Your Lawn This Fall

 

Late Summer/ Fall This time of year we go from hot and wet to hot and dry to cool and dry. Late September marks the time when the average daily temperature always falls below 90º - finally! There are a few things should do now, and others which will need to be done as we transition into fall and winter.

Fertilizing and Insect Control If you haven't put down your late summer insecticide yet, you may want to do so soon. We are seeing active chinch bugs, sod webworms, grubs, mole crickets, and lots of ants. Grub and mole cricket damage can look similar in the early stages. The grass may look like it's drying out from lack of water, but upon closer examination, the soil still feels very damp to the touch. In Floratam grass, pull up about a square foot of grass and sift through the top 4 or 5 inches of soil and look for grubs. They are pretty easy to find. So, if you do this in a couple of suspected spots, you should find at least one if they're present.

Bahia grass will feel spongy to the step. You may be able to easily dig up 2-4 inches of soil with the side of your foot. There are several insecticides which provide some relief from these insect available over the counter, or call us and we can help.

Remember those dry spots where your irrigation didn't cover quite right last spring? It seems when Floratam is subjected to stress, the population of cinch bugs builds up to damaging levels. We're seeing that now. Most insecticides will give good control for cinch bugs. Generally, if the dead spots are less than a foot in diameter with no green at all, allow the Floratam to fill in on it's own - otherwise consider sod pieces or plugs to help it along faster.

Irrigation As the weather cools, our water requirements will be reduced. But good coverage becomes more critical because we can't depend on rains. Sometime this fall, you will want to go through the system and make sure all the heads are working and rotating properly. Also, it's a good time to cut back any bushes or shrubs which may have grown up and are now blocking any heads.

New Landscaping Fall is a great time to renovate your landscaping. Most of our mulch is put down this time of year. New mulch applied now will usually stay new and fresh looking through the fall, winter and into spring. Fresh mulch is like a fresh cost of paint! It just makes everything look better. We are offering fall specials on mulch. Call us for details.

Bedding Plants Fall is the time for most annual bedding plants. We really feel it's best to wait until at least November 1st to plant most varieties. Fall bedding plants are available in a huge selection of colors, textures, sizes and growing conditions. Some of our most popular varieties are:

Trimming Try to get your last heavy trim done before mid to late November. Light trimming of new flushes can be done through out winter.

Weeds All our fall weeds will be emerging soon. The best course of action is to put down a good fertilizer with a good weed killer in it mid fall. That should take care of most Dollarweeds and a number of others. Spot treating can be done later if weeds still persist.

 

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16340 Old US 41
Ft Myers, FL 33912
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