Central Florida Lawn Care
Florida isn’t known as the Sunshine State for nothing. With its year-round sun rays, regular summer afternoon showers and warm and balmy temperatures from January through December, Central Florida is certainly one of the best places to call home. With a subtropical climate and temperate conditions, Central Florida homeowners have to keep up with regular lawn care and maintenance all year long. Of course, this can be a small price to pay to live someplace so distinct and naturally gorgeous.
While regular lawn upkeep may seem intimidating to perform all year long, with some simple and specific Central Florida lawn care tips, having a thick and luscious lawn is simple and will help your home positively stand out.
Caring for Your Central Florida Lawn
With its intense heat idling at an average of 83 degrees and direct sunshine throughout the year, it’s crucial to keep your lawn and landscaping thriving. You want to ensure your grass is green and healthy and able to stave off unsightly and damaging pests, weeds and disease, and to maintain your home’s overall visual appeal.
Here are some Central Florida lawn care tips to keep in mind throughout the year:
- Routine Mowing: Central Florida homeowners should mow their lawns at least once every week. The most common species of grass throughout the Orlando area are St. Augustine, Bahiagrass and Bermuda. St. Augustine and Bahiagrass should be kept at about two to four inches high, while Bermuda can be clipped to approximately one inch. Be sure to keep the blades sharp to prevent grass damage and disease, mulch the clippings to restore necessary nutrients and maintain a regular mowing schedule for the best results.
- Weekly Watering: Most experts recommend a weekly watering for Central Florida lawns for a total of three to four inches of water.
- Year-Round Fertilization: For thick, widespread grass growth, you need to provide your lawn with proper nutrients and ongoing care. Central Florida lawns should be fertilized at least four or five times every year. Test the current pH of your lawn to select the best fertilizer product to ensure beautiful, effective growth, and choose a slow-release, granular product to limit how often you have to fertilize.
- Annual Aeration: Lawn aeration (the process of perforating the soil with small holes) is a great solution for breaking up compacted soil and allowing proper air flow, water and nutrients to circulate throughout your lawn. The best time to perform aeration is during the fall.
- Wintertime Overseeding: Because most Florida homes have warm weather grasses, if the temperature dips a bit low during the winter, the grass can quickly die out. Overseeding (the process of planting grass seed directly into the lawn) with a cool-weather variety like Ryegrass will help maintain the condition of your lawn and keep it healthy.
Common Pests and Fungi to Watch Out For
While healthy, vibrant and lush lawns attract admirers, they can also be an inviting spot for unwanted guests like bugs and pests, diseases and fungi. Most Central Florida homeowners need to watch out for signs of chinch bugs, mole crickets and sod webworms as well as brown patch fungus, dollar spot fungus and gray leaf fungus. While each pest and fungus presents unique symptoms, you can often tell you have some type of pest problem when you start seeing unattractive brown and dying grass patches.
Need Help With Central Florida Lawn Care? Contact Bee Green Pest Control Today
Bee Green Pest Control is Central Florida’s leading expert in all types of residential lawn care services, including lawn fertilization, systemic pest control solutions and shrub and ornamental plant care. Learn more about our lawn services today and discover which are right for your home and lawn by calling 813-661-9300 to speak to a lawn care specialist, or request a free project quote by filling out our online form.