Is Your Florida Lawn Stressed Out? Give it a Break

Florida’s semi-tropical climate brings forth rapid growth in many plants, including lawn grasses. Sometimes, however, lawns become stressed from environmental and human factors. As a leader in Tampa lawn care services, we have seen and dealt with every type of lawn stressor out there. Read below to learn how stressors affect Florida lawns and how to prevent some of these stressors from occurring.

• Moisture: Abundant and long-term rain may pose a major stress for grass, and the fungi associated with moisture oftentimes cause grasses to look ragged and discolored. Excess mulch holds surplus moisture and may harm your yard. Keep mulch to a minimum by aerating your yard frequently.

• Mowing Height: Many homeowners prefer lawns that resemble well-kept baseball diamonds or golf courses. Short-cropped grasses are not able to photosynthesize as well as grasses with longer blades, and cutting your lawn too close to the ground causes roots to be as shallow as the grass blades are short. By moving your lawnmower’s blade to its highest setting, you will ensure less frequent mowing and keep your grass healthier since it will contain less mulch, will photosynthesize better, and the roots will dig deeper.

• Fertilizers: When fertilizers are used appropriately, your lawn looks pristine. Many homeowners mistakenly believe that with fertilizers, if a little makes the lawn look nice, a lot will make it look fantastic. Think of your lawn as a teenager: if you gave a teen a hamburger, he would gladly eat it. If you gave him ten hamburgers and told him he had to eat them in one sitting (this is what you are telling your grass to do when you overfertilize), it would make him ill. Fertilizing in the fall before your grass becomes dormant over the winter stimulates growth at a time of year when grass should be storing carbohydrates. With depleted carbohydrates, a lawn is not able to battle diseases and pests rapidly.

Browse the rest of our blogs to discover more tips and tricks on keeping your lawn healthy and vibrant, or call one of our Tampa lawn care specialists at (866) 675-4070.