Landscaping Tips

You can help maintain the health and beauty of your landscape with these mowing, mulching and pruning tips.
Together, we’ll create a landscape we can both be proud of.

Mowing
Proper mowing dramatically impacts the health of your lawn. The following tips will help ensure your lawn looks
its best:

• Mow frequently. Do not remove more than 1/3rd of the leaf blade in any single mowing. Usually, this
means that you should mow at least once per week during the growing season and once every 10 to 14 days during
the dormant season.
• Use a sharp blade. Sharpen your mower blades frequently to prevent disease and maintain good color.
• Avoid mowing wet grass. Wet clippings can clog your mower, reducing its ability to efficiently cut the
grass.
• Leave clippings, if possible. Grass clippings return vital nutrients to your landscape. If you must collect
clippings, compost them to be used as a soil modifier or as mulch.
• Keep clippings from washing into runoff areas, storm drains or directly into bodies of water. While
grass clippings are nutrients to your lawn, they are pollutants to bodies of water. Instead, sweep or blow clippings
off of roadways, sidewalks and driveways and back onto the lawn.
• Mow at the proper height. The following recommended mowing heights ensure the best possible
appearance.

Grass Type Mowing Height Best Location
Floratam (St. Augustinegrass) 3.5 to 4 inches Full sun areas
Seville (St. Augustinegrass) 2.5 to 3 inches Moderately shaded areas
Bitterblue (St. Augustinegrass) 3 to 3.5 inches Slightly shaded areas
Bahiagrass 3.5 to 4 inches Full sun areas
Bermudagrass 1 to 1.25 inches Full sun areas
Centipedegrass 1 to 2 inches Full sun to partially shaded areas
Zoysiagrass 1 to 2 inches Full sun to moderately shaded areas
Tall Fescue 1.5 to 3 inches Full sun to moderately shaded areas

Mulching
Mulch provides many benefits to your landscape, including water retention, weed suppression, soil insulation and
landscape beautification. Follow these tips when using mulch:

• Use mulches made from recycled materials. Non-recyclable materials are detrimental if they end up in
our waterways and landfills.
• Apply mulch at least 2-3 inches deep after settling. This maximizes the weed suppression and water
retention.
• Do not pile mulch against trees or shrubs. Trees need a clear space for air to reach the trunk.
• Do not pile mulch against your house. Mulch helps retain moisture, a condition that allows termites to
sustain life.

Pruning
Proper pruning is essential to an aesthetically pleasing landscape. Keep the following principles in mind when
deciding to prune your landscape plants:

• Prune to direct or alter growth. Every time you make a pruning cut, you stop growth in one direction
and encourage it in another.
• Prune to encourage flower or fruit production. Pruning after flower and fruit production is finished
generally improves the flower or fruit production for the next season. Check with your Massey GreenUP Specialist
to determine the best time to prune your plants.
• Prune to promote plant health. As shrubs age, older limbs and branches become weak. Prune older
branches back to encourage younger, more vigorous shoots.
• Prune to repair damages. Strong winds, lightning, even repeated pruning can damage plants. Thin out
older, weaker, brittle or diseased limbs and branches to improve the vigor of your shrubs and trees.
• Prune to alter, restore or rejuvenate. Pruning can help make an established or neglected plant more
attractive.

Watering

Water is our most precious resource and much of the water we use to irrigate our lawns and shrubs is
wasted. The following keys to effectively watering your landscape will help ensure the health and beauty
of your landscape and prevent our precious resource from being wasted.

Water Deeply and Infrequently. In most cases, watering more than twice a week is unnecessary and
can lead to weed or disease problems.

Wait Until Your Soil Becomes Dry. The biggest mistake most homeowners make is watering too often.
You should wait to water your lawn until the soil dries out to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. This will promote a
deeper root system and help to eliminate undesirable weeds or diseases.

Don’t Set It and Forget It. Set your watering frequency for the season. Irrigation timers will need to be
adjusted for temperature changes or rainfall patterns. Keep in mind, many water management districts
have watering restrictions and guidelines that need to be followed.

Don’t Waste Water. Turn off automatic irrigation systems during rainy periods or use a rain sensor to
prevent unneeded watering.

Mowing

Proper mowing dramatically impacts the health of your lawn. The following tips will help ensure your lawn
looks its best.

Mow Frequently. Don’t remove more than 1/3rd of the leaf blade height in any single mowing. Mow at
least once per week during the growing season and once every 10 to 14 days during the dormant season.

Use a Sharp Blade. Sharpen your mower blades frequently to prevent disease and maintain good color.
Mow at the Proper Height. The following recommended mowing heights should be used to ensure the
best possible appearance.

St. Augustine grass:

Floratam: 3.5 to 4 inches Best for full sun areas
Seville: 2.5 to 3 inches Best for moderately shaded areas
Bitterblue: 3 to 3.5 inches Best for slightly shaded areas
Bahiagrass: 3.5 to 4 inches Best for full sun areas
Bermudagrass: 1 to 1.25 inches Best for full sun areas
Centipedegrass: 1 to 2 inches Best for full sun to partially shaded areas
Zoysiagrass: 1 to 2 inches Best for full sun to moderately shaded areas
Tall Fescue: 1.5 to 3 inches Best for full sun to moderately shaded areas

Pruning

Proper pruning is essential to creating aesthetically beautiful landscapes. Keep the following principles in
mind when deciding to prune your landscape plants.

Prune to Direct or Alter Growth. Every time you make a pruning cut, you stop growth in one direction
and encourage it in another.

Prune to Encourage Flower or Fruit Production. Pruning after flower and fruit production is finished
will generally improve the flower or fruit production for the next season.

Prune to Promote Plant Health. As shrubs age, older limbs and branches become weak. Prune older
branches back to encourage younger more vigorous shoots that improve the overall appearance.

Prune to Repair Damages. Strong winds, lightning or even repeated pruning can damage plants. Thin
out older, weak, brittle or diseased limbs and branches to improve the vigor of your shrubs and trees.

Prune to Alter, Restore or Rejuvenate. Pruning can help make an established or neglected plant more
attractive.

The winter months are typically a dry time of the year in Florida. In addition there is also
a possibility of extreme changes in temperatures. It is not uncommon to see relatively
warm weather change over night to below freezing. Many of our lawn and landscapes are
susceptible to freeze damage when this occurs. To help reduce the potential for freeze
damage you should make sure that you are still providing adequate moisture to the
landscape. A lawn or landscape that is dry or under drought stress during a freeze will
stand a greater chance for injury than one that is properly watered.

If you have a warning of an overnight freeze check in advance to see if the lawn or
landscape is dry and run the irrigation cycle if necessary to reduce the chances of freeze
damage. Also if there is indeed an overnight freeze, you should avoid walking across the
lawn in the morning or mowing the lawn for a few days to reduce the chances of
additional injury.

March will typically herald the return of spring. Azaleas will be in full bloom and new
growth will begin to emerge on many of our landscape plants. As soon as the azaleas
finish blooming it will be time to prune the tips of these plants to help thicken them up
and create a foundation for the new season’s growth. It is also a good time of the year to
clean up the landscape beds to get rid of weeds and replenish the mulch. Rake up debris
and clean out the accumulated mulch and leaf litter form around the base of your plants.
Set the layer of mulch at about 2 inches throughout the bed but be sure to leave the bark
of the trunks exposed to prevent rot from occurring.

The Spring Forecast For The Southeast: Dry

This is the dry season in the southeast. Moderate temperatures and
dry weather makes the southeast a wonderful place to live in the
spring. However, this spring weather pattern can also bring problems
to your landscape.

Proper Watering Techniques During A Drought

Because drought conditions are very common in the early spring in the
southeast, lawns and plants will begin to wilt if not provided with
supplemental irrigation. It is best to water your lawn once or twice per
week in the absence of rain. Make sure that your irrigation hits all the
areas of your lawn evenly. Dry spots, also called “hot spots,” can
develop in the lawn if sprinklers do not cover these areas of the lawn.
These dry areas can resemble insect damage in the lawn. If water is
not added these areas, your lawn can decline and eventually die if not
corrected. If grass blades wilt or begin to fold together, it will be
necessary to add water. Make sure not to water too often. Over-
watering is the primary reason for many weed, and disease problems.

Other Seasonal Problems

Besides dry conditions, some other seasonal problems to watch out for
include:

1. Chinch bugs are major pests in lawns during this time. This
insect loves hot and dry locations and feeds on the grass by
sucking out plant juices.

2. Weeds will grow aggressively in the early spring. Proper mowing
and watering will help to reduce the development of obnoxious
weeds.

3. Aphids and whiteflies are becoming active with the flush of new
growth on landscape plants. These insects feed on plants such as
viburnum, crape myrtle, and pittosporum and can be an on-
going problem in the landscape.

4. Have your lawn inspected by a professional.

The hot summer months are the most active growing season for lawns due to the high temperatures and
frequent rains. During these months, it is particularly important to match your mowing and watering
habits with the requirements of your lawn. If you have a St. Augustine lawn, mow at a height of 3.5 to 4
inches. Mowing lower than this can injure your lawn.

Summer is also a time when some of our most damaging lawn pests are active. Chinch bugs and sod
webworms are two damaging insects that prefer high temperatures. One of the best ways to avoid Chinch
bug damage to your property is to avoid extreme drought stress. Chinch bugs begin feeding in hot and dry
locations of lawns. If you irrigate your lawn twice a week in the absence of rain you should have little
trouble with Chinch bug injury.

If you are experiencing regular afternoon rains, make sure to adjust your irrigation. Your lawns do not
require water more than twice a week in the summer. Too much water is the primary reason for many
weed and fungal diseases in lawns and shrub beds.

With the cooling temperatures and decreased rainfall that the fall season brings, your
lawn and landscape begin going through a period referred to as Transition.
The most noticeable difference will be in the vertical growth of your grass, which will
slow down due to the change in weather conditions. To account for the decreased growth,
reduce your mowing frequency based on the conditions of your individual lawn. It is very
important during this time of year to only remove 1/3 of the leaf blade when mowing to
protect your lawn from the cooler nights.

As the temperature begins to drop, you may see brown leaf blades appearing in the lawn.
Since there are fewer hours of daylight, your lawn begins to shut down non-productive
leaves and therefore they turn brown. This is a normal part of the lawn lifecycle that
occurs and may give your lawn a salt and pepper appearance. Your trees, shrubs and
ornamentals will also begin to lose their leaves to prepare themselves for the coming
winter months.

The fall transition period is also the time where mole crickets begin to make their mating
flights in the evenings. They are attracted to light and will be noticed around streetlights,
security lights and flood lights. This time of year it is also common for Take All Root Rot
and Brown Patch to invade a lawn. Yellowing leaf blades and brown spots in your lawn
are common symptoms that these diseases may be present. Once these diseases take hold
in your lawn, they can cause large amounts of damage. Winter annual weeds begin to
germinate during this time of year and will begin developing in lawns.

Here are some helpful tips to conserve water and maintain the health
of your lawn:

• Water deeply but infrequently – set your irrigation system to
  run twice per week to deliver 3/4 inch of water per zone. For
  pop-up sprinklers, 20-30 minutes will deliver the proper amount
  of water. For rotor head sprinklers, 45-60 minutes will deliver
  the proper amount of water.
• Don’t set it and forget it – adjust your watering frequency on
  a regular basis in conjunction with the weather patterns. During
  the rainy season, you may need to reduce your watering
  frequency.
• Check your Water Management District’s regulations –
  http://sjr.state.fl.us/