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. 

Topdressing with Lifesoil's Comand Turf Builder is a game cheaper for your lawn. It makes an amazing difference specifically for client's with poor soil quality for one of these reasons. The soil is available throughout the southeast, but it is formulated and we apply the topdressings locally in Gainesville, Florida lawns.

Builders sand: Your home was built within the past ten years and was built with primarily Archer fill dirt or builder's sand. As you heard in the video, Comand topdressing helps add moisture retention ability and nutrient uptaking capacity for the roots of your lawn.

Clay: Your lawn struggles to grow deep roots due to compacted clay soil. Aeration and  Comand lawn dressing will add some nutrients rich soil as well as non-compacting loose soil to begin to set roots into.

Soil Born Diseases: Soilborn Diseases in lawns can be reduced by removing the diseased soil and applying new organic compost to reduce the spread. This is not a cure, but an improvement for the soil.

To learn more about our Gainesville, Fl lawn health and topdressing service, visit our website at http://www.themasterslawncare.com or call (352) 378-LAWN

We are now in the winter months and keeping your lawn maintained is just as important now as it is in the spring and summer. Even though your lawn growth has slowed during this season, the soil microbes are still busy at work. Whether you have concerns about watering, rooting, or weed control, we have a few tips to help you love your lawn even more in 2021. 

1. Properly managed water
   Lawns in Florida need less water during winter than the rest of the year. A general rule of thumb is to give your lawn about an inch of water per week. For most lawns, you'll need to water about once a week during the winter, which is also the limit from the County's water management plan as well. Avoid watering your lawn during any temperatures below 40-degrees, as this water can freeze on the plants creating worse frost damage than a simple frost. Smart controllers are generally set up to not water below freezing automatically, but if you do not have a smart controller it is best to just set your system to run late in the morning after it has warmed up. Watering on the warmer days this season will strengthen the grass, enabling it to fight the damage potentially caused by cold weather and keep deep roots to bounce back quickly in spring. You can find more information about Smart Controllers here.
    
2. Potassium application
   Using potassium in the winter months is great for winter root development and prepares your grass for spring recovery. The main goal of winter lawn feedings is not just feeding the turf, it is for feeding the soil microbes so that they can compost. Potassium is not readily available in our sandy soils and needs to be replenished on a regular basis, even in the winter. Potassium ensures that your grass grows strong and is not stunted and retains a lush green and not a yellowed coloration.
    
3. Winter Weed Control
   Lawns are dormant at this time of the year, and the lawn grass tends to be brown. Winter weeds, however, are in active growth. They will appear as patches of green on the dormant, brown lawn. Winter is the best time for weed control as they're easier to spot and treat. Focus on the persistent perennial weeds like Dollar Weed, sedges, and Day Flower. There are other annual weeds that pop up - but they will melt away with the rising temperatures - so focus on the perennials. We suggest Manor and Sedgehammer as good herbicides to use on a St. Augustine lawn in the winter months for control of some of those pesky winter lawn weeds.

Most importantly, be patient with your lawn this winter. By following these 3 tips you will have a head start for loving your lawn this upcoming spring. If you need help with your Gainesville lawn this winter, 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!

If a St.Augustine lawn has developed circular patches of dead, brown areas of turf, then the most likely cause for these brown patches will be a lawn fungus disease called Brown Patch, or Large Patch Fungus.

Brown Patch lawn disease is triggered in a consistent time of year as the weather transitions from Summer to Winter or Winter to Summer (transition seasons of spring and fall).

Brown Patch will be identified by circular browning patches of lawn which will continue to grow in size from the size of a dinner plate up to a few feet in diameter. Multiple circles of Brown Patch are common on St Augustine lawns infected by the disease.

The browning leaf of the Saint Augustine grass will also pull away from the grass stem very easily. On inspection, the lower part of the dead leaf will appear as a rotting dark brown color.

Treating Brown Patch Disease in Saint Augustine Grass
Prevention is the key to stopping all lawn diseases in a Saint Augustine lawn, and many of the same preventative measures which stop Brown Patch from taking hold in a lawn will also be the cure.

Here are the key steps to treating Brown Patch:
- Water only in the morning
- Reduce irrigation as much as possible until the disease is gone
- Stop fertilization until the lawn is recovered
- Apply a lawn fungicide if necessary

Fungicides For Brown Patch
Fungicides are available for Brown Patch lawn disease treatment on St Augustine grass, and should be used if cultural management methods do not control the disease on their own, and as a complementary cure alongside cultural management.

Remember the golden rule of lawn fungicides - they are only ever to be used in conjunction with proper lawn care practices (cultural management practices such as reducing water and fertilization). Otherwise the disease will continue to reoccur under the same conditions or other lawn diseases may take a foothold at a future time.

The lawn must remain strong to help fight and prevent fungal lawn diseases in conjunction with the lawn fungicide. And unless proper lawn care practices are put into place, the Saint Augustine lawn will remain highly susceptible to ongoing infections of Brown Patch and all other lawn diseases.

Prevention of Brown Patch Lawn Disease
Prevention is all about knowing when the disease presents itself most commonly in your lawn, and applying preventative fungicides prior to it showing symptoms. This will greatly reduce or eliminate the brown patch problem in your lawn.

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

Zoysia lawns in North Florida during winter months can go partially dormant and look tiger striped, snake patterned, or lawn pest damaged. The reality is that it's not a lawn pest or fungus. It is cold dormancy setting in unevenly.

How can you help? The number one thing you need is patience. Patience for a harder frost to send the rest of the lawn into dormancy or patience for it to grow out once it warms up.

Although this cannot be solved with fertilization or Gainesville lawn spraying, we do offer these services to help your lawn get back in shape this spring. Fill out the form above or call us at (352) 378-LAWN today. 

Fall Weed Control = Big Opportunity! The best time to get rid of invasive weeds in your lawn (like Doveweed and Basketgrass) is right now!

Identifying Doveweed and Creeping Basketgrass in your lawn early is one of the most important ways to protect your Gainesville Florida lawn in the late summer and early fall season. This video was filmed in early September and is about how to identification some invasive weeds before they take over your lawn. This video is more about identification than how to do lawn weed control because it is so difficult to control these weeds without products specifically formulated for licensed weed control professionals, and also depends upon your type of turf as to which will work.

If these lawn weeds are caught early enough and you prefer to DIY your lawn weed control program, reducing irrigation and hand-pulling is the most effective way to keep these weeds from spreading. However, they do spread rapidly so it will be a good bit of elbow-  to get it under control.

To learn more about our Gainesville, Florida lawn weed control program, visit our website at www.themasterslawncare.com/gainesville-gainesville-weed-control

The most common mistake made in weed identification for summer and fals weeds is mistaking globe sedge and other nutsedges as sandspurs. If they are green and soft on the stem (as show in the video), it is almost always a sedge such as globe sedge, nutsedge, or kyllinga.

Weed control in Gainesville lawns always starts first with proper identification, because that is how you choose the approach. To control sedge, you reduce irrigation and use a product like sedgehammer. If you have actual sandspurs in your lawn, you would increase watering and use a non-selective herbicide with a strong pre-emergent. 

Sandspurs are typically found in dry arid areas (hence the term sand) such as cow pastures, sides of the roadway, or non-irrigated turf. True sandspurs are brown and are rarely ever soft enough to pinch between your fingers.We will do a later video on controlling actual sandspurs - but controlling sedge is all about proper 

To learn more about our Alachua County lawn weed control programs, visit our website at https://www.themasterslawncare.com/gainesville-gainesville-weed-control

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