What Is Lawn Pest Control?

Lawn Care Services In Jacksonville, FL

Our Lawn care services include fertilization, weed control, insect control, and disease suppression. Each county in Florida can have difference ordinances relating to fertilizer. In Duval it the guidelines permit 2-4 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of turf each year. We put out one full pound in the spring and then spoon feed the lawns throughout the duration of the summer, holding back one pound of nitrogen for when the lawn exhibits unexpected stress. Spoon feeding does not over fertilize which can lead to problems such as fungus and insect acceleration.  It also allows us to adjust the amount of nutrients you receive each month to keep your lawn looking great.
Weed control requires a lot of expertise as different herbicides are used to treat different weeds. Combining herbicides improperly can kill desirable turf. Different herbicides have different modes of action and different temperature requirements and limitations. Weeds can develop resistance to herbicides over time. There are numerous herbicides on the market that will treat nearly all weeds. Certain weeds such as torpedo grass can not be treated selectively.
There are multiple insects that need to be treated in St Augustine lawns. The most harmful is the chinch bug. Chinch bug populations suck nutrients from the lawn with piercing mouthparts and inject a poison that will kill the lawn to the point where it will need to be resodded. The damage spreads outwards rapidly as chinch bugs will continue to feed on healthy grass leaving behind the damage they have just caused. Lawn caterpillars such as army worms and sod webworms will eat grass blades from late summer to fall. With treatment grass will typically recover. If they are left untreated for too long they can accelerate other stresses such as drought, weed presence, and light deficiency causing permanent damage.
Diseases in St Augustine lawns vary in occurrence but severity. Grey leaf spot for example is extremely common, but does little damage and will appear and go away on its own a few times a year in a lawn. Large patch fungus is common in Jacksonville, and will cause unsightly rings or circles in lawns. It can be treated by reducing fertilizer, watering, and a fungicide treatment. Treatment will suppress the fungus and in combination with proper watering will stop it from spreading further. The turf will recover and spots will go away during the next period of active growth. Take all root rot is rare in Jacksonville, but is very severe. It can not be effectively treated and will cause damage to lawns.