Florida Panhandle Lawn Tips
In Florida, working in your yard can be a year-round hobby. Even in the Florida Panhandle, where winter temperatures can drop below freezing, you can take steps to keep your lawn lush and green all year long. According to Theresa Friday, a residential horticultural agent in the Panhandle county of Santa Rosa, taking the right steps in the right months is key. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
March
-
March is the time to remove piles of dead leaves from your yard. Doing that will help fertilizers and pesticides do their jobs. Early March is also a good time to apply herbicide to control weeds. Check the label to make sure it's safe for your kind of grass, and keep herbicides away from the roots of plants you want to keep. The last frost of the winter has usually happened by mid-March and when the grass starts turning green, it's time to fertilize.
April
-
Clear the lawn of dead leaves before you cut your grass for the first time. When you do cut the grass, don't use a bag, because removing the grass clippings also removes fertilizer. Fertilize, but not too much if you use centipede grass, which is sensitive to excessive nitrogen. Soil in the Panhandle often already has a high nitrogen level.
-
May
-
Water your lawn in the early morning to prevent diseases. Set your lawn sprinkler to distribute about a half-inch of water each morning.
June
-
Look for spittlebugs in centipede grass, chinch bugs in St. Augustine and sod webworm and mole crickets everywhere, and take steps to eradicate them.
July
-
Raise your lawn mower blade as the temperature starts soaring. This will help the grass tolerate the summer heat.
September
-
September is the last month to fertilize bahia grass, bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass and zoysia grass.
November
-
Winter months in the Panhandle are dry, so continue to water your lawn through the winter. If you want a green lawn during the winter, use annual rye grass at the beginning of November.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit hose on lawn image by Coralie Palmeri from Fotolia.com
