DID YOU KNOW THIS FRUIT IS EDIBLE? You may have a tree like this in your yard and not even realize it’s good for food! Pindo palms are quite common along the Emerald Coast. Every summer they produce stalks loaded with fruit. This fruit, when ripe is orange and round, about the size of aRead more
IF YOU HAVE A ST. AUGUSTINE LAWN YOU MIGHT SEE THIS IN THE SPRING AND FALL. In the fall and spring when temperatures are in the 70s, brown patch fungus becomes active in lawns. St. Augustine lawn is especially vulnerable! Brown patch usually appears as a yellow and brown circle in the lawn that graduallyRead more
SHOULD YOU OVER-SEED YOUR LAWN IN WINTER? Rye grass is a cool season grass that can be seeded over the top of the permanent, warm season lawn. When temperatures cool down and the warm season grass stops growing and goes dormant, over-seeding creates a green lawn year-round. The benefit to over seeding with rye grassRead more
Temperatures in Northwest Florida can occasionally reach the low 20s or even lower. If water is left in the irrigation pump and it freezes, the pump can be severely damaged. Draining the pump in the fall to protect it from freeze damage is a fairly simple operation. Standard lawn pumps have a 2 inch pipeRead more
Along the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast there are three major insect pests that account for most of the damage to turf grass. They are mole crickets, chinch bugs and sod web worms. Here is a basic guide to recognizing these pests in your lawn. Mole crickets: Mole crickets are somewhat similar in size and shapeRead more
There are many types of diseases that can affect turf grass. Some of these can only be identified by sending a plant tissue sample to a pathology lab. However, there is one common disease of turf grass that displays some very tell tale signs. The turf disease commonly known as “brown patch” is caused byRead more
Irrigation is the foundation of a healthy turf. Too little water and the grass will be thin and unhealthy, too much water and the root system remains shallow and grass becomes susceptible to disease. So what is the best way to water the lawn? The best rule of thumb is this: water as needed, asRead more
Drought stress is one of the leading causes of of turf decline. It is therefore important to be able to recognize the symptoms of drought stress when it occurs. One common mistake many people make is to assume that drought stress could not be an issue if the irrigation system is coming on regularly. TheRead more
Most of us have a mind picture of what a healthy lawn should look like and feel like underneath our feet. The truth is, some of these images may not be accurate and attempting to create a lawn that lives up to the “ideal” can be counter productive or even disastrous to the overall healthRead more
There are five varieties of turf grass that are most commonly used in northwest Florida: centipede, St. Augustine, bahia, zoisia and bermuda. They all have different qualities and any one may be the best choice depending on your personal preferences and the area you intend to grow the grass. Here is a basic run downRead more