organic supplements and encouraging the growth of naturally occurring beneficial organisms, you give your plants the tools they need to access nutrients in the soil and the strength to protect themselves from harmful pathogens and pests. Take the natural approach and amend with soil conditioners which add organic matter and desirable microorganisms to your garden soil. This helps make soil-borne nutrients, such as iron, more available to plants.

Many people wonder what types of products are organic that can naturally produce a healthy lawn. They're tired of the only things going on their lawn being synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides - with no concern to what is happening under and around the lawn due to those products' usage. We want to answer that question, so here are some of the natural and organic lawn care fertilizers used in our Gainesville lawn program. 

• Sea Kelp Extract
• Humic Acid
• Fulvic Acid
• Milorganite
• Bone Meal
• Gypsum
• Blood Meal
• Earthworm Castings

The Master's offers two types of lawn programs - Organic-Based and 100% Organic fertilization programs. Organic-based lawn care is completely rooted (see the play on words there?) in organic nutrients promoting vibrant growth in the lawn - but also includes some non-organic products used responsibly to control chinch bugs, webworms, fire ants, and weeds. These are used only as-needed to protect your lawn, and made stronger based on the lawn's healthy root growth and soil microorganisms from the Organic amendments and fertilizers. 

The All-Natural Organic Lawn Health Program includes no use of products to control chinch bugs, fire ants, webworms, or mole crickets. It fertilizes the lawn and soil with the listed products aboveThe organic plan does not use traditional weed control or pest control. By helping to grow thick, healthy turf, the 100% Organic Plan helps crowd out weeds in the lawn. However, as a Master's customer, if you request an additional, hand-detailed weed application using conventional products to control broadleaf weeds or insects, it will be provided at no additional charge. This will not be done without specific instruction though.

The nutrients in fertilizers come from many sources. Synthetic fertilizers are manufactured using mined resources, gasses from the air, and other non-organic minerals. The nutrients in a Premium Gainesville, Florida Organic Lawn Program used derived fertilizers that are obtained from living matter, natural by-products, waste, microbes, plants, and other organic materials. There are many benefits to using fertilizers derived from organic sources. Here is the difference between how synthetic fertilizer programs and Organic Fertilizer Programs feed your yard:

In our Organic-Based Lawn Care Program, we utilize a natural based fertility program that boosts organic material and Biochemistry within your soil to produce a healthier Gainesville lawn and landscape. We have partnered with RGS, the lawn care industry leader in natural based Organic fertility products. Utilizing their products, we truly can provide our customers with a fully customized fertility program that doesn't harm your soil, yard, our environment or our water.

The fertilizers and soil amendments used for each round are specifically blended to consider the current environmental conditions to optimize the following:

• Turf type nutrient needs (St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Bermuda all have different needs)
• The quickness of turf response and color.
• Utilization of materials based on the heat/rainfall/environment.
• Utilization of materials abased on soil pH.(which we test through UF's IFAS department to specifically tailor your program for your lawn care needs)
• Measured amounts of ALL nutrients.

The soil contains millions of beneficial microorganisms. Their job is to digest organic matter and recycle plant nutrients for use by your Gainesville lawn. These organisms depend on carbon and oxygen for their survival. Liquid Natural-based organic fertilizers and soil amendments provide for all of the needs of both the plants and the soil. The results are:

1. No risk of plant burn at application. If chemicals can burn your plant easily, you don't want them in your lawn!
2. Consistent color in the warm season.
3. Deep dense roots to push through droughts and use less water. (Although water still will be needed to create those healthy roots)
4. Healthy stress tolerant turfgrass that is tougher against chinch bugs and other lawn pest.
5. Better heat tolerance
6. Reduced thatch due to increased decomposition and compost
7. Reduced inputs of chemical controls due to stronger roots and healthier turf.

We utilize a 6 application Program, and we're one of the only companies that offer Gainesville, Florida Organic-Based Lawn Care Programs. We also provide lawn aeration, irrigation service, and sod installation services. Soil type, turfgrass variety, environmental conditions, watering, and mowing are just a few of the things that can profoundly impact the fertility and control needs of a lawn, and that's why we highly-recommend an Organic-Based Lawn Health Program. 

Soil is a Living Ecosystem

The key to a healthy lawn and garden is healthy soil—a living, breathing ecosystem. The primary components of soil are minerals (inorganic materials), organic materials, water, and air. The organic matter improves the soil’s capacity to hold water and nutrients, releasing them as needed by plants. It feeds the microorganisms, which in turn makes nutrients available to plants, as well as improves the soil structure. Water makes it possible for the plants to absorb those nutrients. But that’s only the start.

A healthy soil ecosystem is teeming with beneficial bacteria, fungi, and countless microorganisms, as well as the critters we can see, like earthworms and insects that create nutrients in the soil.

Nutrients Released Slowly

Fertilizers derived from organic sources feed the soil, which allows the nutrients to be released slowly, at a rate consistent with what plants need, when they need it. Plants receive a well-balanced diet, including a broad range of vital, naturally occurring trace minerals, and micronutrients. Nutrients released slowly stimulate consistent growth and root development and don’t need to be applied as often. Synthetic fertilizers release nutrients quickly, promoting rapid growth that is often excessive - this means you’re going to be cutting the lawn more often and taking the chance at having a case of chemical burn.

Fertilizer Derived From Organic Sources Won’t Burn Your Lawn

You’ve seen lawns striped with brown, dead grass. That’s chemical burn resulting from synthetic fertilizers. Fertilizers from organic sources generally won’t burn plants when used properly and don’t need to be watered-in, which can help conserve water. Nutrients in organically derived fertilizers are also less likely to leach into groundwater or contaminate waterways.