Grass Rant
 

Sorry, if you were expecting commentary on cannabis.

Is there a lawn care company out there that really knows how to keep a lawn healthy? One that does more than mowing. One with pros who advise you about what is necessary and when, like aeration, drainage problems, and repairing bare spots.

My neighbor takes care of his own lawn. His looks much better than mine, and I've been paying thousands a year for mowing and treatments. The other day, I asked the guy doing the mowing why my grass looks stressed and brown after cutting, compared to my neighbor's. He could only guess. Well, at least he didn't blame it on El Nino. I've had a contract with (rhymes with beans) for 11 years. It seems like their service ain't what it used to be. True, they respond to my complaints, but no improvements.

I maintained lawns for more years than I can remember, but I like my courtyard villa with zero grass. I feel your pain, grass ain't easy. Maybe your neighbor can give you a few tips, or better, hire them to take care of yours too!. best wishes and good luck.

I have used Massey for years, and my grass always looks good. They also mow, trim shrubs, and maintain my irrigation system.

scotts Bonus S Southern mix..., Easy
even a caveman can do it .

Lots of variables on why one lawn looks better than the one next door. Did he apply fertilizer late in the year (2023) so the grass stayed green? If so, it might not have gone into dormancy. He could have also done an iron treatment as well. That will keep it green from what I understand. Not letting grass go dormant is not necessarily a good thing. It may look good now, but it has been denied the opportunity to rest. Problems might arise from a weakened grass.

Also, Is it the same type of grass as yours ?

I’ve got St Augustine and it’s slowly coming out of dormancy (greening up). I’ve been reading up on soil temperatures and how it affects grass growth. Currently mine are in the upper 60’s. From what I gather, once they reach mid 70’s to low 80’s it should take off. So if your grass is still somewhat brown, don’t stress out. A spring fertilizer should be applied now, so hopefully yours has or will be done soon.

There are lots of lawn care companies out there and they will also want to sell you all kinds of services, some you need, some you don’t. I’d recommend doing some research on how to take care of your grass type. It might save you some coin.

Talk to your neighbor and asking would probably be too much. 11 years with the same landscaper and now you are paying attention.

It’s a bit pricey but it’s about all that really works on this hibrid St. Augustine they used down here. Our lawn looks great year round.

I use these guys. They dont mow. Just the fertilization, etc

Green Smiths Pest Control : Services

They do a good job, i tried 3 others that were terrible.

I do my own mowing, trimming and edging (why pay somebody to do something I'm perfectly able to do myself) but use Florida Pest Control for everything else: weed control and fertilizing as well as pest control both in the lawn and in our house. Not the cheapest game in town by any means but are dependable, punctual and responsive to concerns.

[QUOTE=alwann;2306897]I asked the guy doing the mowing why my grass looks stressed and brown after cutting, compared to my neighbor's./QUOTE]

There are many factors that can stress grass, especially if it is the wrong grass for that location.

Mowing too short is a common one, especially in the heat of summer or the cold of winter.

Overwatering is another - many people leave their irrigation turned on year-round.

Too much chemicals is a third.

The commercial companies just want to get the job done and move on so don't pay any particular attention to how your grass is actually faring under their management.

We also use Green Smith and have been totally pleased.....they don't mow. We use Oxford Lawn for aeration, topdressing and irrigation. They also mow and take the clippings with them when they leave....don't think they are taking mow only clients. All that from both companies has produced a great looking lawn (finally) but are not inexpensive. Their quality is worth the cost for us.

Scott’s Bonus S in spring ( now) and fall ( November). May and August use Scott’s turf builder for Southern lawns. DO NOT USE WEED AND FEED IN THE HOT SUMMER! You can stop there for good results. If you want exceptional results, In February, April, July, September and December I use Sunniland Natural. I apply this to grass, plants, and bushes. You can apply at double the bag rate. This stuff is the secret to amazing results. It contains iron as well for a deep green lawn. You will be cutting your grass twice a week during the growing season and for me, that’s ok. I have one of the best lawns in my area. Truth is, only DIY WILL GIVE YOUR GRASS THE NUTRIENTS IT NEEDS AND RESULTS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.

Usually not watering enough

I'm now using Fertigator. A small Florida family-owned and operated company here in The Villages area.
I'm so far very happy and impressed with the service and high level of detail.
The Highest Quality Lawn Care & Pest Control Services in The Villages, Lady Lake, Wildwood, & Nearby Areas in FL | FertiGator Lawn Care

I would love to tell you why one lawn looks better than next door. If one could they would be a very rich person. Our new neighborhood has good bad and ugly lawns most we’re builder start with Massey. We had the questionable lawn, once pool was completed new sod looked 100% percent better then the field weeds at build

Had Massey. They almost killed my lawn. Went to ACE and they gave me a sheet of paper for St Augustine. Followed the sheet verbatim. Lawn looked great!

Sunniland Weed and Feed for St A. Most important part Grub Killer year round in FL. Every three months I put granules specific to grubs. Some places say no grubs year round... bs in FL. Brown patches most likely grubs or chinch bugs.

Dollar weed and fungus = too much water. T V isn't the best on drainage as they rush through putting in cookie cutter villas and lawns can get over watered by neighbor spray. So treated to keep neighbors issues at bay.

Moved. Went back to ACE and picked up their sheet on Zoysia grass. Following verbatim.

I remembered with first house how Massey "aeriated" my lawn 2x a yr with a machine that took a chunk out of my sidewalk. Online I found something to aeriate with.

Lol I look like a dork but I bought these metal 3" long spike platforms you put on your shoes to aeriate the grass in early spring. There was a learning curve walking in them but after getting the hang of them I walked the lawn this week and put down Spring weed and feed Sunniland for Zoysia plus Grub granules. I'm sure my neighbors got a good laugh out of watching me walk in these things. Only got stuck a couple times, lol. But hey, it was good leg lift excercise.

Materials to diy is about $150 a year I'd say. Sure beats looking out the window watching your yard die while you pay of Massey who would be at the house a total of 5 min.

I did look for exact ingredients that they put down as well. Termite prevention Termidor SC. I laughed because thats what I used prior to moving to T V. I buy it on Amazon for about $80 and it lasts for years as it is highly concentrated. Spray eves and perimiter of the house 2 x a year have had ZERO bugs since 2015 in all my houses. Great stuff.

DIY is possible you just have to research and be good at using a calendar. Lol and have balance when wearing and walking in 3 inch nail aeriating shoes.

(Another concept to consider relative to how yards look right now is that the sun is being blocked via stratospheric aerosol injections - a known concept to some who look up, iykyk. The lack of sun is effecting plants, trees and grass causing yellowing.

Plus it is still dormant grass season so grass can be brown depending on type. Hopefully the sun will be ALLOWED to shine again soon and plants can recover.)

NOAA CSL: 2023 News & Events: For Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, All Strategies are Not Created Equal

An Ethical Evaluation of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

DIY-ER here, knock on wood, have great lawn. Lol where can I pick up the $$$$ ? :)

Oh boy.

You have to first decide whether you are going to maintain the lawn yourself or have someone do it for you. The big con to doing it yourself is you will need to put down some chemicals for the bugs and at our age it's probably best to stay away from that. Also, you will eventually have some issue where you will need to spend a lot of time trying to figure it out then apply the necessary treatment.

After many years of DIYing my lawn, I'm done with that. I didn't retire and come to the Villages to maintain my lawn so we use Arrow and never had a problem. They are slightly more expensive than the competition but they know what bugs or problems are occuring in different areas of the Villages and apply the proper application to your lawn all year long. If you develop a problem where they need to apply a special treatment, they will do it at no cost and keep applying it until the problem is solved. So far they have been very responsive.

As many have said, fertilization and bug treatment is only part of the process. Most important is you need to be watering properly. I strongly suggest getting a Rachio irregation controller. It connects to the local weather service via your internet and will water based on the actual weather occuring in your local area. It automatically adjusts for the time of year as well.

Finally, you need a good irregation system person to keep your sprinklers working properly. There are many available here in the Villages or thats something that you can do yourself.

Hope this helps.

We just hired them after a year with Superior. Superior pretty much ruined our lawn so hoping Fertigator can resuscitate it, and keep it alive moving forward.

Do NOT hire DEANS - they are scammers and their reputation is very low - claim to do work and have been caught living as evidenced by pics - EVERYONE HAS BEEN WARNED!!

I can’t help you with a lawn company because I do my own lawn care.
What I can tell you is that anyone who does their own lawn care, like your neighbor, me and a few other responders here, knows how much and how often to irrigate and fertilize their grass. They also know what weeds, insects or fungi may be present and how to treat them. They’ve probably done a soil test at some point to see what their particular patch of grass is lacking. That’s how they select a fertilizer and any micronutrients that are lacking.

One other key factor that DIY lawn care folks do that keeps their grass looking healthy after mowing is sharpening the mower blades regularly; not once or twice a year but monthly.
When grass is cut with dull blades it tears the blades of grass rather than making a clean cut. The grass blades will be frayed at the tips and they turn brown or gray soon after mowing as the tips die.

A commercial company mowing several lawns a day may not get their maintenance done as frequently as necessary to keep the blades sharp.

And another important difference between us DIYers and the commercial mowing companies is that we’re only mowing our own lawns. That means no weeds coming in from previously mowed lawns.

If you’re on good terms with your neighbor go talk to him/her and mention how great their lawn looks. Ask a few questions about what they do. Everyone likes the compliments and will likely help you with their secrets!

Good luck.

Bingo!!!! Scotts Southern S is safe for St Augustine and their whole seasonal program keeps my yard lush and thick. Most people don’t water their yard enough if they have St Augustine which is what’s used south of 44 here. I signed up online on Scott’s website and they ship the products that need to be used on my yard when they are ready to be applied, so no storing product.

GREENSMITH’s. Excellent

Aeration really isn't really necessary for most yards in TV.
Sandy soils do not compact like clay, or heavier soils etc. and compaction is why you aerate.
A dethatch occasionally, followed by a top dressing, would be more beneficial.

I had very good results with Massey, not so good with Trugreen.

I have a problem with dollarweed, Pros recommend Atrazine. I used 3 applications of the liquid concentrate with no results. 10 days ago I putdown Scotts type S weed and feed w/atrazine. No results on any of the weeds in the lawn. The neighbor behind me has terrible dollarweed. They say its caused by overwatering and the root system travel like crazy, spreading. This guys sprinkler company came over for startup and has his timing for 2 times a day, and its just feeding the problem. How do you talk to the neighbor about weeds that wont **** him off.

Sadly, I do not have one to recommend but I can suggest that you avoid Landsculpture. My yard looks substantially worse than one year ago when I hired them. And I have pics and videos from then and now as proof. I'm going back to doing my own. It will probably take me a year to get it back to what I had before I hired a 'professional' to do it.

Hi Joey,
Do you use anything for mole crickets? Thanks for all the other info. We recently fired our company and are going to do our own lawn too.

What kind of grass do you have - St. Augustine or Zoysia? St.Augustine is a weed and cinch bugs love it. Zoysia doesn't like over watering - that kills it. I have Deans and am pleased with them for my Zoysia grass. If you have a lawn contractor cutting your lawn and he/she doesn't clean/sanitize their mower before cutting your lawn, you could get a fungus that the previous customer had on their lawn.

Our pest control guy "Lee Pest Control" said the constant brown patch near our driveway was a fungus. He had put down fungicide before we moved in. I pulled out the dead grass and weeds on the patch as instructed, to make room for fresh St. Augustine spreading out. But it never really did spread all that well. The rest of our front lawn is fine. The back lawn was mostly destroyed because of an overgrown, half-dead Holly tree that was rooting under the foundation of our laundry shed. We removed the tree and the whole area is still mostly just dirt and weeds. We keep the weeds mowed, so it blends in better with the grass.

We also have a problem with a dog from the house behind us; the neighbor lets him out every day, and he usually makes his way to the area where the dirt patch is, and pees there. So nothing will EVER grow in that spot until they get rid of the dog - or until the neighborhood gets rid of that neighbor.

At this point I'm content to just let them have someone else's ugly back yard to endure. We don't go back there anyway except to mow it and for me to check on the lemon tree (it's blossoming, OMG the fragrance is intoxicating), and their lanai overlooks it.

Bifin IT
 

Bifin IT 7.9% once every other month all year.
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Well, that is typical of almost everything in life. The person that does it themselves has a better looking lawn because he CARES about his lawn and it gives him PRIDE. The Commercial lawn noise-makers ONLY care about THEMSELVES, not you their customer. They know that they have practically a captive audience for their services. The faster they do your lawn, the more money they make and the quicker they can stop for a coffee break. The best advice I would give is to get approval for circles of stones or mulch around your trees and shrubs in order to cut down the grass cutting area and then cut it yourself or get someone that you trust. Then read literature from Florida University about how and when to fertilize and preferably use natural fertilizers and not too much so that it does NOT run off into the nearby lakes and pollute them.

I agree about the fungus and weed spreading by the commercial lawn people, who are NOT going to take the time to either spray their equipment or keep their blades sharp.

Can anyone recommend an organic weed application?

Well if you find one I'd like to know. Will have to read the comments. I've been lucky to find someone that will show up on a regular basis to mow the lawn. And then there was the one that missed spots and even sections of the yard. Same for pest companies. I finally found a reliable individual who did a beautiful job and he injured himself and won't be able to mow lawns for quite a while.

Grass re:rant
 

I started this thread. All the responses are helpful. I'm going to follow up with some of the recommendations. One repeated observation was about bad stuff being carried by mowers from lawn to lawn. Dull mower blades were suggested as another culprit. Funny thing is, I've spoken to the cutting crews from Deans about this possible cause, and they tend to agree. A lot of good that did. Reporting my concern directly to Deans management didn't merit a response. So, in the end, the best fix for this is to do my own lawn care. Not likely for this old man. Thanks. I'll keep looking.:thumbup::thumbup:

If you go there do it yourself route, as I have done, get a soil test. Cost $31 took 10 minutes to prepare and put in the mail. Then within 4 or 5 days get report online telling you what you are high and low in and how to bring everything back into normal range to be a healthy lawn. It also gives listing of what products to put down and how often. Best info you can have or present to whoever picks up your yard maintenance. Good luck.

OP, as far as I know, Massey is the only company who will do all services for your yard. Also, they will answer the phone when you call.
They are not best or the cheapest, but it is nice to only deal with one company for everything.