DIY Tips for the Season

Hello everyone.  I just wanted to bring you up to speed on the watering, mowing and pruning needs we are dealing with this time of year and give you some DIY Tips.  Every season, I could say….. both seasons, have specific requirements that will suit your landscape needs and bring about the best results possible.  I hope you find this helpful!

Watering- DIY Tips

Sprinklers should be watering twice per week. The average sprinkler zone that has rotary sprinklers, or sprinklers that turn back-and-forth, should be running for approximately 45 minutes per zone. This generally gives off the 3/4-1″ of water needed to keep our St. Augustine and Zoysia grasses hydrated. Currently, we are still not recommending to water Bahia grass lawns.

Follow our link to your local water district for the current watering days for your address.

Charlotte County Watering Days

If you have popup sprinklers, typically found in side yards and flower beds, typical watering duration is approximately 20 minutes. This generally gives the 3/4-1″ amount of water that your lawn needs.

Keep in mind, April, May & into June is typically our driest period during the year. You may want to call a professional irrigation company now if you are concerned with your sprinklers performance. If you wait until the dry season, often times the sprinkler companies are booked a few weeks out.

Mowing- DIY Tips

There is still time to find other things to do. More DIY Tips – The mowing requirements for St. Augustine & Zoysia grass is still once every-other week. Mowing too often will cause stress to your lawn and limit the amount of photosynthesis your grass needs this time of year. Don’t worry, the growing season starts towards the middle of April and you will be mowing weekly once again. Enjoy the break!

Bahia grass is still dormant and our best advice is to mow your Bahia as little as possible. The best Bahia is being mowed every-other month at the most.

Pruning – DIY Tips

Spring is in the air and your trees and shrubs are ready for some trimming. For the last few months, we have recommended to leave the trees and plants alone. Now that we have made it through the “winter” it is time to resume your pruning schedule.

We really have seen the benefit from a deep pruning this time of year. Most bloomers benefit tremendously from a serious pruning. Hibiscus, Jatropha, Ixora, Oleander, Jasmine, Alamanda and many more of the flowering plants we love in our landscape should be pruned back 40-50%. This not only rejuvenates the bushes, it prolongs their life! You will be amazed at the amount of blooms that also develop from this practice.

Here is your DIY Tips – If you have plants that are seeming a bit “leggy”, a deep prune will fix that problem in just a few weeks. The benefits are worth it! Your plants will look a little bare for about a month. After that, the foliage will be thick and lush. By about week 10 after a good pruning, the blooms begin to burst and you will really see why this is so important for your flowers.

If this raises questions for you, email us a picture of the plant(s) you may be unsure of. We will get back to you by the end of the day on how your plant would like to be pruned.