Mowing is one of the most important aspects for maintenance of a good quality lawn. Mowing increases turfgrass density, producing a tighter lawn that is resistant to weeds. Proper mowing practices, along with fertilization and irrigation, can largely determine the success or failure of a lawn.
The two main components of mowing are cutting height and frequency. Both of these factors are dependent on the turfgrass species and cultivar and the level of lawn quality. Several other practices involving the use of mowers are also important in creating a quality lawn.
The suggested mowing heights for Florida St. Augustine grass is 2.5 � 4.0 inches every 5 � 14 days.
Turfgrass undergoes physiological stress with each mowing event, particularly if too much leaf tissue is removed. The effects of this "scalping" can produce long-term damage to the turf and leave it susceptible to numerous other stresses, such as insects, disease, drought, and sunscald. Mowing also greatly influences rooting depth, with development of a deeper root system in response to higher mowing heights. Advantages of the deeper root system are greater tolerances to drought, insects, disease, nematodes, temperature stress, poor soil conditions, nutrient deficiencies, and traffic. Mowing below the recommended heights for each species should be avoided and is a primary cause of turf death.
Mow often enough so that no more than one-third of the blade height is removed per mowing. For example, if your St. Augustinegrass lawn is mowed at a height of 3 inches it should be mowed when it grows to a height of 4 to 4� inches. Stress to the grass caused by mowing can be minimized by removing only one-third of the leaf blade at each mowing. It is important to always leave as much leaf surface as possible for photosynthesis to provide food for regrowth.
Clipping Removal
On most lawns, clippings should be returned to help recycle nutrients to the soils. If the lawn is mowed frequently enough, clippings cause few problems. Problems may also arise when turf is mowed infrequently and excess clippings (e.g., clumping) result (Figure 7). When this happens, clippings can be raked to distribute them more evenly.
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SUMMER
Florida
Seasonal Advise
Florida summer = bugs paradise. When we think of summer, we think of bugs. This is the time of year when we get an increase in rain, humidity, and temperature. All of this leads to an increase in insect activity.
Over the next several months there will be an increase in white footed ants, big headed ants, ghost ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, caribbean crazy ants (in South Florida), mosquitoes, and fleas. Keep an eye out for heavy ant trails around the walls, driveways, windows, fences, and throughout the yard. Interior activity will probably be around the kitchen and bathrooms, or near any possible water source.
Carpenter ants and white footed ants usually originate from trees and bushes, so you will want to check these areas for ants. You may also notice insects swarming (flying) in and around your yard. Insects spread and mate this way. If the bugs are swarming inside of your home, you could have an infestation problem.
Fleas are also very common at this time of year. The most common flea problem we encounter is with the cat flea. They breed in sand and dirt, and the hotter it gets outside the worse a cat flea problem can become.
The summer rains and temperatures make it easy to loose control of foliage growth. As plants grow out and touch the side of your house ants are able to use the tree limbs as a bridge to your home. Trimming new tree limbs and foliage away from the house will help decrease the chance of these pests getting inside.
Outside lighting is another factor. Insects are attracted to bright white lights so we recommend using standard yellow lighting. Keep pet dishes inside and trash away from the house so you don't draw ants, rodents, or other wildlife toward the home. Yard debris should be bagged and taken away from the property to decrease harborage areas for insects.
Termite: It's termite swarm season!
Summer begins drywood termite swarming season, which generally occurs at nighttime as opposed to subterranean termite swarms that generally occur in the daytime. Drywood termites live their entire life inside wood with no ground contact and their swarmers tend to be brownish in color.
Lawn & Ornamentals: Watch out for chinch bugs and damaging worms!
Insect pressure is very high in the summer months. Common problems at this time of year involve sod webworms, army worms and chinch bugs in grass areas. Ornamentals tend to have problems with whitefly and scale.
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German cockroaches winning the war against pest
control baits
Filed under Research, Health, Environment on
Wednesday, December 6, 2006.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. The German
cockroach one of the most common and hated household pests is winning the
war against some of the newest insecticides and baits, according to University of Florida researchers.
Whatever you throw at them, they have an
amazing ability to quickly adapt and overcome adversity, said Phil Koehler, an
entomology professor with UF's Institute
of Food and Agricultural
Sciences. We know that they have developed resistance to many of the most
widely used insecticides, and now they are turning up their noses at baits,
including some that were very effective just a few years ago.
"In Florida,
pest control operators say that 60 percent of their customers have German
cockroaches (Blattella germanica) that are refusing to eat most commercial
baits, indicating there is something in the baits that roaches do not like," he
said.
"Often measured in weeks, the roach's rapid reproductive
cycle allows the pest's population to double every two weeks," Koehler said.
"One female roach and her offspring can produce more than 100 million roaches
in a year. Female roaches only need to mate once to lay eggs for the rest of
their lives. And, if they are able to avoid baits, then you've got a real
serious roach problem in no time."
Koehler said the cockroaches carry a variety of
disease-causing pathogens, including viruses and bacteria such as salmonella.
Roach allergens appear to worsen asthma symptoms more than other known
triggers. He cited a 2005 study by the National Pest Management Association
that shows about 90 percent of homeowners nationwide believe that cockroaches
are not a threat to their family's health.
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Benefits of Awnings
Energy Conservation It's official - awnings can help you save energy and reduce your summer cooling bill.
The US Department of Energy states that a properly installed awning can reduce heat gain up to 65 percent on southern windows and as much as 77 percent on eastern and western windows.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says this percentage may be even higher, and that awnings can reduce the heat entering a building by as much as 80 percent.
They offer endless possibilities for enhancing a building's beauty and decor.
They add shape, dimension and color, and can be custom-designed to fit any structure's unique character and style.
They can emphasize attractive or unusual architectural features or improve the appearance of a building via a variety of innovative designs.
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Tips to Make Your Home Less of a Target for Termite Infestation
Now that summer is here, we will all be doing a little gardening.
Here are a few tips to make your home less of a target for termite infestation:
Be sure your sprinklers don't hit your home, termites are more likely to forage in moist soil than consistently dry soil.
Gutters are also a must for moisture control around your home.
Pull mulch 12-16 inches away from the foundation of your home and replace with gravel or stone.
If mulch is used near the home be sure to remove the old mulch and dispose of it.
Termites feed on mulch as it deteriorates, and rotting mulch can cause disease to your ornamental plants.
Also, it is better to not have landscape timbers anywhere near your home as they will draw foraging termites as well.
Keeping the food and moisture away from your home is essential in making your home a less likely target for this damaging pest.
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White Footed Ants
University of Florida Dept. of Entomology and Menatology
The white-footed ant, Technomyrmex albipes (Fr. Smith) has been making news in Florida over the last few years as a pest ant of major importance. Pest control companies, the media and homeowners continually consult universities and government agencies for information on how to control this nuisance ant.
Perhaps the key to the WFA's evolutionary success is its ability to reproduce in large numbers, especially considering that it doesn't have the obvious defensive capabilities of many other ants such as a venomous sting, chemical sprays, or soldiers with strong, biting mandibles. Nearly half of the entire WFA colony is composed of fertile, reproductive females called intercastes that are usually inseminated by wingless males (Yamauchi et al. 1991). Although dealate queens are rare, winged males, which are short-lived, and winged females are released from the colony yearly, usually between July and August in South Florida.
WFA is an extremely difficult pest to control due to the large size of its colonies, but control can be achieved. Baits are effective for many sweet-feeding ant species. Laboratory tests at the University of Florida Research and Education Center in Fort Lauderdale have shown baits to be the only effective management method to date for WFA control.
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