Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing for your lawn

Jacksonville Landscaping Tips - Too Much of a Good Thing Can Be Bad for
Your Lawn

We have all heard the  saying “April showers bring May flowers.” But what happens when the April showers come 

and you continue to water your lawn? Many people believe they should water their lawn regardless of the 

weather from the past few days. They are wrong! Watering your lawn right after it rains is
very harmful because you can over water and potentially destroy the root system. Your lawn could be harmed 

just as much from over watering as it can be from under watering.

Ideally you are seeking to achieve a sense of balance when it comes to irrigation. So the first step in achieving 

the balance is to determine how much water you are providing to your lawn.  This includes the stuff that falls 

from the sky. Just as you can drown a potted plant by over watering, the same holds true for your lawn.
Too much water is dangerous to the root system because it eliminates the amount of oxygen received, removes 

important nutrients and lastly it wastes water which is one of our most important natural resources.

If the roots can’t take in enough oxygen they become weak, shallow, and more disease prone. By removing 

key nutrients you are forced to use more fertilizer which can lead to many other problems. Weeds, insects, 

and diseases can all be the result if you over water.  When the root system becomes weak this allows
weeds to take hold.  Which means you would then need to use an herbicide.

To avoid starting a vicious cycle that is detrimental to your lawn, make sure you have a rain sensor installed 

and is properly working.  This will prevent your system from running while it is raining, which will save you 

time and money and keep your lawn healthy.

When it comes to the care and maintenance of your lawn, Kenny Hunt is an
authority, being the owner of http://jacksonville-irrigation.com
http://sod-jacksonville.com/ and http://www.landscaping-jacksonville.com/

Jacksonville Landscaping Tips

Jacksonville Landscaping Tips - Don't Wait ‘til spring to start watering your lawn.

Most people this time of year in North Florida are more concerned with raking the leaves than with watering the lawn. However, this can come back to haunt them later. Just because the grass isn't growing this time of year, doesn't mean that it doesn't need water.  In fact when we experience the occasional cold snap and freeze, a properly irrigated lawn can handle the stress better than one that hasn't been watered since November.

There are other risks that those people who don't wait until March or April to start their sprinklers can avoid. One is being chinch bugs. Chinch bugs are an opportunistic insect, that typically attack during a drought, and when lawns are in a weakened state. Also, if you water your lawn even in the off months you can help build a deeper root system, which can handle a harder freeze.  

Of course, there are also perils with over watering which we will touch on in another blog.  

To maximize your lawn's hydration and minimize wasting water, here is the schedule we recommend.

.....make sure you are not watering during the hottest part of the day. Your timer should be set for early morning, before the heat of the day catches your lawn. If you are starting to find brown spots you should schedule an appointment to get your heads and timer adjusted, or even changed.

By watering sensibly during the winter, your lawn will suffer less stress and will be ready to start growing in spring, unhampered by the pests and diseases that can get a grip while it is dormant.

Kenny Hunt has been helping people with landscaping, irrigation, and sod replacement since 1997.  If you need help in maintaining and beautifying your yard, go to...

http://landscaping-jacksonville.com

Keeping Your Lawn Green

Jacksonville Landscaping Tip: Keeping Your Lawn Green

Is your lawn looking a little brown from the weather up’s and down’s?
Here are a few tips to get your lawn back in the “green”.

Brown Patch Lawn Disease is the most destructive grass killer of all.
Occurring overnight when weather conditions are just right; sneaking up
and attacking your lawn when it is the most vulnerable. Brown patch will
attack any kind of grass, especially when being boosted by nitrogen
fertilizer. These brown patches will typically occur during the summer,
due to the temperature exceeding the mid 80’s during the day, and lower
70’s during the night. The disease will attack almost immediately causing
the results of brown patches.

To avoid brown patch disease stay away from high nitrogen fertilizers
especially during the warmer fall days. Also, do not over water! Make sure
you are watering during early mornings, or in the middle of the night.
Remove all clippings to avoid spreading disease to other areas. Lastly,
mow your lawn on a regular basis and keep a proper height for your grass
type.

For all your Jacksonville landscaping, irrigation and sod needs, visit
http://landscaping-jacksonville.com  http://sod-jacksonville.com or
http://jacksonville-irrigation.com

Protecting Your Lawn From Frost/ Freeze

JACKSONVILLE LANDSCAPING TIPS FROM ALLSTAR IRRIGATION: PROTECTING YOUR LANDSCAPE FROM FROST/FREEZE

No matter how mild the winter may be, homeowners should pay careful attention to weather forecasts to be prepared for a freeze.  Following a few simple steps can help save your plants, landscape, and wallet from freezes damage.

If there has been very little rainfall, make sure your turf, shrubs, and plants have plenty of water. Adequate hydration will actually help insulate the roots of your turf and landscape.

Move potted plants indoors

Give your flowerbeds and planted areas a nice 2” blanket of mulch. Together with moist soil will help insulate and protect the root systems of live plant material.

This normally should be adequate protection for most plants including ligustrums, vibernums, lorapetalums, nandinas, azaleas, sago palms, robollinis and roses, but covering them with a frost blanket will also add even more protection. Frost blankets can also help save plants that have blooms or flowering on them for the up coming spring.  Frost blankets can be purchased from any local nursery. Don’t forget the stakes to hold them down; it makes the job much easier and faster.

Some plants such as a hibiscus may lose their tops during a hard freeze, but with adequate hydration and mulching they should return in the spring.  After the freeze, do not wash ice or frost off of the plants, this will raise the temperature to quickly and can kill plant cells.  Don’t prune the dead or browned wood stems or branches; these will help protect the live branches further down the stalk.  Prune to the living wood in the spring after the threat of freeze is gone. 

A little time can save hundreds or thousands of dollars in replacing turf, shrubs, and plant materials.

For all your Jacksonville landscaping, irrigation and sod needs, visit http://landscaping-jacksonville.com or http://jacksonville-irrigation.com

Winterizing Your Irrigation System

Winterizing Your Irrigation System

Even here in sunny Florida there are times when the temperature will dip
below freezing.  Particularly overnight, the area can experience a hard
freeze.  While we all know we need to wrap up out plants, most people do
not consider what can happen to their irrigation system during a hard
freeze.  Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Every irrigation system is required to have a backflow preventer
installed. The backflow preventer is typically found by the water meter close to the house.
A backflow preventer is an important component that protects
the potable city water supply from possible contaminated water. Once
potable water reaches the sprinkler head it is considered contaminated and
back siphonage will allow water to go from the sprinkler head back to the
city water main without this component.

Since this device is the single most expensive part of your irrigation
system, we at Allstar Irrigation recommend that it should be insulated and
heavily taped with a heavy duty UV resistant grade tape to protect it from
freeze damage in the winter and sun damage in the summer. A little time
and a small investment could save you several hundred dollars in damage
and failure.

Speaking of saving, in upcoming blog posts I will show you how to save
water by making small adjustments to your existing sprinkler system, as
well as by the use of energy efficient sprinkler heads.  Until then,
remember that the grass is always greener on the other side of the
sprinkler head.

http://jacksonville-irrigation.com  http://sod-jacksonville.com

Allstar Irrigations winter tips for your lawn and irrigation system

How to Save Your Lawn and Your Money During the Winter

The winter season is coming up and Allstar irrigation would like to
recommend a few simple things to help protect your irrigation system and your lawn. During
the winter months many homeowners completely turn off their irrigation system
thinking their lawn doesn't need any water. Well, the truth is your lawn doesn't
need as much water as it does in the summer months but just like humans it still needs
adequate hydration to protect your lawn's roots from hard freezes and stay strong.
This way, when the dormant season is over your lawn will be healthy and strong for
the spring and summer. Also, a stressed lawn is more prone to cinch bugs and other
weeds and diseases.

   Our local laws allow homeowners to water once per week and Allstar
Irrigation recommends taking full advantage of this one day. A properly hydrated lawn
during those 20 degree nights will help insulate the roots in the root zone
underneath your grass.  Helping to mitigate the extreme temperatures make recovery in
spring time much quicker. Proper hydration will also help those roots stay deeper
in the soil instead of migrating to the top looking for water,further protecting
your lawn.

     Another reason to take advantage of the 1 day per week is to keep
those zone valves working. There is a rubber diaphragm inside the valve that becomes
more rigid when it doesn't get its workout,which may cause the zone valve to fail.
This could be very costly to replace, not to mention the additional costs
of a higher water bill and damaged turf.  There are also tiny ports inside the
zone valve that can become corroded and clogged with stagnant water, even if
you are on city water.

     The last preventative step is to make sure your backflow preventer is
properly insulated. Even if it has black insulation on it, Allstar recommends
re-insulating it. The hot sun breaks down the insulation over time and it will lose
effectiveness. The backflow preventer is the single most expensive part of an irrigation
system. A few dollars and a little time could save your pocketbook and a big mess.
So remember, Take advantage of your 1 day a week watering,start your system later in
the morning, properly insulate your backflow preventer, and keep an eye out for broken
pipes or leaks. These few steps could save you hundreds of dollars in irrigation repairs,
turf damage, and high water bills.


For expert help in obtaining, maintaining and managing all your irrigation
needs, call
Allstar Irrigation at 904-422-7827.  (We also specialize in sod replacement.)
http://jacksonville-irrigation.com/
http://sod-jacksonville.com/

Twitter, and Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter @AllstarIrrLlc.
Like us on Facebook, Allstar Irrigation LLC.