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

YouTube Page: https://bit.ly/2Mdxk3R
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2McNnPw

Want to reach out to us right now? http://www.themasterslawncare.com/contact

What is Take-All Root Rot in my Gainesville Lawn?

Take-All Root Rot is a fungal disease that lives in the soil and attacks turf when conditions are favorable. Most commonly, it is found in St. Augustine lawns, however it can also be found in Bermuda and even Zoysia turfgrasses.

What causes Take-All Root Rot?

Take-All Root Rot is caused by the fungal pathogen Geaumannomyces graminis and is found in soil in Gainesville, Alachua, and Newberry Lawns. Less-than favorable conditions that allow for this attack on turf include:

• Mild winter weather
• Excessive rainfall or irrigation
• Stress from poor mowing practices (too low, not often enough)
• Heavy clay soils
• Poor drainage
• Compacted soils
• Over-watering
• Nighttime irrigation schedules
• Excessive shade

What are the symptoms of root rot?

*Image of take-all root rot up close yellow and dying grass with exposed roots. Blackened stolons are common as well. 

Symptoms of Take-all root rot are less apparent before the grass begins greening up, but become quite noticeable during the spring as the lawn comes back to life. As the disease continues to progress throughout your lawn, pale or yellowing areas affected will turn brown and eventually die if not addressed. During this process, runners become weak and vulnerable in these areas and the grass seems quite slow-growing or nearly non-existent.

How to fight root rot?

Unfortunately, Take-all root rot is a common issue in our area and is an incurable disease, currently. The goal is to mitigate symptoms the best we can in order for the lawn to remain appealing, healthy,and green. In order to confront this issue, we recommend the following steps:

• Apply high-quality fungicides specifically labeled for control or suppression of Take-all Root Rot in the spring and fall as symptoms persist
• Aerate the turf in the spring as needed
• Topdress with Command TurfBuilder Soil
• Apply lower rates of Nitrogen, with higher rates of micronutrients and Potassium and Magnesium in areas showing signs or symptoms.
• Limit the rate and use of herbicides in areas showing signs or symptoms.

The Master's Lawn Health Teams have successfully managed Take-All Root Rot in many lawns in our area over the years. We have the expertise to help our customers with this problem before it destroys their lawns. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions! (352) 378-LAWN or info@themasterslawncare.com.

Spring marks the start of a new growing season. It's time to get out there and tackle some spring lawn fundamentals to set you and your grass up for success before season fully kicks into gear. Putting in a little extra work now is going to mean less time, frustration, and possibly even money spent later on trying to rescue your lawn. Do what you can to build a strong lawn foundation this spring, it's worth it.

PREP YOUR GAINESVILLE LAWN LIKE A PRO

Clear off your turf

• Remove any leaves or debris on the lawn. Blowing is preferred to raking (to not pull at stolons) but lightly raking will do. This will allow for quicker soil warm up and ensure enough sunlight reaches your grass.

Install Plugs or Sod in Bare spots

• Fill in your lawn's bare areas. Patching bare spots will help prevent weed growth and will give you a thick, full lawn as the plugs/sod spreads. Very few of our grass types are seedable, so St. Augustine and Zoysia have to be plugged or sodded. As those plugs grow in, they will crowd out weeds and need less weed control naturally.

Fine tune your irrigation system

• Start with a sprinkler system check, or a "wet check," which should be done several times annually. This helps assure you aren't wasting water on paved surfaces and plants are getting proper coverage. Make sure all sprinkler heads are functioning, reaching their target range, and aren’t blocked by plant growth or debris. Keep an eye on your sprinklers as the season goes on to stay on top of any problems - because improper irrigation is where most pests and diseases start.

Set Your Sprinkler Timer for Spring

• Your Gainesville Sprinkler system should've been turned down to 1 day per week or less for winter, but spring is Gainesville Landscape's driest season. Watering properly over the next 3 months will set your lawn up for major success this year. Bump your watering days to 2 days per week (Depending upon address below) and make sure to increase your watering times too.

Sharpen your Mower blades

• Dull mower blades tug on grass roots and stress grass blades out . Also, a well-sharpened mower blade will chop grass clippings finely, making for easy decomposition to enrich the soil. That’s if you’re grass-cycling, if you aren’t you should definitely check it out (free nutrients!). For an average lawn, blades should be sharpened every couple months. Why not start with spring?

Watch for Weeds through Season

• Young weeds are weaker and easier to tackle than grown up weeds. Whether you are pulling them out or using our lawn health service, early weed control is always better than letting them get established. Spring is a great time to get in the habit of looking out for weeds. Once a month assessing your lawn would probably go a long way to keeping them in check.

Should I aerate my lawn or not?

• If your soil is compact and it’s affecting your grass’ ability to grow, Spring is a great time for Gainesville aeration. Aeration helps soils to allow oxygen, water, and nutrients to penetrate past the topsoil and reach the root zone, but aeration is not for all lawns. Liquid Aeration is actually proving to last longer and have better effects on your lawn than manual core aeration, and we are always testing new products coming out on the market to increase your lawn health and mnimize costs associated with doing so. Gainesville Liquid aeration has proved as one those examples.

Frequently Observing Your Lawn 

• Lawn problems usually can be reduced greatly when they are spotted and resolved early. Spending regular time in your lawn making observations can help you and your Gainesville lawn spraying company stay ahead of lawn issues.

Although there can be a number of different factors affecting why your lawn isn't as green as your neighbors, one of the most common is the available nutrients. 

In this January video, both lawns have the same turfgrass cultivar, watering practices, and mowing heights. The difference is simply differing lawn application programs (or lack thereof) during the fall.

In Alachua County and Gainesville, Florida lawns, there is what is commonly called a 'fertilizer ban' or 'fertilizer ordinance' in the fall and winter. That doesn't mean you cannot apply nutrients to your lawn and soil - just specifically Nitrogen and Phosphorus are banned, not other nutrients such as potassium, iron, molasses, kelp, humic, carbon, micronutrients, or soil amendments.

We recommend lawn applications throughout the year, but of different nutrients to keep your lawn healthy. We believe a healthy soil will equal a healthy lawn, so we feed the soil just as much as we feed the lawn to increase root development, decrease the need for water, and improve the health of the lawn long-term.

"Why does The Master's Lawn Care base its lawn health program on 6 visits?" We get this question a lot, pretty much anytime we enroll a new client into our Gainesville lawn care program.  Why 6 visits and more to the point, does a lawn need that much fertilizer to stay alive?

Truthfully, no.  Lawns don't need to be treated 6 times per year.  In fact, it was just a few years ago that we were offering a 5 application program (we visited homes roughly every two and half months). However, what I came to realize is that our clients don't want just a fertilization company.  What our clients want is a company who takes care of their lawn.  If you had the time or expertise to watch over your lawn, you wouldn't have called us in the first place and would be doing the work yourself. 

That is why we now visit 6 times a year.  If you're waiting too long for your lawn application company to come out, a lot of bad things can happen in the time between visits. 

A few examples would be:

• What starts as a few weeds can turn into a crop of weeds in that amount of time. 

• Chinch bugs or sod webworms can devastate your lawn. 

• A lawn disease / fungus can do irreparable damage to your lawn.

• And the list goes on.

That is why we believe that a 6 visit lawn program is best.  Our Gainesville lawn program is set up as 6 timed applications based on seasonal changes, which allows us to be in your lawn at the most critical times of the year for pests, disease, weeds, and lawn health. 

We are not just spreading fertilizer, even though that is one of the many things our program includes. Suprisingly, the fertilizer isn't the most important thing we do each application. The 5-point lawn and landscape health analysis is the most important piece of our program, and the adjustments that come from that inspection are what set our Gainesville Lawn Program apart from the rest. The 5 point inspection is made up of:

1. Lawn Health Evaluation - This analysis helps identify problems such as invasive weeds, lawn-damaging insects, and nutrient diffencies in  your lawn to make sure they are resolved before they damage your lawn. 
2. Soil Probe Test - This tests your soil for moisture retention ability, soil fertility, and composure to identify areas we can improve our lawn program in helping your lawn thrive. Soil health is the most often ignored part of a Florida lawn. Most housing subdivisions are built on "Archer Fill dirt" or Builder's Sand, which is one of the leading causes in struggling lawns.
3. Environmental Factor Investigation - Your environment plays a keys role in how your lawn grows. That's why we look at sun exposure, foot traffic, tree root density, and rain patterns to see what needs to be done to keep a healthy lawn.
4. Care Reccomendations - Knowing how to properly mow and water your lawn is a must to have a healthy lawn. Mowing heights differ between types of grasses and watering recommendations can change quickly based on the weather. Having a lawn health professional give recommendations to help you achieve a lawn you'll love is always a benefit to using our lawn health professionals.
5. Ornamental Health Checkup - Ornamentals are your shrubs, flowers, and trees that are used in your landscape to help keep your curb appeal top notch. If they are struggling pests, disease, or nutritient-diffencies, we will gladly inspect them at no charge. 

That's what our lawn treatment program does, and why we've been in business for over 15 years helping Gainesville lawns just like yours.  We strive to give you the lawn of your dreams without the worry or work so you can concentrate on more important things. 

So what happens during those 6 visits?

• Visit 1:  In late winter we apply a product which controls existing weeds. We also treat as necessary to control large patch fungus that pops up in many lawns as the cool weather visits Florida. We also use Potassium to develop the root system, which helps the turf have a quick green-up in spring.

• Visit 2: In early spring we apply a granular quick-release fertilizer mixed with a pre-emergent weed control which gives a good jump start for the spring growth of your lawn, while preventing certain broadleaf weeds and crabgrass seeds from starting to germinate. We also preventatively apply a lawn insect control product to fend off Chinch bugs before their active season begins.

• Visits 3: In late spring, we do spot treatments of post-emergent weed control as needed to keep the lawn weeds under control. Liquid iron is applied to help the lawn keep its color along with applying a slow-release fertilizer that continues to feed the lawn.

• Visit 4: In early summer, we apply a granular lawn food that slowly releases essential nutrients to help the turf grow deeper roots and prepare for the heat of summer. We also re-treat with preventative insect control products to continue working against Chinch bugs, as well as preventatively work against sod webworms. We continue to spot treat for weeds as necessary.

• Visit 5: In late summer, we apply another pre-emergent and broadleaf weed control for winter weeds. We also treat as necessary for any remaining lawn-
  damaging insects such as chinch bugs, webworms, and mole crickets. Liquid iron isadded in this visit too, to help maintain the lawns’ color through fall. 

• Visit 6: In late fall or early winter we apply a granular lawn food to help the turf focus on root development. This again helps the lawn to store nutrients, energy and to survive the winter. We spot treat any broadleaf weeds as necessary. We also again, treat as necessary to control and prevent any large patch fungus.
   

After we're done, the technician will create a report on what he's seen and insert it into our system so that we keep tailoring our program for your specific lawn, and we send the report to you via email with the list of what we've done and recommendations for you from our lawn evaluation.  

Our 6 visit program keeps most all of our customers 100% satisfied.  Rest assured though, if you have any problems during the course of the year, we are always available to help.  We offer complimentary service calls, even between visits, if you're on our lawn health program. All you have to do is call (352) 378-5296 or email info@themasterslawncare.com. 

The secret to a healthy and dense Gainesville lawn is comprised of three main ingredients:

1. Sun
2. Water
3. Food (Lawn Fertilization and soil amendments)

Today's video is focused on the most vital one - sunlight. Depending on how much your lawn gets in a typical day, is one of a couple factors that directly affects the density of your Gainesville lawn. Full sun lawns grow grass easily, regardless of grass type. However, similar to the 90's song, it's 'Mo' shade, mo' problems' when it comes to your grass.

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 thin area in a lawn, just like the video shows.  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 bit, but  then it begins to fade and their unsightly thin area is back. They're treating the symptom of the problem (the thinning grass) 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 5-6 hours of sunlight a day to do well.  UF-IFAS says 6-8 hours.

The problem isn't that the lawn can't live in 4 hours of sunlight a day. I'm sure you can (as can I) point out may lawns that have less than 5 hours of sunlight, but look healthy. The problem I've found her is multi-pronged:

First, a lawn can live with less, but the first time it gets any type of stress - fungus, pests, over-watering, leaf spot, traffic, drought stress, or any other thing causing it to thin out, it doesn't have enough sunlight to rejuvenate. It's not that it doesn't have enough to live - but it doesn't have enough to recover.

The second issue I've noticed is that different trees have different root systems. The tree your neighbor has that allow grass to grow under it may have a deep root system that isn't affecting the lawn's roots. The tree shading your lawn may have visible roots pushing above the ground all over, and those roots take away water, nutrients, and cause compaction when the weekly maintenance service happens.

The third and final reason lawns struggle in shady areas is that they can't dry out. Without sunlight in our rainy and humid summers, the grass will thin out due to excess moisture, fungus, and other issues. If your irrigation system is running more than your neighbors, or has poorer drainage than the other shaded lawn you envy, this may have contributed to your lawn's demise.

There are 2 fundamental ways to improve the amount of sunlight in your shaded Gainesville lawn.

1. The first is obvious. Raise your canopies and thin the trees to maximize sunlight.
2. Expand bedlines and use shade-tolerant plantings to fill in areas where the grass is struggling.

If you can't get to 5-6 hours by removing and trimming trees, our recommendation is to jump to #2 sooner rather than later.

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 see our videos about the other two basic needs: Water and Nutrients by clicking the individual links.

We hope this was helpful in understanding the basic needs of your North Florida Lawn. If we can help with your lawn's health, tree pruning, or shade tolerant landscaping - please call our office at (352) 378-5296 or (904) 913-5296 or email our office at info@themasterslawncare.com. 

WHY IS AERATION FOR YOUR GAINESVILLE LAWN SO IMPORTANT?

Simply put, aeration is essential to having a healthy, resilient lawn as it lets oxygen, water, and nutrients penetrate past the topsoil to reach the root zone of your turfgrass, where essential lawn nutrients can stimulate roots to grow and create healthier, stronger Gainesville, Florida lawns.

Aerating your lawn is pretty cool because it …

• Better enables oxygen to get below the topsoil
• Improves the uptake of The Master's lawn fertilizers and nutrient feedings
• Lets the soil more readily absorb the irrigation
• Reduces water runoff and puddling – and reduces the amount you need to water
• Improves drainage from heavy rains as it moves through the soil faster
• Helps strengthen your yard’s root system, the key to a healthy lawn
• Reduces soil compaction which leads to soil erosion & low grass production
• Strengthens your lawn’s ability to endure heat waves and droughts
• Makes your lawn one resilient, beautiful space for fun family time

If you don’t aerate your lawn, you risk having compacted soil. Which basically means oxygen, water, and lawn nutrients from our Gainesville lawn nutrition program can’t get past the surface-level layer (what you see with your naked eye). All the soil beneath that top layer is then at risk of starving when it’s deprived of air and water and nutrients.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOUR LAWN NEEDS AERATION?

A great way to test if your lawn needs aeration is with a screwdriver. Yep, a screwdriver! Flathead or Phillips, it doesn’t matter – take the screwdriver and insert the head into the soil. If the screwdriver can’t be inserted very easily when the soil is moist, then your lawn likely needs a little TLC from aeration and fertilization. You’ve come to the right place to get help with both.

Chances are your lawn needs aeration if you’ve got compacted, poor, or clay-heavy soil, or if you’re lawn is heavy used. Foot traffic and heavy equipment can turn your soil harder than concrete. Also, it’s a good idea to aerate if you’re renovating a yard (lucky you!). 

Another reason to schedule Gainesville aeration for your lawn is if your soil pH is too high. Adding milorganite after aeration will help slowly bring down the pH to make it more suitable for long-term lawn health.

5. Mulch up your grass clippings

Skip bagging your grass clippings. Instead, mulch them into your lawn, where they'll decompose, adding nutrients into the soil. This will save you work and make your lawn more healthy!

Word to the wise: If your lawn is full of weeds, then your clippings will most likely be full of weed seeds. If you don't want to sprout new weeds, stick to bagging your clippings until you get your weed problem under control with a Gainesville weed control company.

4. Aerate your Lawn

Of course, grass needs sun and water to thrive, but turfgrass also needs air. That’s why it’s important to aerate your lawn if you notice that the soil has become compacted. Aerating your lawn, either with a push aerator or a gas-powered aerator will allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate to the roots of your turfgrass, helping it to flourish. Renting an aerator is usually more expensive than hiring a company to do it for most average-sized lawns, so this is something that you may want to check pricing on before going the DIY route.

3. Water Deeply and Less Often

Unless it's new sod or landscape plants, frequent shallow watering encourages shallow roots and ultimately weakens your lawn and plants. The best thing to do is to water your Gainesville landscape deeply and less frequently. Occasional watering prompts the roots to grow deeper, giving your grass the strength it needs to weather hot conditions. We recommend 2x a week with about 60 minutes for rotor zones and 20 minutes for sprays (in full sun). Here is a tutorial on adjusting your irrigation timer.

2. Test Your Soil through UF-IFAS

Testing your soil every year will arm you with information about its pH, macronutrients, and micronutrients. For a lawn to grow healthy, it usually needs a pH level of  approximately 7. If your soil is too alkaline—if it has a pH level greater than 7—we recommend aeration and milorganite to help bring the pH down (this is common on newer homes built on builder's sand); if it’s too acidic, add lime to reduce the acidity and bring it into balance. These actions will need to be repeated every couple years as your soil will want to return to it's natural pH level. This is why we recommend annual testing and also why we include the initial test in our annual lawn health program. 

1. Fertilize Your Lawn

Usually, your soil is not able to provide all the nutrients your turfgrass needs throughout the entire growing season. That’s why it’s important to fertilize when needed, based upon your IFAS recommendations from your soil test of missing nutrients in the soil. When you should fertilize is determined by the weather as some years it warms up in late February and others it isn't warm until late March. This year, it is the perfect time to fertilize within the next 3 weeks as this last cold front passes through and your turf starts to awaken for spring. 

We hope these 5 tips can help you fall in love with your lawn again this spring! If we can help you with any of the above steps, please don't hesitate to call or text us at (352) 378-5296 or fill out the form above!