Zoysiagrass is a fabulous investment for any homeowner, but there are a handful of essential issues you should keep in mind before you start establishing your new landscape. From high levels of maintenance to pest problems, you should know what you are getting into before propagation.

From establishment to weekly maintenance, you will have to spend a lot of time working on your landscape. Because this grass grows slowly and can only be grown via vegetative propagation, you will have to spend two growing seasons to establish a full landscape properly. Additionally, it is also prone to thatch issues, which means you will need to spend time periodically doing thatch removal.

Another issue people face is certain varieties are prone to disease and pest problems. Many individuals have noticed that zoysiagrass is vulnerable to nematodes and hunting billings. Once your landscape has been established, it is crucial that you have an integrated pest management plan in place to prevent any damage from pests and disease.

Do you need assistance with your zoysiagrass landscape? The team at Southern Green is ready to help! We provide lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and many South Florida cities.

Building a wear-resistant lawn is a wise idea for any Florida homeowner. By monitoring your lawn mowing and irrigation practices, you can improve your landscape with incredible ease.

One of the simplest ways to improve your lawn’s wear tolerance is to let it grow. As a good homeowner, it may not be in your DNA to let your lawn get too shaggy, but letting the grass grow a bit and raising your mower’s height actually helps to increase the shoot tissue to absorb injury, allowing the roots to go deeper. Additionally, mowing a lawn at a low height that is already stressed will cause more damage and potentially kill your grass.

You can also improve the tolerance of your grass by irrigating your lawn less. When you only water your lawn at signs of wilting or damage, you are forcing your roots to go deeper in the ground. This allows the roots to withstand more stress caused by weight from vehicles or activity.

Keep up with your lawn and improve your landscape today when you sign up for treatment services from Southern Green. Our business is known for offering lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as Jacksonville, Tampa, Brandon, and Miami. Call us today at (866) 767-0772 to have a representative come to your location today.

Many nutrients are necessary for your landscape. From potassium and phosphorus to manganese and copper, you should make sure that you are applying the right fertilizer to your landscape. When it comes to zinc, how much do you need for your Florida landscape?

As far as our research goes, the overwhelming response is none. Most positive responses for this micronutrient have been found on tree crops, specifically citrus trees. When used on the grass, it seems that there are no positive or negative results. This means that you should not concern yourself with this micronutrient when selecting a new fertilizer or making a custom fertilizer mix. On the other hand, you should look into using zinc if you are trying to grow your own vegetables. Speaking with a professional about your custom fertilizer needs should be at the top of your list in these cases.

When you are in the market for lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, and Miami, you can count on our business. The professionals at Southern Green have years of experience working with landscapes throughout our great state and are prepared to transform your dull, lifeless landscape into an incredible, lush lawn.

Now that your seeds are spread, it’s time to put them in the ground. You can lightly cover them by working them into the soil with a rake. If possible, you should topdress the area with a quarter inch of soil. Once the seeds have been worked into the ground, with good contact between the seeds and the soil, we recommend mulching the area with weed-free grass, hay, or straw.  It’s best to cover at least 50% of the ground in an effort to protect the soil and new seeds. The mulch will help to keep moisture in the ground, keep the seeds from washing away, and prevent the soil from getting too hot.

Once this process is complete, you want to make sure that your seeds are kept moist through proper watering techniques. You should water the grass with a small amount of water at least two to three times a day for two weeks to germinate the seeds, but be careful not to overdo it.  Overwatering can put your new seeds at risk for disease.  As you notice the seeds and root systems developing, you can decrease the watering. Eventually, your landscape will be nice and green!

After growing your lawn, invest in your landscape with help from Southern Green. Our team provides lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, in addition to Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, and Orlando.

Is your lawn ready for the summer? Whether you are planning on throwing a big barbeque in your backyard or just ready to have your kids out of the house, here are some things you can do to enhance your lawn wear tolerance:

• Fertilization – One of the most imperative ways to improve wear tolerance on your lawn is to keep up with proper fertilization practices. Potassium fertilization is very important, as it will allow the grass to survive injuries and retain the carbohydrates it needs to regrow. You should keep an eye on high-traffic areas and make sure that potassium is applied regularly.
• Watering – When you properly water your lawn, you are giving the leaf tissue an opportunity to absorb injury and bounce back with ease. Having deep roots through infrequent but long irrigation makes your grass strong and resilient. In addition to giving your grass the ability to recover quickly, proper watering will also prepare it for drought situations.
• High Mowing Heights – Mowing your lawn at higher heights is also vital to building your lawn wear tolerance. When the grass is higher, it increases the amount of shoot tissue to avoid the injury and also allows the roots to grow deeper, resulting in greater stress resistance.

Improve your landscape today when you come to Southern Green. Our business is known for offering dependable lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as many other locations throughout Florida.

Helping your turfgrass grow means investing in a good fertilizer. Whether you live in North Florida and have a St. Augustinegrass landscape or are a Miami homeowner with a zoysiagrass lawn, using a nitrogen-based fertilizer is a great way to care for your turfgrass.

Nitrogen is a good fertilizer for most Florida grasses as it helps them survive in the mostly sandy soil. Most experts recommend that nitrogen be applied at least two times a year and as many as eight times, depending on your location and soil composition. The number will vary, depending on your grass and its needs. It is vital to monitor the grass after nitrogen is applied. If you put too much on your grass, it could leak into ground waters. You should plan on using a nitrogen fertilizer in times when your grass is not dormant. Furthermore, using nitrogen during the summer can make your landscape more susceptible to pests and disease.

The specialists at Southern Green know all about fertilizers and are available to start taking care of your landscape. We offer lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. When you want talented professionals taking care of your lawn, you can rest assured that you have come to the best when you come to Southern Green.

Many people have heard of using compost as an organic lawn fertilizer, but they do not know how to use it. Compost is an organic, carbon-containing product that has gone through some period of decay. Generally, it will consist of vegetative matter, sewage sludge, cottonseed meal, and peat, amongst other materials.

When you are using compost before planting, you should add it directly to the soil. If you make sure that some of the larger material has been screened out, you can apply ½- to 1-inch of your compost as a topdressing to your lawn. When you purchase commercial organic compost in the store, you should check the sides of the packaging for a nutrient analysis label to see what nutrients it will add to your soil. If you choose to make your own compost, it is important to have it tested periodically to make sure there are beneficial nutrients being provided. Compost will always contain carbon and nitrogen, but you may need to find an additional source of nitrogen and additional plant nutrients.

Your landscape is important to us and we want to take care of it! Southern Green provides lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville. From lawn pest control to lawn care aeration services, we are prepared to improve your lawn!

The process of establishing your own lawn can often be frustrating, but with a little patience and skill, you can create a beautiful lawn that will impress anyone. Zoysiagrass is typically planted by sod, plugs, or sprigs. All you need to do is make sure that your soil is properly prepared and choose one of the following:

• Sodding – Produce an instant turf of Zoysiagrass when you choose this method. When laying down sod, you should make sure that it is laid on moist soil, watering it at least two times a day until the sod holds fast.
• Plugging – This is a relatively slow method of planting Zoysiagrass. It’s vital that your plugs are planted on 6 to 8 inch centers. Once planted, it usually takes at least one whole season for complete coverage.
• Sprigging – Sprigging is a very time consuming, yet effective way of planting Zoysiagrass. You should plant your sprigs in rows that are 6 inches apart and leave a portion of each sprig exposed to light. While doing this process, your soil should stay moist until new growth begins and the area is completely covered.

Zoysia grass is an investment that pays off, so you should make sure that your landscape receives the care it deserves. Our specialists at Southern Green offer a wide array of services throughout Florida, including lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami.

If you’ve ever been out on a golf course, played on an athletic field, or lived in a high-profile neighborhood, it’s likely you are familiar with bermudagrass. It’s one of the most widely used warm season grasses in the South, but it is not always the right choice for homeowners. Here are a few of the disadvantages to using bermudagrass:

• Tolerance – Bermudagrass is known for having poor tolerance to many insects, disease, and nematode pests, which limits the use in most home lawn sites.
• Aggressive Growth – This turfgrass is known to grow aggressively from aboveground and belowground stems that can invade landscape and flower beds very quickly. Additionally, this speedy growth encourages thatch buildup.
• Shade and Cold – Typically, bermudagrass has trouble growing in the cold and in the shade. If you live in a chillier part of Florida or have a lot of trees, you may want to consider another grass for your landscape.

Whether you have bermudagrass or not, the team at Southern Green is available to provide you with dependable lawn care services, including fertilization, pest control, and aeration services. Contact us to learn more about receiving lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, as well as Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa.

Making sure you have a beautiful and lush lawn means you have to do what is right for your region. Florida is a great place for a variety of grasses, but it’s important to make sure that you only plant the right grasses for your area. When choosing grass for your lawn, it’s equally important to consideer the amount of work you want to invest

There are several grasses that grow well in Florida, including bahai, bermuda, carpet, centipede, seashore paspalum, St. Augustine, and zoysia grasses. Most of these grasses can grow well throughout the state, but centipede grass grows the best in North Florida and the Panhandle area, while carpet grass does its best in wet areas. You should keep in mind that grasses gown in Florida are maintained differently than grasses that grow in Northern areas of the United States. This means that grasses like fescue, bluegrass, and ryegrass can grow here in the fall, winter, and early spring, but will not last throughout the summer.

Whether you are building a new home and looking at your grass options or just redoing your current landscape, the team at Southern Green provides amazing lawn treatment services. People rely on us for lawn care in St. Petersburg, FL, Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa.