Emerald Coast Lawn Tips

10/18/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1YMRgb5bxP/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/17/2026

https://positivebloom.com/why-your-florida-st-augustine-lawn-is-thinning-even-though-the-grass-is-still-green/?utm_source=florida&fbclid=IwdGRjcAVAPHZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWUQfZrdbyQuGry7JRf7XwhuwD8GWm_XNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7s0cnimxazbY3DCaLU8A8ogijArW2-cVIPWJpVmZ4mpbwZXnqLR6Bv-SsOUQ_aem_5Z2kQipfrhj2kCYVdUymXQ

Florida St. Augustine grass does not have to turn brown before something is wrong. Thinning turf can be an early warning of trouble below the surface.

10/16/2026

HOW TO DEAL WITH FIREBLIGHT ON HAWTHORNE BUSHES

FIreblight is a disease that is often found on hawthorne and red tip shrubs. Leaves of the plant appear to be spotted with a reddish color (hence the name) where the disease is active. These spots gradually get bigger until the leaf dies and falls off the plant. Eventually, when too many leaves become infected, the plant cannot regrow the leaves faster than they fall off and the entire plant dies.
There is no practical cure for fireblight. Application of fungicides will not reverse the disease already active on leaves but will protect new growth from infection, however rain or irrigation can easily wash the
fungicide off the new growth, requiring frequent reapplications. In addition, the disease spores remain in the dead leaves that fall on the ground and constantly re-infect the plant unless frequently removed. In most cases, it is easier to replace the diseased plant with another species not affected by fireblight than it is to maintain a plant that is infected.
Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me at ‪850-240-7935‬

10/14/2026

IS THERE HOPE FOR MY LAWN OR SHOULD I GIVE UP AND RESOD IT?

I get asked this question frequently and my answer is this; it all depends on time and money.
In the majority of cases, if there’s even just a little bit of grass left, given enough time, most lawns can be completely recovered and look beautiful again with proper care including fertilizer, w**d control and insect control. However, that process takes time, sometimes 1 to 2 years. If you’re not in a hurry and willing to wait, the recovery process is usually effective and a lot less expensive than the alternative.
On the other hand, if you’re tired of having an ugly lawn and you want it fixed and looking nice again right away, new sod is your best option. This is a lot more costly than recovering the existing lawn but it renders immediate results.

Are you having trouble keeping a healthy lawn? I offer free lawn consultations! PM, call or text me ‪850-240-7934‬!

10/13/2026

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PALMS AND ALL OTHER TREES

Nothing says “tropical landscape” like palm trees! However, palms are not true “trees.” Although most people refer to palms as “trees” - they are actually more anatomically similar to grasses. A palms’ vascular tissues are in bundles found scattered throughout their trunks, typical of grasses.
This means that the trunks of palms are not composed of annual growth rings.
Palms do not have bark and are unable to repair damage, such as wounding, to their trunks. However, unlike other trees, a palm still has the ability to live and thrive, even with a damaged trunk.
A palm also grows from a single apical meristem located at the center of the palm sometimes referred to as the “crown”. Damage or disease to this tissue must be avoided in palms, or the palm will die.
Trees on the other hand, have, in addition to an apical meristem, several lateral meristems which allow the tree to develop new shoots should damage occur to the tree top.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935

10/12/2026

BEING CREATIVE WITH JASMINE

Asiatic jasmine makes an excellent ground cover. It is dense, green all
year long, very hardy and provides excellent erosion control. Another feature of asiatic jasmine is that it can be easily shaped and what you can do with it is only limited to your imagination! The other day I drove by this jasmine bed where someone has created their initial!

Are you having trouble keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me 850-240-7935.

10/08/2026

HOW TO CONTROL GREEN BRIAR VINE

Green briar is an invasive vine that frequently invades planting beds and natural landscape areas. It has thorns and a large potato like root that can be hard to pull out, especially if it is growing up through a shrub.
Round Up will effectively kill green briar but it may take more than one application. If the vine is intertwined with a desirable plant, gently pull the green briar vine away from the non target plant, making sure the vine stays attached to the root. Then lay the vine on the ground and spray it with Round Up, being careful not to spray the desirable plant. The vine will die in 1-2 weeks. If necessary, treat it more than once.
By the way, the soft, new growth at the tips of green briar vines are edible and make a tasty addition to salads!

Are you having trouble keeping your lawn healthy? Contact me for a FREE LAWN CONSULTATION, text or call me ‪850-240-7935‬!

10/07/2026

WHAT FREQUENT RAIN MEANS FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR LAWN.

The last several weeks have been very wet with rain falling several days a week. What affect does this have on grass?
For the most part, the rain is a good thing, encouraging lush healthy growth. However there are two disadvantages to all this rain.
1. Disease activity. Disease in lawn is not usually active in the middle of the summer. Fall and spring is when we see the majority of disease activity. However with the grass being constantly wet, disease will become active when normally it wouldn’t.
2. W**d activity. The effectiveness of herbicides is comprised by an abundance of rain. And a lot of rain will encourage w**d growth as much as it does the growth of the lawn.
3. Nutrient leaching. Heavy rainfall moves nutrients farther down into the soil, past the root zone where the grass is unable to access them.
Obviously there is nothing we can do about the weather. However, a couple things you can do to lessen any negative impact on your lawn from all the rain is to decrease or cease irrigation. If we get a good rain 2 or 3 times a week, that is usually enough to keep the grass hydrated without running the sprinkler system. Also do periodic soil samples to find out the available nutrients to the grass and be diligent to apply the proper amounts of recommended fertilizer.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? Contact me for a FREE LAWN CONSULTATION! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935

10/06/2026

IS YOUR DOG KILLING YOUR LAWN?

If you have a dog, you may notice small circular dead patches of grass surrounded by dark green circles in your lawn. These are dog urine spots. The grass the dog actually tinkles on is killed by the urine. The nitrogen from the urine is released into the soil and makes the grass around the dead spot thick and green.

Some claim this can be prevented by changing the dog’s diet, however I personally have never seen any evidence of diet making a difference.

Try to encourage the dog to potty in different places around the yard to give the damaged areas time to heal. A small shovel full of sand spread on top of the dead area will help decompose the dead grass quickly and encourage the grass surrounding the dead spot to grow and fill in more rapidly.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me 850-240-7935

10/02/2026

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT TREE ROOTS COMPETING WITH GRASS?

Someone recently posted this question on Facebook:

"We have 2 big Birch trees in our yard. We would like to have grass either planted with seed or sodded. The problem all the tree roots have taken over! So without taking out the trees is there a solution to getting grass in our front yard? Thanks!"

Here is my answer:

The best way to deal with root competition from trees is to top dress the roots with an inch or two of sand and then lay sod on top of the sand. Then every couple years, top dress the root zone of the tree with 1/2 inch of sand and allow the grass to grow up through the sand. This will keep the grass from declining again from the root competition.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935