The weed pictured is Largeflower Pusley (Richardia grandiflora) and blooms prolifically in the fall. It’s pink, white or purple flowers create a snowy appearance along many of our road sides and medians. A native of South America also known as Largeflower Mexican Clover, it’s usually found in disturbed sandy areas especially where irrigation is lacking.

Now that we have entered the turf dormancy period, it’s important to continue regular mowing to prevent weeds from reaching flowering and seed production.

With the start of Standard Time, irrigation should be done once per week according to guidelines from the St. Johns Water Management District or your municipal water source if you use reclaimed water.

Fertilization should be done with a slow release blend that contains potassium for root growth. Rates should not exceed ½ pound of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. University of Florida studies have shown that over wintering turf cannot use more than that amount and wasted material leaches downward. Additionally, excessive fertilizer application during the winter months will stimulate growth of winter annuals that out-compete dormant turf.

Damaged turf easily lifts and grubs are spotted

The two most commonly found grubs are the white grub and sugar cane grub.  The difference is in the size as the sugar cane grub is roughly the size of a quarter when rolled up.  White grubs are about half the size. 

Sugar Cane Grub next to a quarter

Grub feeding symptoms include wilted, brown turf that is easily lifted up or rolled back like carpet. Feeding grubs are visible in the soil at the root zone. Damage becomes apparent when grub counts reach 2 to 3 per square foot for the white grubs and 1 per square foot for the sugar can grub.

Damaged turf can appear as dry areas or drought damage

There are a wide variety of beetles found in Florida and all of them have complete metamorphosis that includes the larval grub stage. Several of these species can be found deep in the soil but for turf management purposes, we are only concerned with those species actually found in the root zone of the turf.

Most white grubs can be controlled with a single treatment. Treatments are most effective when the soil is moist and grubs are close to the surface. An exception is the sugar cane grub, which tends to move deeper in the soil profile than other grubs, often requiring repeat applications. If you think you may have turf damage as a result of grub feeding, visit our website or call to schedule an inspection and grub control treatment.

While chinch bugs can be found year round in our area, this is the time of year when they are hitting peak activity.  Adult chinch bugs are approximately 1/8 inch long with black bodies and small white wings that rest over the body.  Chinch bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts, through which they suck juices from the grass plant and inject toxic saliva. 

The saliva causes irreversible damage to grass, as it will first turn yellow and then reddish-brown before dying.  Symptoms of chinch bug activity may be confused with drought stress or disease so it is important to have a turf care professional make the correct diagnosis, recommendation, and treatment.  Acting quickly will help minimize chinch bug damage.

We provide year round fire ant and chinch bug control with our regular service program that treats lawns every other month.  For those wanting just a one-time treatment, we provide a 30-day re-treatment guarantee for single services.  Please contact our office for a free analysis or estimate.

May is typically the last month of the dry season before we return to our normal summer time afternoon rain pattern. After several weeks with little to no regular rainfall, deficiencies in irrigation coverage quickly show up, especially on St. Augustine turf.

Your lawn will tell you when it is time to water. Leaf blades will fold in half to conserve water and the grass will take on a blue-gray tint. Footprints remain visible on the grass long after being made. If there are any doubts, a soil moisture test can confirm the conditions.

Irrigation should be run twice a week during Daylight Saving Time at ¾” of water per zone. Rule of thumb is to run your rotary heads at 45 minutes to 60 minutes per zone. Pop-up heads should be run at 15 minutes to 30 minutes per zone.

Proper operation and coverage should be checked frequently, especially if the symptoms of dry spots occur. Many people assume that as long as they hear the pump come on that it’s running properly. We have been asked to check on brown areas for customers and often find that a head is clogged or even missing, resulting in the dry spot.

Per St. Johns WMD guidelines, irrigation should be done between 4 pm and 10 am on Wednesday and Saturday for odd-numbered addresses, Thursday and Sunday for even-numbered addresses.

If you continue to have issues with your “hot spots”, we do offer soil conditioners that enhance the moisture retention of the soil. We can apply the product for you or provide you with a hose-end sprayer to use at your discretion. Please contact our office or ask your spray technician for further information and pricing.

Spring rains in March and warmer temperatures in April have brought the return of our active growing season. While most St. Augustine lawns have rebounded well from the record cold winter, some lawns are showing yellow blotches.

It was widely believed that these yellow blotchy areas were a result of new turf growing faster than it can absorb the nutrients. Not true. Closer examination of the turf runners and roots will most likely reveal symptoms of Take-All Root Rot or TARR for short.

Symptoms include yellow leaves, presenting as a blotchy turf stand from a distance. Roots are thin and off-white in color, turning black and rotting as the disease progresses. Lesions may be present on the stolons and roots. Once above ground symptoms have been observed, the disease has already been in the roots for several weeks, maybe longer. The above ground symptoms appear because the roots are no longer able to effectively move nutrients.

A soil and turf sample can be sent to the University of Florida for culturing to positively confirm the findings. The fee is $100 to cover shipping, handling and the lab fee. Results are available in 10 to 14 days.

Chemical control measures include inoculating the viable turf with a systemic fungicide. Repeat applications may be necessary. Damaged areas will not recover and, if large enough, may have to be removed and replaced with new sod. Make sure to remove all of the dead material to avoid contamination of the new sod.

Cultural control is stressed as well. Excessively high soil moisture and poor drainage are conducive to TARR development. Follow proper watering instructions per the St. Johns Water Management District Guidelines.

Our technicians have been trained to look for this disease and will let you know if it may be in your turf. If you suspect that your lawn may have it, please contact our office for an inspection. We may have to modify your service program to include the systemic fungicides as a preventative measure for the healthy turf.

Prune Below the Knotted Meristems

Plant and Tree Care

Remove the damaged tissue and branches, pruning back to where there is moisture in the vascular system, or new growth.  If you have knotted meristems (see image) now is a good time to prune them off.   Fertilize with a slow release blend containing micronutrients.  Plants with chronic insect problems, such as mealy bugs or scale, should be treated with a systemic insecticide to provide several months of control for those pests that will be attracted to the lush new growth.  We provide dry and liquid fertilization services as well as systemic insecticide applications. 

Palm Tree Care

Many of the tropical palms, such as Christmas Palms, Royal Palms, Coconut Palms, Foxtail Palms, and Pygmy Date Palms took a severe hit this winter.  Palms store nutrients in the fronds for new growth – prune only those fronds that are dead.  Removing live fronds may result in nutrient deficiencies, defective new growth or even compromise tree survival.  Fertilization should be done with a tropical palm fertilizer (must have magnesium, potassium, and manganese) at roughly 1 pound of material per inch of trunk diameter.

Turf Care

Most turf varieties are still in winter dormancy but should start actively growing again by the end of March or early April.  Our March turf applications provide fertilizer, insecticide, iron supplement, and broadleaf weed control with post-emergent and pre-emergent herbicides.  The pre-emergent herbicide will help suppress some of the spring and summer annuals including crabgrass.

Irrigation

Summer watering at twice a week will begin with Daylight Saving Time on March 14.  However, do not irrigate within 7 days following a significant rain event.  Brown patch fungus will continue to be a problem for turf until average daily temperatures are above 80 F.  If you see any suspicious looking brown areas with a yellow outer margin, this could be fungus activity.  Notify us to get it properly diagnosed and treated.

It is extremely important to follow proper irrigation practices to limit the amount of moisture in the soil and thatch of the turf.  Water no more than once a week and not within 7 days after a significant rain event. 

Even with proper cultural practices, your turf may become susceptible to brown patch fungus.  Some of the dwarf varieties, such as Seville, Sapphire, and Palmetto are more prone to thatch and fungus development.  If you suspect that your lawn has fungus activity, please contact our office to have it diagnosed for treatment. 

Active fungus has a characteristic yellow margin around the perimeter of the fungus.  Treatments inoculate the healthy turf against further spread of the fungus, halting the pathogen and progression.  Most of the time, damage is moderate and recovery takes about 3 to 4 weeks. 

Brown Patch Fungus

You can prune away dead material on plants and trees now but avoid severe pruning until late February or March, after the threat of freezing temperatures has passed.  It is possible that some species of plants may not survive.  Look around to see what has made it through unharmed – it may be a good idea to select those plants as replacements.

Plants and grass still need water in cold temperatures, but they are not actively growing, so water only as needed.  No more than once a week during the Standard Time months as per St. Johns WMD guidelines.

What about those palms?  Prune only dead fronds.  Palms use lower fronds for stored nutrients to produce new growth, which is especially important for a tree stressed by cold weather.  Our more tropical palm species, such as the Christmas Palm, Pygmy Date Palm, and Foxtail Palm, may be slow to recover, if at all, so keep that in mind.  If the leaf sheath or crown appears to have sustained cold damage, a copper treatment is recommended to ward off bacteria and infection.

Water temperatures in our lakes, ponds, and canals dipped below 60 F, which is fatal to tropical exotics such as tilapia and armor plated catfish.  The fish kills have been widespread across the County with about 95% of the fish being tilapia.  Normally mother-nature (vultures, turtles, raccoons, etc.) will clean up the mess but the cool temperatures have slowed the metabolism of the scavengers and also the decomposition of the dead fish.