How do I water my lawn in the spring?

The way you water your lawn in the spring depends on the weather. Your lawn typically needs ½ - ¾ inch of water during this season. Water your grass about every 3-4 days. In the Tampa Bay area, spring is usually dry, meaning we do not get a lot of rain water. That is why it is important to check your sprinklers at the beginning of the season to make sure each zone works properly and is broadcasting water evenly throughout the lawn. If you do not have a sprinkler system for your lawn, we recommend using a hose and turret sprinkler. They will give you that broadcast watering on your lawn.

In the latter part of spring, the weather becomes particularly hot and dry. Restrictions may be levied on how many times you are allowed to run your sprinklers during periods of drought, too. If that ever comes to pass, use Hydretain to keep your lawn healthy! Hydretain keeps the moisture in your lawn and lasts for about a month, allowing you to outlast those extended periods of drought. It also has chicken manure in it, making it a great gentle fertilizer for your lawn. We carry it in a liquid and a granule.

How do I fertilize my lawn in the spring?

Coming out of the winter, you should definitely fertilize your lawn in the spring. Not only has it been conserving energy throughout the cold season, it is now ready to push out all of that new growth. Fertilome Premium is a great way to revitalize your lawn. It is safe to use on all types of grass. Make sure to run your sprinklers for 15 minutes after placing any fertilizer to make sure it integrates properly. Take advantage of the moderate temperatures and put it down before it gets too hot. Wait a minimum of six weeks to fertilize your lawn again. You want to avoid overfeeding it, as it might cause it stress and “fry” the grass, turning it a crispy brown color.

For a high-nitrogen fertilizer, a popular alternative to Premium is Ammonium Sulfate. Compared to Premium, ammonium sulfate has more nitrogen in its analysis (21-0-0). It is a great fertilizer to use if you want to give your lawn a shot in the arm. However, don't use both Premium and ammonium sulfate at the same time, as you want to avoid overfertilization. 

After the winter, you may have thatchy areas of your lawn where the grass may have died. Use HuMic granules to break down the thatch so new grass can thrive in those patches. It works best in conjunction with your lawn fertilizer, so spread both on the same day for the best effect.

How do I take care of weeds in the spring?

It’s not only your grass that wants to grow during the newly warm weather. You may find weeds have started invading your lawn! During the spring, it is important to control the weeds before the weather gets too hot. If the weeds have spread too far into your grass, you may want to use Fertilome St. Augustine Weed & Feed or Weed Out Plus Lawn Fertilizer for Bahia and Bermuda grasses. These products are both a fertilizer and a weed killer, so if you were planning to use Fertilome Premium to fertilize, I would choose only one product to prevent overfeeding. If you only need to spot treat weeds, I’d recommend Hi-Yield Atrazine for St. Augustine and Zoysia, available in a concentrate or a hose-end attachment, or Fertilome Weed-Out for Bahia and Bermuda, which is also available as a concentrate.

How do I prevent weeds from coming back?

The best way to prevent the growth of weeds in your lawn is with a pre-emergent herbicide. Hi-Yield Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper is a granular herbicide that creates a vapor barrier in your soil, preventing any weed seeds from germinating. Hence, pre-emergent herbicide - it prevents new weeds before they emerge. It is safe to use on established lawns and lasts for about three months. If you stay on top of it, four applications spread throughout the seasons can protect your lawn for a whole year!

How do I get rid of dollar weed?

Getting rid of dollar weed requires different methods than using traditional weed killers. One of the most effective ways to get rid of dollar weed in the long term is changing the acidity of the soil. Dollar weed does not like alkaline soil, so put down something like our Fast Acting Lime to correct soil acidity and make the ground inhospitable to dollar weed. Another way to get rid of dollar weed is to use Fertilome Dollar Weed Control. It contains penoxsulam, an herbicidal chemical particularly effective against dollar weed. Use it twice a year - once in the spring, and again in the fall - to maximize its effectiveness. When you go to spread it, make sure to wet the grass before you spread the product. That way the granules have a better time sticking to the dollar weed. Make sure that you spread the product with a 24 hour rain fast to prevent it from washing out.

How do I keep bugs out of my lawn in the spring?

The best way to keep bugs off your yard is to cycle through different insecticides for your grass. If you use the same insecticide sequentially too many times, the bugs will build a resistance to said insecticide, and it will lose its effectiveness. The insecticides we recommend to use for the spring are Bug Blaster II, Grub Killer Plus, and Turf Ranger II, one for the months of March, April, and May, respectively. 

Supplement these insecticides in May with Grub EX, which is a long lasting bug killer that keeps grubs and sod webworms away from your lawn for up to four months. It is perfect to do this before the summer because that is when those bugs are most active. Having a long lasting bug killer is essential for sod webworms due to how their life cycle works. They start as larvae, eat your grass, then metamorphose into white moths. Once they mature, granular insecticide no longer works on them. The white moths then fly and spread their eggs to other lawns. The reason why Grub EX is so effective is because it prevents the white moths from coming back and laying their eggs in your lawn again. We recommend this product to anyone who wants to keep those pesky bugs away during the summer.

Photo Credit: James Kerrigan, UF

How do I treat fungus in the spring?

We recommend using F-Stop to combat fungus. Fungus can appear in your lawn for many reasons, but most of them are due to stress. Stress can occur when the grass experiences extended periods of drought or too much water, or it can occur if bugs have been eating and damaging your grass. F-Stop stops that fungus in its tracks. Not only can you use it to cure fungus that your grass already has, but you can place it down to prevent it from occurring for up to a month.

Photo Credit: Lane P. Tredway, University of Georgia

How do I water my lawn in the summer?

You want to water your lawn so that it gets at least ½ - 1 inch of water per week. The summer is also a particularly rainy season, so make sure that your sprinklers are running properly and your rain sensors are able to stop your sprinklers during heavy rains. Depending on the rainfall, you may need to water your grass 1-2 times a week.

How do I fertilize my lawn in the summer?

Since the weather has gotten much hotter, you want to make sure you fertilize your lawn with a slow release fertilizer so you don’t burn your grass. Use our NitroOrganic Fertilizer or Fertilome Classic Lawn Food. NitroOrganic is very safe to use since it is derived from natural sources and has a low analysis, making it gentle on your grass. Classic Lawn Food, however, has a higher analysis, so it releases more nutrients into your grass. Either is a good choice for your lawn depending on its needs.

During the summer, your county may levy restrictions on what fertilizer you can use to reduce runoff pollution during heavy periods of rain. It is encumbent upon you to be up to date on what your county says you are allowed and not allowed to put down on your lawn.

How do I take care of weeds in the summer?

It is difficult to get rid of weeds in the summer. It is too hot to use traditional weed killers like Atrazine or Weed-Out. Once average temperatures reach above 85F, their chemicals start to burn the grass. Pre-emergent herbicides are some of the only safe ways to control weeds in the hot weather, so make sure to still use our Weed & Grass Stopper. Hand-pulling weeds is still an option as well, though that is less desirable to do in the heat. Make sure that you get your weeds under control in the spring before the heat gets too intense to use post-emergent herbicides.

How do I keep bugs out of my lawn in the summer?

Bugs tend to go wild in the summer due to all the heat and rain we experience. Make sure you stay on top of your insecticidal treatments so bugs don’t overtake your lawn. Start with Complete Insect Killer, then move to Bug Blaster II, then Grub Killer Plus in June, July, and August, respectively. It is especially common for sod webworms to infest your lawn during the summer due to that heat and rain. Make sure to place GrubEX on your lawn for season-long protection if you haven’t already done so at the end of spring.

Alternatively, another great product to kill bugs, especially chinch bugs, is Arena Insecticide. This insecticide is commercial grade, as it is what many  golf courses to treat their grass. Valent's Arena has a long residual as well, protecting your grass for up to three months. Use this insecticide if you want powerful protection all season long.

Photo Credit: Lyle Buss, UF (Chinch Bug Stages of Maturity)

How do I treat fungus in the summer?

Fungus is very common in the summer for the same reasons bugs are common: heat and rain. It is almost inevitable that you will experience some fungus on your lawn during the season. That’s why it’s important to put down preventative applications of F-Stop before you see fungus appearing, doing one application per month. Of course, treating fungus as it comes is an option, but to optimize the way your lawn looks in the summer, it is best to get a head start with preventative measures.

Photo Credit: Phil Harmon, UF

How do I water my lawn in the fall?

You need to give your lawn about ½ - ¾ inch of water per week, watering about every 3-4 days. Fall is another dry season in the Tampa Bay area, so make sure that your sprinklers are fully operational in each zone. Check for leaks, breaks, and faulty sprinkler heads. If we experience a particularly dry period and restrictions are put on the amount of times you can water your lawn in a week, use Hydretain to increase water retention and keep your lawn looking healthy.

How do I fertilize my lawn in the fall?

Now that the weather is starting to cool down, you can use fast release and heavier fertilizers on your lawn. Once the average high temperature lowers to 85F consistently, it is safe to put down our Fertilome Premium fertilizer. Make sure to run your sprinklers for 15 minutes after spreading the fertilizer to integrate it.

How do I take care of weeds in the fall?

Now that the weather has started to cool, it is safe to use post-emergent herbicides again on your lawn to take care of weeds. Wait until the high temperature lowers to 85F consistently to put down broad spectrum chemicals like Atrazine or Weed-Out on your St. Augustine or Bahia lawn. Alternatively, instead of putting down Premium as your fertilizer, you can put down St. Augustine Weed & Feed or Weed Out Plus Fertilizer on your lawn to both fertilize and take care of your weeds. Additionally, if you have been having issues with dollar weed, this would be a good time to put down an application of Dollar Weed Control to take care of them. Make sure to put down another application of Weed & Grass Stopper this season, since you want to apply it about every three months to provide lasting protection.

Photo Credit: Erin E. Harlow, UF/IFAS (Crabgrass)

How do I keep bugs out of my lawn in the fall?

The best way to keep bugs out of your lawn in the fall is to alternate your insecticides to prevent bugs from building resistances. Turf Ranger II, Bug Blaster Plus Above/Below, and Kill-a-Bug II in September, October, and November, respectively, are the insecticides we recommend for the season. 

Photo Credit: Kevin Frank, MSU

How do I water my lawn in the winter?

Typically, the winter is a dry season with little rain. However, as the weather gets colder, you can reduce your watering to about once every 5-6 days, since their is less sun and heat to make the grass dry out. Grasses also tend to go dormant this period, conserving their energy. Your lawn needs about ½ - ¾ inch of water a week.

How do I protect my grass from frost damage?

To prevent frost damage from happening, run your sprinklers for about 5-10 minutes in the morning. When the weather gets close to or below freezing, the condensation on the grass turns into frost overnight. When the sun comes up, it can potentially fry your grass as it warms up. Running your sprinklers for a short time in the morning melts the frost on the grass, protecting it from damage. In the event that your lawn does suffer damage from frost, the dead grass will turn into thatch. Wait until spring to treat the thatch with HuMic Acid so that your grass may grow back healthy and strong.

Photo Credit: UF/IFAS

How do I fertilize my lawn in the winter?

It is important to fertilize your lawn in the winter with a product high in potassium. The potassium will strengthen the roots of your grass, making your lawn more resilient in colder weather. That’s why we recommend Fertilome Winterizer for your seasonal fertilizer. Winterizer has a higher amount of potassium than most lawn fertilizers, making it perfect for the colder weather. We recommend putting it on during the earlier part of winter to prepare the grass for the cold preemptively, but it is also fine to put it down later. 

How do I take care of weeds in the winter?

Due to the colder weather, it is safe to use post-emergent herbicides. Winter is a perfect time to seriously target some of your weeds. Atrazine is a great broad spectrum herbicide that is safe to use on St. Augustine and Zoysia grass. Weed-Out is safe on bahia and bermuda grass. 

Of course, putting down a pre-emergent herbicide is prudent. Another application of Hi-Yield Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper is ideal to prevent new weeds from appearing in your lawn. That way, when spring rolls around, you won't have to worry much about stray weeds.

How do I keep bugs out of my lawn in the winter?

Thankfully, bug infestations slow down during the cold months, so keeping bugs out is easier as they tend to be dormant once temperatures reach below 50F. There may be the occasional infestation here and there, so be sure to apply insecticide when an issue arises.

Photo Credit: Steven Arthurs, UF/IFAS

How do I treat fungus in the winter?

Treating fungus is straightforward in the winter. Use a fungicide such as F-Stop to combat the occasional flare of fungus. Fungus is more likely to occur when the grass is under stress or gets damaged, such as by frost, so preventing frost damage by watering your grass early in the morning will stave off most fungi.

Photo Credit: Phil Harmon, UF/IFAS