Neighborhood Lawn Guru Kills Lawns, Leaves Town

Neighborhood Lawn Guru Kills Lawns, Leaves Town

I remember going into a neighborhood to diagnose a lawn problem in Crestview during spring a number of years ago. The centipedegrass lawn was in a state of decline. This was the front yard of the original model home for the neighborhood. The original owner sold the house and moved. The new owner, not familiar with North Florida lawns, was dissatisfied with the condition of his front yard.

All of the residents in this neighborhood were new to Florida.

At the time of my visit, the neighborhood was approximately ten-years-old. The original owner of the home was new to Florida, as well. He had only lived in the home for about two years before selling the house and moving to another state.

The original homeowner purchased the model home when the neighborhood was new and became the neighborhood lawn guru.

Imagine this situation… the entire neighborhood was new, everyone living in the neighborhood was new to Florida, not having a clue how to correctly maintain their new centipedegrass lawns.

Centipedegrass decline. Credit: Larry Williams

A sure way to kill a centipedegrass lawn is to be a little heavy handed with nitrogen. The natural color of a healthy centipedegrass lawn is light green, almost a crabapple green. The original homeowner was fertilizing his lawn as if it were a bermudagrass or fescuegrass lawn. Centipedegrass will not put up with this. As a result of “overdosing” his lawn with nitrogen, the lawn took on an unnatural dark green color. Short-term (two to three years), centipedegrass will appear to respond nicely to too much nitrogen. But after several years, irregular areas within a centipedegrass lawn will turn bright yellow in spring, followed by turning brown and dying back to bare ground as a result of too much nitrogen. The condition is called centipedegrass decline.

Healthy centipedegrass lawn with correct light green color. Credit: Dr. Bryan Unruh

I heard a minister ask the question, “Does the person you’re following know where he is going?” This was in reference to a parable found in the Bible in Matthew 15:14 where Jesus stated, “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” This expression has many implications but basically is a caution about the dangers of following a leader who is clueless.

Unfortunately, this self-appointed lawn guru was clueless as to how to correctly manage a centipedegrass lawn. A few years following his overdoing it with fertilizer and then moving, his former lawn began to die in patches, progressively followed by other neighborhood lawns doing the same, almost like a domino effect. Who you choose to follow is important.

Reliable lawn care advice is available from the UF/IFAS Extension Office in your county or online at: https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/yourfloridalawn.

2024 Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! New Year – New Format

2024 Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! New Year – New Format

Since 2020, we have delivered timely webinars using Zoom and Facebook Live to reach Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! viewers. In 2024, we are changing things up just a bit. Due to changes in the way Zoom and Facebook interface we will only be transmitting live through Zoom.

What does that mean for our Facebook viewers? We will still post Events about upcoming programs with links to register for the episode and will continue to share videos after they are uploaded to YouTube (usually this is within 24 hours). Thank you for your patience as we make this change

Below is our lineup for 2024 – we hope you will join us!

All episodes start at 12 p.m. CDT/1 p.m. EDT

February 1, 2024Spring Vegetable Gardening
March 7, 2024Palm Selection and Care
April 11, 2024Temperate Fruit for NW Florida
May 30, 2024Benefits of a Healthy Lawn
September 12, 2024Fall Vegetable Gardening
October 10, 2024Vermiculture and Composting Tips
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Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! Weed Wrangling Wrap Up

Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! Weed Wrangling Wrap Up

Weeds can be the bane of the gardener’s existence and Extension Agents get a lot of questions on how to manage them throughout the year. Whether you are growing edibles, ornamentals, or turfgrass you have probably encountered a plant out of place which is basically the general definition of a weed. Just like with any other landscape challenge the first thing you need to do when dealing with weeds is accurate identification.  Understanding the life cycle of the pest (weed in this case) you are targeting will be key for the most effective control with minimal inputs. Your local Extension office can assist with weed identification, and you can find a list by county here.

If you missed the live broadcast, you can watch the video on YouTube

Below are the links that were shared during the episode in the order discussed if you would like to follow along:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/wg059

  • Nonchemical Weed Control for Home Landscapes and Gardens

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1170

We have one more episode of Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! scheduled this year on October 12th. We hope you will join us for Herbs and Cool Season Edibles!

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When It’s Too Hot to Garden.  What to Do?

When It’s Too Hot to Garden.  What to Do?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s been hot outside.  Like really, scorching, hellacious, dog days hot.  In this weather pattern we’ve been in, it’s hard to make yourself do non-essential stuff outside that doesn’t involve swimming and so our gardens go by the wayside.  In my opinion, that’s totally okay!  Give yourself a rest from the garden and landscape chores for the next couple of weeks and get your fall gameplan ready.  The following are some things to think about over the next few weeks to prepare yourself for the coming cooler weather!

Soil testing in centipedegrass. Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.

Get your soil tested.  If you’re an in-ground vegetable gardener or just like to have an attractive lawn/landscape, performing a simple soil test can offer either peace of mind that your soil’s pH and fertility is good or give you a nudge to schedule some needed amendments.  Though I don’t recommend fertilizing lawn grass this late and there’s no need to fertilize the garden before it gets planted in mid-late September, you can certainly begin to source and price fertilizer for the appropriate time based on your test results.  However, now IS the perfect time to get lime out in a vegetable garden if your pH has sunk beneath the recommended 6.5.  Lime takes weeks to months to begin to alter soil chemistry so the sooner the better if it is needed! 

Order seeds.  While I love to support local farm stores and plant nurseries, you are limited with the vegetable and flower varieties you can plant by what they have in stock.  I enjoy trying new/improved and heirloom plant varieties each year and, most of the time, these can only be found by ordering online.  For the latest in vegetable and cut flower varieties with a nice mix of heirloom cultivars thrown in also, I can recommend Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, and other similar purveyors – all of these are great places to look.  Continue to purchase your more common standbys through local outlets but, this year get different and try new things by ordering online!

Develop a garden/landscape plan.  I doubt there’s a gardener amongst us who wouldn’t like to rearrange things a bit outside.  Maybe you planted your lettuce a little too closely together last year, you’ve been dreaming of installing a new flower bed, or you really want to do a full garden/landscape renovation.  The best way to be successful at any of these things is to get outside (or at least look out from behind a window in the A/C), take stock of what is already there, the space that is or might be available, research what plants or varieties might do well in your yard/garden (your local UF/IFAS Extension office is a great resource for this), and begin to sketch your ideas out.  This planning step WILL save you time and money by ensuring you don’t purchase too many plants, by picking plants that will do well, and ensuring you install everything at the correct time.

So, take advantage of the heat, stay inside, and work up your garden gameplan together this August – fall is just around the corner.  For help with soil testing, recommendations on plant varieties to purchase, or working up a garden/landscape plan tailored to you, contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office.  Stay cool and happy gardening!

Frogfruit as a Turf Companion

Frogfruit as a Turf Companion

Homeowners may consider growing Frogfruit, Phyla nodiflora as a companion plant in turf areas. Learn the qualities of this groundcover with UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.

Weak Lawns Respond to Warmer Soil & Correct Care

Weak Lawns Respond to Warmer Soil & Correct Care

Now that we are moving into warmer soil temperatures, weak areas in lawns will have a better chance of making some recovery. However, this is highly dependent on whether or not correct lawn maintenance practices are followed. These practices include fertilizing, mowing and watering correctly.

Many North Florida lawns came out of winter weak and thinning this spring. In areas of the lawn where there is at least sixty percent cover of the desirable type of lawn grass, recovery is possible. But where there is less than sixty percent desirable cover, reestablishment should be considered.

Applying the correct type and amount of fertilizer will promote lawn recovery. To maintain a healthy Florida lawn, it’s critical to use a fertilizer with adequate potassium. In most cases, use a lawn fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen (first number) and potassium (third number) such as 8-0-8, 10-0-10, 15-2-15 or similar analysis. Phosphorus (second number) should be low or zero unless you have the results of a reliable soil test indicating that more phosphorus is needed. Err on the side of being light handed when applying fertilizer to the lawn. In North Florida, most lawns will do just fine with an application in spring no earlier than mid-April and a second application in summer no later than mid-September.

Follow these mowing practices for a healthy lawn.

  • Never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade height at any one time.
  • Here’s the recommended mowing height in inches for each lawn grass: bahia – 3 to 4; centipede – 1.5 to 2; standard St. Augustine cultivars – 3 to 4; dwarf St. Augustine cultivars (Captiva and Seville) – 2 to 3; zoysia cultivars suitable for home lawns- 2 to 2.5; bermuda – .5 to 1.5.
  • Keep mower blades sharp.

Follow these irrigation practices for a deeper rooted and drought tolerant lawn.

  • Turn your automatic sprinkler system off and learn to operate it manually on an as-needed basis. Your lawn needs water when leaf blades start to fold in half lengthwise or when footprints remain visible in the lawn long after being made. Irrigate when at least 30% of the lawn shows these signs of water need.
  • Apply ½ – ¾ inch of water when you do irrigate. Place empty, straight-sided cans in the area being irrigated to see how long it takes to reach this amount.
  • Irrigate during early morning for more efficient water use and to minimize lawn diseases.

Here is a link to a UF/IFAS Extension publication on Best Management Practices for a Florida lawn. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep236