MOWING
In Florida, your lawn should be cut once a week in the "summer" months of April through October and once every two weeks during the "winter" months of October through April. If you choose to mow your own lawn, choose high quality products like a good self propelled mulching mower, a gas powered weed eater, edger and hedge trimmer. Amerilawn cuts at an average height of 3 1/2 inches year round. If our customers have special needs or requests for their lawn height, we honor those requests. However, it is important to remember that the lower your lawn is cut, the easier it is for weeds and disease to invade your yard. At Amerilawn we have both commercial and residential divisions, and we treat each individual customer's lawn like it was our own.
WATERING
The State of Florida and Amerilawn, Inc. recommends you water your lawn only twice per week or every three days. Watering should be done for 45-60 minutes per section of lawn in the morning only. In Florida, it's good to have an easy-to-read timer on your sprinkler system to set the days and times you wish to water. Check your sprinkler system for broken pipes and missing sprinkler heads monthly so as not to waste water. By choosing the correct sprinkler heads you will ensure proper saturation to all areas of your lawn, without watering your fence or the street. Finally, keep an eye on the sometimes unpredictable Florida weather. If it is raining every day, you can easily set your sprinkler timer to "off" in order to save water and electricity as well as avoid over-watering your lawn which can lead to fungus.
FERTILIZING AND WEEDS
Fertilization of your lawn in important in Florida. The best time to fertilize is within the months of March and September. Some customers request a quarterly fertilizer, however on most Florida lawns, it's not necessary. Over-fertilization or using the wrong fertilizer can harm a lawn. Therefore it is important, if you choose to self-fertilize, to use the proper fertilizer for your grass. Amerilawn recommends a two-fold fertilizer. Fertilizing your lawn takes time, energy and money, so why not weed your lawn while you feed lawn...We use Scott's Weed and Feed which can be found at your local home improvement store. Beware - there are two Florida weeds that are very difficult to get rid of: crabgrass and dollar weed. If you see it beginning to sprout in your lawn, hand pick it immediately pulling up all the roots. If it has taken over an area of your lawn you can directly spray the weeds with a liquid broadleaf weed killer that will not harm your grass. Crabgrass tends to die on its own during the winter months. Dollarweed can take over your whole lawn in just a few months. A healthy lawn takes a vigilant homeowner.
AERATION
A healthy lawn needs to breathe. Aerating your lawn relieves compacted roots so a lawn can more readily accept water and fertilizer. Amerilawn recommends aerating thick established lawns once a year. Special pronged shoes or a manual fork-like tool or an aeration machine can be used to remove small plugs of grass and soil from your lawn. Aerating is not easy work and is undertaken only by very healthy individuals.
