we are fed up with lawn care services
 

We are dumping our lawn service that did fertilizing and pest control. They have had a year to whip it into shape. It is actually worse than when they started. They always seemed to point the blame at everyone but themselves. I was going to check with other services, but found out that they really weren't any better and blamed others when things didn't look good.

With the help of a FL master gardener (his yard is gorgeous), and reading up on what and when to do things, we are going to do it ourselves. The Univ. of FL has wonderful info. Our yard is small compared to up north so it won't be a big deal. Three days ago, I put down a light application of Milorganite for the iron, and already it is greener.

At least now we won't have anyone else to blame and hopefully have a healthier yard.

Good to know about the info at U of Fla. Can your point us to a website or two? I'm gonna have to relearn all this stuff from scratch.

I do not know if it is true but some folks had claimed some of the lawn services were cutting back or diluting their chemicals...just saying

You are so right. I have never had any of them say they were at fault. It always freeze damage, not cinch bugs, always blight brought in by the other guy, never their fault. I have done the same thing and will do it myself.

web sites
 

These are some of the places to look:
UF IFAS Extension, "Zoysiagrass for Florida Lawns
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp154 "homeowner's guide to fungicides for the lawn"
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/Ih034 "Insect management in your Florida Lawn"
""" LH025 "Watering Your Florida Lawn"
"""ENH962 "Figuring out Fertilizer for thr Home Lawn"
"""ENH979 "Homeowner Best Management Practices for the Home Lawn"
http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map

The FL extension also offers plant clinics and lanscape talks in the villages which would be listed in the paper or call the extension office

Even if you don't become a do it yourselfer, you will at least have some knowledge so you won't be bamboozeled and will know what questions to ask these companies. good luck

Can you tell us the name of that lawn service so we don't hire them. We will be moving into our new home next week and have yet to hire lawn people. I'd like to avoid this company if possible....if I know who they are. If you don't want o post it on TOTV, will you at least PM it to me. thanks, Rose

If the company lawn company you dumped is "Once A Year" then that makes two of us. I will miss receiving the award next year for "Worst Lawn In The Neighborhood".
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OH OH...I guess I better revisit my thoughts about cottage home with lawn service vs. CYV with easy maintenance landscaping. I really would like a yard with grass, but as a single woman with RA I was counting on having a good lawn service to take care of things for me. Sounds like this is hard to do these days....There is no way I could do even a small yard myself. Someone tell me there are good ones out there...please!
Suzanne

I keep our grass in decent shape although it has been hard the last couple of winters with the hard freezes. We have St Augustine grass and here is what I do:

Spring treatment - usually late April:
Granular weed & feed.
Weed killer with atrazine the kind you attach the bottle to the hose.
Bayer granular insect killer.

Summer treatment - June/July:
Milorganite

Fall treatment - mid October:
16-0-8 granular fertilizer

Winter treatment:
Milorganite if it is a mild winter and you think it needs greening up a bit.

Measure the area of your property and use ingredients as directed on the usage labels of the treatment. I tend to work on the generous side. I use a little hand cranked sprayer for the granular treatment and it doesn't take long.

If you want to know the best treatment then ask the neighbors who have the best lawn on your street! If you go to the Loews garden department ask for Ron - he's lived here all his life and is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to garden care.

Oops! Nearly forgot - don't cut the grass too short as it will stress the grass if you remove more than 1/3 of the blade. And in really dry periods like we have had this spring and early summer you are better off to cut once every two weeks and not every week.

Good Luck, Allan.

Thanks, springfield. I need to spend some time "studying."

I sent a pm
 

I did send a pm but I do think they all are in it for the buck and not your lawn

Twice on Tuesday classes are a wealth of information for Florida landscaping. We have learned a lot in the past year even though we were in the mid south for 15 years. It has taken a year but our lawn is finally starting to look like a lawn. Still fighting with the wild bermuda grass that keeps trying to invade. Good Luck and you can do it on your own probably better than all these so called landscapers.

lawn services
 

We had Once a year and had a terrible experience. They eventually had to resod our lawn. We of course let them go and decided to do the care ourselves. We also let our mower person go. We believe chinch bugs are being carried from yard to yard on the mowers. We finally did hire Massey. We keep in close contact with guy who sprays etc. We still do our own mowing. We have been very satisfied with Massey. Our yard has never looked better.

I agree with the last poster. Massey is the best around. They charge a little more than the others, but their service cannot be beat.

Allan,

We may need to treat our own lawn if we're not able to find someone. The treatment plan that you have outlined looks easy to follow. Do you know if the same treatment can be used for Zoysia grass too?