[Buffalo Jim]

Is there a service provider who will regularly actually analyze your soil and identify the correct mix of chemicals it requires to keep it disease free and healthy [ including pest control ] ?

It appears that most service providers claim that they treat your lawn based on specific analysis however it has been my experience that in reality they are all about getting in and out asap

When I purchased the new build 1 year ago I was fortunate to have beautiful , thick healthy Zoysia Grass . However after 1 year of a so called " Full Maintenance Service Contract " from one of the largest service providers my lawn has become an eyesore .

I have a separate mowing service and the owner himself does the work . He is working very diligently to do his best however all signs of failure point back to the Lawn Service Company .

Sorry for the long Post and if anyone could help point me in the right direction I would be most appreciative .

Just please don`t point me back to Upstate NY !!

[Bogie Shooter]

Sumter County Extension Office
Sumter County Extension Office – Solutions for Your Life - UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

The annex is at corner of Morse & CR466.

[Buffalo Jim]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Sumter County Extension Office
Sumter County Extension Office � Solutions for Your Life - UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

The annex is at corner of Morse & CR466.

Thank-you very much for taking note of my question and for providing me with some excellent advice .

Much appreciated !

[Biker Dog]

Originally Posted by CentralFloridaTurf

We are a full service lawn maintenance company. Give us a call today and we would love to provide all of your services, at one low price. We offer: weekly push mowing, bi-monthly pest control, bi-monthly lawn fertilization, bi-monthly disease control, bi-monthly weed control, monthly hedge trimming, bi-monthly shrub care for only $85 a month!

The problem is that not every lawn is in need of the same materials. Every lawn is different and so is the soil.

If your lawn is in bad shape we will take a soil sample, and send it off to the lab. They will provide us with the results and let us know what your lawn is lacking or what your lawn has to much of. We can also provide you with a copy of the results as well (this way you know that we are really taking a soil sample).

Were open Monday - Saturday!

Have a great weekend!

352-454-2730

CFT have done a great turn around with our Zoysia grass.
Rene and his guys take their time to be sure the job is done right. They cut and treat our lawn.

[Buffalo Jim]

Originally Posted by Biker Dog

CFT have done a great turn around with our Zoysia grass.
Rene and his guys take their time to be sure the job is done right. They cut and treat our lawn.

Thanks very much ! I will follow up with them .

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Jim

Is there a service provider who will regularly actually analyze your soil and identify the correct mix of chemicals it requires to keep it disease free and healthy [ including pest control ] ?

It appears that most service providers claim that they treat your lawn based on specific analysis however it has been my experience that in reality they are all about getting in and out asap

When I purchased the new build 1 year ago I was fortunate to have beautiful , thick healthy Zoysia Grass . However after 1 year of a so called " Full Maintenance Service Contract " from one of the largest service providers my lawn has become an eyesore .

I have a separate mowing service and the owner himself does the work . He is working very diligently to do his best however all signs of failure point back to the Lawn Service Company .

Sorry for the long Post and if anyone could help point me in the right direction I would be most appreciative .

Just please don`t point me back to Upstate NY !!

Someone else has suggested the cooperative extension for a soil test. A great start.
If, I might suggest-If, you take a shovel and look below your sod, you will find an inch of topsoil that the sod was growing in. Below that is the sandy clay that is our true soil.
Take some of that soil? put it in a glass, add vinegar and you will see it fizz-that is lime stone. So we have sandy clay loaded with limestone. PH will be 7.5 to 8 very alkaline. You can grow grass on cement if you are willing to water everyday and apply a great deal of chemistry.
Or you can improve your soil. That is simple-add organic matter. It will hold more water, lower the PH and even out the amount of fertilizer you apply. First you need to see the problem and then to address it.
You also need to be patient.
We have added roughly 4000 lbs of manure into our 5,000 foot lawn. Drilling 8 inch holes every 4-5 inches and filling them with manure. A LOT OF WORK took us two years to complete.
TRY A SMALL PART OF YOUR LAWN-YOU WILL SEE IT WORKS. Then you can slowly do the rest.
OH and the high PH locks up IRON. There is plenty of iron in our soil but it is not available to the grass due to high PH. Ironite will give your a temporary solution. Just do not get it on your drive, or leave it on your drive as it will leave rust stains.

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Jim

Is there a service provider who will regularly actually analyze your soil and identify the correct mix of chemicals it requires to keep it disease free and healthy [ including pest control ] ?

It appears that most service providers claim that they treat your lawn based on specific analysis however it has been my experience that in reality they are all about getting in and out asap

When I purchased the new build 1 year ago I was fortunate to have beautiful , thick healthy Zoysia Grass . However after 1 year of a so called " Full Maintenance Service Contract " from one of the largest service providers my lawn has become an eyesore .

I have a separate mowing service and the owner himself does the work . He is working very diligently to do his best however all signs of failure point back to the Lawn Service Company .

Sorry for the long Post and if anyone could help point me in the right direction I would be most appreciative .

Just please don`t point me back to Upstate NY !!

RE:UPSTATE NY
I've attended several of the lectures put on by the cooperative extension. You might want to attend some of them as well. I recall at one lecture the speaker asked who is from the north and HE SUGGESTED YOU FORGET EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT GARDENING.

I lived in Syracuse for a while. The soil is highly organic, rocky and acidic. The growing season is like 6 months.
Here your soil is LIME FILLED clay sand mix. The soil PH is 7-8-akaline. The growing season is 8-9 months.

Re: your initial great lawn
They install SOD but do nothing to improve the soil the roll it out on. So if you look you will find you have sod with about 1/2 an inch of root-they cut off the roots to create that neat carpet like stuff. So they have planted nice looking grass WITH NO SUPPORT SYSTEM to take up WATER and nutrients
FIRST FIND OUT WHAT TYPE OF GRASS YOU HAVE
I would expect since it is new, you have EMPIRE ZOYSIA.
Kike anything else you will see people writing i hate zoyzia and you will find people writing they hate st Augustine.
EITHER WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD LAWN-YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW OR LEARN HOW TO CARE FOR IT.
I would start with the cooperative extension. REASON-the other sources you may ask usually are SELLING SOMETHING SO THEY WILL FIND SOMETHING TO SELL YOU.