Lawn aeration, or core aeration, as it is often called, is one of the most simple and affordable ways to give your lawn a boost. Gainesville lawn aeration is the process of removing thousands of small plugs of soil, grass and thatch in your lawn as a way of opening it up so that it can better receive nutrients and hydration. These plugs will rest on top of your lawn and break back down to feed nutrients back to your lawn. This process is a great way to improve the effectiveness of irrigation, reduce soil compaction and encouraging healthy root development. 

How does aeration benefit my Gainesville lawn?

• Relieves soil compaction
• Creates an environment that encourages root development
• Better penetration of water and nutrients including fertilizers
• Reduces the risks of lawn diseases and damaging pest infestations
• Improves absorption and drainage in heavy raining periods
• Benefits pH Modification. Applying lime directly after lawn aeration promotes the change of pH deeper into the soil profile. This will let nutrients penetrate deeper in the root zone to become available to the turf.
   

When should I aerate my lawn?

In Gainesville we recommend lawn aeration every spring. In other areas of the country, you will often see lawn aeration done in fall as well as spring. However, in Gainesville, it is not recommended because most of our turfgrasses do not go completely dormant in the winter. This means that late season aeration has the potential for frost damage to the roots of the lawn. Completing the aeration in spring allows the lawn to take full advantage of the entirety of growing season to develop roots, access nutrients, and soak up the water before summer's high temperatures hit.

How often should I aerate my lawn?

Aeration is recommneded annually for most lawns. It is a vital part of your lawn's overall health, especially in Gainesville yards with our compacted soil from traffic and mowers and areas of clay soil that do not allow roots to penetrate without assistance. The longer you go without aerating your lawn the more the soil compacts. If you have traffic on any areas of your lawn, whether it be mowers, people, or pets - the problem only increases. That's why golf courses aerate their greens and fairways several times a year. As a homeowner, you won't need that kind of frequency, but it is a wise investment to aerate your lawn each spring. Lawn health is a long term project and consistent aeration will result in a healthier and more beautiful lawn when combined with an ongoing lawn health program.

What are signs that my lawn needs aeration? 

Signs that you can look for include puddles form on your lawn after a rainstorm or irrigation. This water sitting on top of the ground is going to evaporate quickly and not soak down to the roots of your lawn where you want it to be. This is preventing much-needed moisture and nutrients from reaching your soil. A second test is the “screwdriver test.” The screwdriver test is an easy and fairly accurate way to test your soil. Try sticking the screwdriver into the ground. Having difficulty doing so? This is a great sign that it's time for a thorough aeration. Ideally your soil will be loose and airy. A third indication that it's time for aeration is the build up of thatch. Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic matter that occurs between the grass and the soil. A thatch layer is normal and expected in Gainesville but excessive thatch can create an environment that is primed for lawn damaging insects and disease issues.

Are there lawns where aeration is not recommended?

Aeration will benefit most lawns, and will certainly not hurt any lawn. it's at worst going to be neutral. If you have a very sandy soil in your yard there may be no benefit from aeration. Picturing the screwdriver test mentioned earlier, if you try this and see that your soil is very sandy and the hole fills right back in with sand, it is likely not going to benefit from aeration. In these cases a long term plan to add more organic material to your soil is going to be the recommneded approach. For soils that are somewhat sandy but have compaction issues just beneath the surface a good watering on the morning of aeration can help to make the process work. 

How do I prepare for aeration?

• Clearly mark you irrigation heads, irrigation lines and other underground lines and wiring to ensure that they are not damaged.
• Water the lawn thoroughly on the morning of your aeration or the evening before. This softens the soil so that deeper plugs can be removed easily and for more sandy soils helps to bind the soil together for improved plug removal.
• Plan your fertilization or lime applications to occur immediately after aeration. If you are on our lawn health program we will take care of this for you.
• Don't clean up the plugs! The plugs contain nutrients that seep back into your lawn as they break down over a couple of weeks

Over time, your lawn becomes stressed by thickening layers of thatch, heat, and soil compaction from foot/mower traffic. With our service, a friendly and specialized technician will mechanically remove small plugs of soil and thatch from your entire lawn, helping your lawn breathe and creating ideal conditions to increase nutrient flow to it's roots for healthier, thicker, and greener grass growth. The Master's Lawn Care combines the simple mechanical process of aeration with our customized, superior lawn program to yield visible results for your lawn. Our experienced professionals receive on-going training, enabling us to customize the service and address each yard's unique needs. For lawn aeration in Gainesville, Florida that maximizes the benefits to your lawn and complete, transparent care from the best technicians in town, choose the Gainesville Lawn Experts - TMLC.

Space for spring aeration is limited, please call today to reserve your spot! 352-378-5296.

There are several common Gainesville lawn diseases that can affect and cause damage to your turf throughout the year. In the industry, a grass disease is seen as a condition that interferes with the normal growth and development of the grass plant, causing the plant to look and grow abnormally. 

In order for a disease in your yard to be active, 3 requirements must simultaneously be present. A susceptible host (type of grass that is susceptible to the disease), Pathogen (the actual fungi itself), and a conducive environment (favorable weather conditions for the fungi to spread). Without the presence of all 3 simultaneously, there is no disease. To visualize this lawn disease triangle, here is a diagram.

Turfgrass diseases can be difficult to identify and decipher between, as many diseases can look much alike from a distance. Noting the appearance of distinctive patterns, specific color variations, and particular grass species affected can help diagnose what disease is present or caused the damage.

Examining individual grass blades up close can reveal lesions, spots, changes in color, and stunting that can narrow the search. Mycelium, sclerotia, and masses of spores can also be present and help diagnosis the disease affecting the lawn. Some common turfgrass diseases include: Brown Patch (aka Large Patch), Pythium Root Rot, Leaf Spot, Powdery Mildew, Dollar Spot and Melting Out.

Gainesville Grass Fungus Control Tips

Curative fungicide applications are not common practice for home lawn applications, as fungicide treatments are predominantly reserved for professional Gainesville lawn applicators. Of course, the big box and garden stores do offer a few turf disease control products, but a much smaller and less-effective type than the licensed pest control applicators have access to.

Most diseases are short-lived if proper measures are taken.  Depending on the type of disease and length of time it is active, varying degrees of damage and unaesthetic appearance can result. Proper measures include some steps the homeowner or property manager can take, and some should be done by a licensed professional.

1. Reduce or stop watering immediately (Reduce the conducive environment of residual moisture)
2. Increase sunlight on the lawn (remove any shade limbs over the affected area)
3. Do not fertilize with any nitrogen products (Nitrogen causes fungi to grow just like they do turf)
4. Treat with a Lawn Disease Control product (such as a fungicide)

Six Gainesville Lawn Fungus Prevention Tips

However, as the old saying goes - "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is true with fungus in your St. Augustine or Zoysia grass too! Here are a couple quick tips to avoid getting turf diseases in your lawn. 

1. Water Properly - Overwatering is the #1 cause of fungus in your Gainesville lawn. The reason? Most people set their irrigation settings up and forget about them. Regardless if it's summer, winter, spring, or fall they run the same amount of water on their lawn. (Let's be honest though, in Florida we only have 2 seasons!) If you want to "Set it and Forget it," you need to upgrade your Gainesville sprinkler system to a Smart Irrigation Controller that uses your WiFi to adjust the sprinklers to the weather stations nearest your home. 
2. Inspect Your Rain Sensor -  (or install one if you dont have one!) This shuts off your irrigation in times of rain. It saves you money on your water bills and saves you from lawn disease, too. It's a win-win!
3. Sharpen your Lawn Mower Blades - Dull blades cause the Gainesville turf to be torn instead of a clean slice. The tears leave gaping wounds for the disease to attack the lawn 
4. Fertilize the Lawn Properly - Nutrient deficiencies weaken the turf and make it susceptible to disease. Think of fertilizer like taking your vitamins. It keeps your immune system up and ready to fend off disease.
5. Utilize Shade Landscape Beds - Instead of trying to grow turf in areas of deep shade, try a Gainesville Landscape Design with plants more suitable for the reduced sunlight and excess moisture.
6. Install Proper Drainage Systems - If your lawn holds water in areas after downpours, regardless of irrigation settings and proper maintenance - you may need a french drain or downspout extension to help keep the moisture from sitting in the lawn.

Aside from environmental conditions, managing a home lawn by way of maintaining the recommended maintenance practices, improving the growing conditions, selecting resistant grass species, and by managing all turf inputs, greatly reduces disease incidence and susceptibility without the requirement of fungicides. We hope these help you reduce the need for disease control in your Gainesville Lawn. 

If you have more questions about disease in your lawn, or need a licensed lawn pest professional in Gainesville, Florida, don't hesitate to call our office at (352) 378-5296 or fill out the form at the top of the page for a free proposal or to be added to our seasonal lawn tips newsletter. You can also like us on Facebook or our Gainesville Lawn Tips YouTube Channel. 

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.