Allan, I also want to know if this plan would work with Zoysia. Also, what cutting height do you have your mower set?

zoysia is the easiest to care for, but most of the fert companies over do it....then the problems begin.

Make that three of us! "Service Smart" is also owned by the same man. Stay clear of them both.

Xavier

The plan I have is for St Augustine. Don't use it for Zoysia as I think the Atrazine would not do it any good. The atrazine is supposed to keep the Bermuda grass under control. I don't cut my own grass.

Allan.

Until you have a problem. I fired Massey and would never hire them again. They did two of my lawns and shrubs and the neighbors on both sides. All 6 homes had cinch bug damage to the lawn which they are supposed to replace. They blamed everything but, claimed it was freeze damage. One neighbor took them to court and had pictures of the bugs from his lawn. They finally replaced his sod. So the rest of us asked them to replace ours. They asked if we had pictures and of course we did not. I fired them on the spot and now do it myself. Lawn and pest and with significantly better results. Wait until you have shrubs with mildew damage or a lawn with some type disease, or some type of bugs someplace, all of which they treat for and charge you for. They will deny any fault of theirs. I still have them for termite protection and want to find a way to change that, because I know they will find some excuse why its not their problem if there is damage.

Just in case you didn't know the extension service has an office with staff who are very helpful right over at the Administrative building at Morse Blvd. at 466. I have stopped by and received excellent assistance with all my lawn problems.

Follow the money and the economy and people trying to make a living...
 

When we moved here we were snowbirds and we we needed to have a lawn service and we just lucked into "Earl". I can't say his service name or talk host will yell at me.

Earl and his brother and his crew did a fine job on our Camellia's little yard and cut it and trimmed the bushes and degrassed the sprinkler heads and weeded (chemically) and edged all for $55 a month. We bought a hand held fertilizer depenser and fertilized ourselves.

We sold that home a couple weeks ago and Earls service had recently increased to $65 a month.

I think we will take care of the lawn at our new home because we will be year 'rounders and because it is much smaller than our Northern lawn and because we like to do stuff like that.

You need to know this about lawn services. They aren't all alike. They don't even service the same to all their clients. Many are enterprising young men who have come here because they need a job and they bring with them their skills, and work ethic...some great, some good, some not so good and...many people who hire them for year 'round quickly learn that the grass doesn't grow very fast during the winter here and will decide to hire them for only the fast growing time. That makes it difficult to earn a year 'round living.

So now you have villagers who don't sign up for year 'round service and villagers who aren't here in the summer and you have an opportunity to have service that isn't so great.

I suggest that you praise good work. They don't get much of that. I also suggest that you tweak your yard yourself if you are inclined. We did the fertilizing and would hand weed. We also told others about Earl which sent him new business and made him do even a better job for us. (But he always did a good job, so I am not sure of the last part...but it doens't hurt)

I enjoy going to the extension meetings about how and what grows in Florida and on Tuesdays about noon (I think) at Truman Rec center thay have extension agents to answer questions about wildlife and flora and fauna and lawns and palms etc.

(Please someone correct me if I am wrong about the last part.)

I have had poor luck with pest and fertilize companys I am trying to find someone who is an owner operator do to my lawn and one that doesn't do mowing because they do great untill the rain comes then they can't never seem to keep up with both and the weeds bugs and fungis get out of control. I am using bill right now for my grass cutting and he is trying to help me find a lawn spray guy because my health just wont let me do it. but he has helped alot with this same problem he told me the problem with the big pest companys is the guys on the truck just have to ride with a guy for a couple of weeks then he gets his own route well i have been trying to figure this stuff out for years and it isnt nothing like IL. I was a real green thumb there I think i am going to have to change my handle here lol.

My dad could grow ANYTHING in Ohio but when he moved to Florida, not so much. I have a dear friend, mother to one of the TOTV'rs here who is almost 100 and still planting and growing at her home in Amelia. She says that she was taught to plant by the light of the moon and other such things that work in Ohio.

I am anxious to try my hand at a few things, but KNOW that growing tomatoes will be disappointing.

It is still fun to putter in the dirt.

lawn care advice
 

I, too, am looking to get in touch with a master gardener. I know there is a Garden Club here in TV, but am having trouble getting in touch with them. I'm new to TV and would appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.. Thanks for any info you send. EllenM