Maintaining a Beautiful, Green Florida Lawn
In Central and Coastal Florida, it’s safe to expect hot summer months with a fair amount of rain. But homeowners can’t rely on mother nature to give their lawn everything it needs to thrive. A lush lawn needs nutrients, the right amount of sunlight, good soil conditions, regular mowing, and much more. Maintaining a beautiful lawn can be a feat but we have 4 important tips to ensure your lawn has a successful growing season in Florida.
4 Steps to a Lush Florida Lawn
We all want that dream lawn that’s lush, green, thick, and healthy; the kind of lawn that makes you want to walk barefoot in the grass and makes neighbors envious. Keeping your Florida lawn lush all summer long requires attention, care, and the right knowledge about your grass type.
Proper Lawn Fertilization During Summer
An important aspect of caring for your lawn is fertilizer. Your lawn is a living organism that needs nutrients to survive, just like us. Some nutrients come from the environment but some need to be supplemented with lawn fertilization. For Florida lawns, fertilization in the spring should be applied as the grass starts actively growing again. If you’ve noticed any issues or areas of concern throughout the lawn in the past, you may want to test your soil’s pH before starting a fertilizer regimen. Lawn fertilizers contain 3 main components of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Each element benefits a different part of the plant system, and the best type of fertilizer may depend on your grass type. If you decide to take care of fertilization yourself, look for slow-release fertilizer products to see the longest benefit.
Mowing Tips Based on Your Florida Grass Type
There are various grass types favorable to Florida’s climate and weather conditions. Warm-season grasses like Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, Bahia grass, and Centipede are common for residential Florida lawns. Mowing recommendations vary depending on your grass type but keeping a regular mowing schedule is important to maintain good health and appearance for your lawn. When mowing your lawn, make sure the mower blades are sharp to avoid tears and discoloration in the grass. Avoid mowing the lawn if the grass is wet. Most importantly, never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade. Commonly known as the “1/3 Rule”, cutting off too much of the grass blade causes stress to the plant and will result in discolored patches of grass, considered mower stress. If your lawn does experience mower stress, make sure it receives enough water during recovery and it will come back to its beautiful green color.
Recommended Mowing Heights for Common Florida Grasses
St. Augustine and Bahia Grasses: 3 inches – 4 inches
Zoysia and Centipede Grasses: 1 ½ inches – 2 ½ inches
Bermuda Grasses: ½ inch to 1 ½ inches
How Aeration Can Benefit Your Lawn
Lawn aeration works wonders for Florida lawns with sandy, compacted soil. We spend a lot of time out on the lawn during summer and the foot traffic, mowing, and weather can cause the lawn to become thin, weak, and compacted. Aerating your Florida lawn annually is recommended to reduce thatch, and compaction, improve drainage, and enhance your lawn’s ability to absorb important nutrients. There are multiple types of aeration that can benefit your lawn, including liquid aeration and core aeration. If you don’t want to perform aeration yourself, reach out to a local lawn care professional. Your lawn will thank you for it!
How to Keep a Florida Lawn Hydrated
The last crucial tip to maintaining a healthy Florida lawn is watering. Watering your lawn properly can directly improve so many other factors in the lawn. With the sun beating down on your lawn all summer long, Florida grasses can experience drought stress and discoloration if they aren’t receiving enough water. Sandy soils will benefit from 1 inch of water per week and its recommended to water early in the morning to prevent evaporation from the summer heat.
Residents in Kissimmee Can Trust Pearce Lawn Care
Having your dream lawn sounds like a lot of work because it is! With many things to take care of, it can get in the way of your summer fun. For Florida residents near Kissimmee, Melbourne, Palm Bay, and surrounding areas, Pearce Lawn Care is here to help! While we don’t offer mowing and irrigation services, we can handle weed control, fertilization, aeration, and even shrub care. Pearce Lawn Care has been a trusted local provider to Coastal and Central Florida homeowners since 1994. Lawn care treatment pricing is based on the square footage of your property, and you can contact us today for a free quote!