| Time Of Year | Residential Address Odd Number | Residential Address Even Number | Non Residential Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight Savings Time | Wednesday and Saturday | Thursday and Sunday | Tuesday and Friday |
| Eastern Standard Time | Saturday | Sunday | Tuesday |
Daylight savings time starts on the second Sunday in March and lasts until
the first Sunday in November.
There are exceptions to these restrictions for new turf and irrigation system testing.
Please visit the St. Johns River Water Management District site for more information.
Watering should occur in the early morning hours. As a rule of thumb, one half inch of water per session is sufficient. If it is extremely hot and dry, the turf will require more water.
Watering is not allowed between 10 am and 4 pm. (See the University of Florida guidelines for more information).
New sod should be watered every day for two weeks, then every other day for two more weeks.
Pests can destoy a beautiful lawn. Chinch bugs are a threat to St. Augustine turf. Mole crickets are a threat to Bahia turf. There are other insects that can also cause damage to your turf. Chinch bugs can ruin a St. Augustine lawn in a short period of time. These insects are active in central Florida from May through October The University of Florida has several publications for the various pests that can damage your lawn.
Weed control is necessary to keep plant beds and turf attractive and healthy. Weeds compete with turf grasses for moisture and nutrients. Weeds can destroy a lawn over time.
A pest control company?
They can take care of your lawn by applying fertilizer, pesticides and weed control products at regular intervals through out the year. Costs vary but expect to pay about $400 to $600 per year. Call some companies and get estimates. Ask if they will repair any turf that is damaged while they are treating your lawn.
Do it yourself?
You will need a spreader ($40 - $45 at Walmart or you can rent one from Ace Hardware for $0.49 per day if you buy some turf product(s) from them).
A bag of Ortho Bug-Be-Gone costs less than $20 and it will cover 20,000 sq. ft. That is enough to treat most yards several times a year. Each application will last about 3 months. The latest product for chinch bugs that have become resistant older perticides is a product called Arena. You can find this online if you don't have anyluck finding it at a local hardware or home improvement sore. Buy some liquid insecticide for spot treatment, if it becomes necessary. There are several available and they cost less than $10 per bottle. A bottle should last a couple of years.
Fertilizer is less than $25 per bag. Use a weed and feed in the spring. Be sure to read the instructions on the bag. Weed and feed products work only if the turf is wet. The chemical to kill the weeds is in a powder form and it will cling to the weeds when they are wet. The longer it stays on the weeds, they more effective it will be, so do not apply it if rain is in the forcast or your irrigation system is going to be used within 48 hours. Many people apply weed and feed products to dry turf and then water it in. Then the weed killer does not have a chance to work, the fertilizer kicks in and the weeds become a bigger problem than if nothing had been done at all!
Buy a bottle of Image (with Atrazine) and mix it according to the instructions on the label in your other spray bottle. This is safe for St. Augustine turf. Use this to treat problem areas. A bottle costs less than $15 at Walmart and should last a couple of years.
Buy a bottle of Round Up. Use this to kill the weeds in plant beds and the weeds or grass growing in the cracks in the sidewalk or driveway. Be careful with Round Up, it will kill all grasses and many plants. A bottle is less than $15 at Walmart.
Crabgrass? Bright green, stringy with small leaves, this weed will crowd out desirable turf. Celsius, Image, Atrazine or baking soda will kill it. Yes, another use for baking soda! Wet the crab grass and sprinkle the baking soda on it. It will die in a matter of days.
Excessive watering, insufficient watering, insects and weeds will cause damage to your lawn in a short period of time. The cost to repair or replace your lawn can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Installing mulch in a plant bed is an easy and inexpensive way to upgrade your landscape.
Popular types of mulch are red cypress, blond cypress, pine bark nuggets and pine bark mini nuggets.
If applied correctly, it will also conserve water and help control weeds. Mulch should be applied so that it has a depth of 3 inches after settling. Mulch will gradually decompose and release nutients back in to the soil.
How much mulch do you need? One cubic yard of mulch (27 cubic feet) will cover an area of 100 square feet with a depth of 3 inches.