Maintaining the perfect lawn anywhere can often seem like an unattainable dream, but in Florida especially? You’re probably thinking — “forget it!”
We’ve got good news though. Despite the lawn problems you might deal with in Florida that you probably wouldn’t in other regions of the country (hello, sea salt air, we’re talking to you), there are wonderful, viable solutions to help you create your perfect lawn.
It might not seem doable, but after spending over two decades working on perfecting the recipe for the ultimate lawn, we’ve definitely figured out how to grow something beautiful in this tropical paradise we live in. No matter what the issue – from climate to pests – we’ve got a cure to keep your lawn looking fresh, happy, and of course, as healthy as ever.
Check out some of the most common lawn problems, our solutions, and ways to avoid them altogether in our article below. We bet you’ll learn a thing or two about keeping your Florida lawn as pristine as possible.
Lawn Disease
There are a myriad of lawn diseases that can affect Florida lawns, especially things like Dollar Spots, Grey Leaf Spots, Fairy Rings, Slime Molds, Root Rot, and more. While each of these diseases probably require a bit of different treatment for their specific symptoms, there are plenty of things you can apply to all of them in order to combat lawn diseases.
For starters, a regular maintenance schedule that includes mowing, irrigation, and fertilization can help to combat issues like these in the first place. Ignoring these types of routine maintenance practices will make your lawn more susceptible to disease.
Taking daily strolls around your lawn can make all the difference in the world, too. If you’re able to detect a problem right as it starts, you might be able to fix the problem before it spreads to the rest of your lawn. Taking notice of the starting points of a disease (such as irregular patches, yellow colors, and thinning grass) can save your lawn from ultimate destruction.
If needed, we suggest applying fungicide to your yard in order to combat any disease.
To get the best results, we suggest taking a sample patch of your grass to your local experts in order to get a detailed look at what might be affecting your lawn. Once we know the exact disease, we can best determine how to treat it.
Pests, Pests, Pests
Chinch bugs, grubs, army worms, oh my! No matter what kind of pest you have in your lawn, we can guarantee one thing for sure – you want them gone. Unfortunately, with the ideal, warm soil temperatures that Florida has, pests seem to flock to our landscapes to feed and thrive. Between the rain, the heat, the dryness, and the swampy or salty climate, we’re basically set up to have a yard teeming with pests. We know it feels like a losing battle, but there are ways to help get rid of those sod worms, moles, mosquitos, ticks and other Florida pest problems.
First of all, let’s talk about the go-to that people typically rely on – insecticide. Chemical insecticides can help to kill off these pest, rid your lawn of problematic insects, and overall, take care of the issue. The problem? They’re harsh on your lawn, dangerous for your kids and pets, and can even take a big stab at the health of your lawn. Try out natural insecticides first before you bust out the big guns.
Another option for eliminating Florida pests is keeping a regulated schedule of fertilize, mow, and water on a schedule that favors the health of your lawn. This is likely to keep pests away (to some degree) and keep your lawn looking healthy.
It will probably help to work with an experience company for regular spraying maintenance as well.
If you find that you’re dealing with pests that are a little less tiny and disgusting (we’re looking at you, moles and rabbits), we suggest using control options to capture these little problems. Set up safe traps to get these little guys in the act and then work with animal control to get rid of them in a safe way.
Grass Fungus
Grass fungus can be one of the biggest causes of an overall diseased lawn and can, in fact, cause bigger problems (like brown patches, dead spots, and more as we’ll discuss a little later). Your lawn is already naturally filled with fungi and spores, right? So, how could this be a bad thing? Unfortunately, the wrong conditions can allow grass fungus to erupt into harmful diseases (as we discussed above), which can prove to be hugely inconvenient for your lawn. The ideal conditions for fungus? Drought, mowing too low, irrigation ignorance, and lack of fertilizer. This will show up in brown patches, dollar spots, gray powdery grass blades, wet-looking slimy grass, and a variety of other signs.
So, it makes sense that to combat grass fungus eruptions, you should try to prevent them by watering properly (especially if you’re not getting rain), mowing to the correct height, and feeding your lawn properly with fertilizer.
If for some reason you are facing grass fungus, we suggest applying fungicide as needed. Not sure how to pick the right fungicide? Chat with us! We can help you choose the one that makes the most sense for your lawn.
Did you get a kick out of our lawn problems advice? We hope so! At Landcrafters, we don’t want to just give you a premium lawn, we want to equip you with the tools to keep that premium lawn. If you’re interested in chatting with us about how to perfect your lawn, work out issues you might be having with your Florida landscape, or simply get a free quote, give our office a call at (727)-201-3947. Interested in other landscaping advice? We were hoping you’d say that. Check out our blog here with weekly updates on Florida landscape tips, trends, and advice!
Michael Tomaino
