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Writer's pictureJon Stoddard

Lawn Spraying and why its the most important in the Fall and Winter



As the cooler temperatures prevail, the time changes, it gets darker earlier, we all start to sense the holidays are coming. It is a glorious time of celebration, time with family and a break we all needed from that hot Florida sun that has kissed our skin for oh so long.

It is also a time when a homeowner or a business owner may cut back on their lawn spray service or pest control service. As these holidays creep closer it is a common practice to cut back certain services for your home or push off projects that may be planned. We all know that Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and other holidays usually dig deep in to our pockets and can concur an expense. What the heck, right? I mean the grass isn't growing much right now, the bugs slow down, what harm is it going to do to skip this service for a few months and continue back up when that sun comes back around........ I suppose at this time you would want me to agree with you, but I am sure you know that I am not going to.......... And I am sure you know that the next step is going to be to educate exactly why what you may think be correct is so far from. Lets start this blog off first addressing the Lawn Spraying importance in cooler weather and soil temperatures now.

That beautiful lawn, oh it was so green, it was growing so fast, it munched up that fertilizer and grew so nice this past spring and summer. I mean my lawn man was cutting that grass weekly! I will start off by saying at this point, you are correct! It is very true that beautiful lawn of yours that Imperial Pest Prevention services was


growing so quickly. It was utilizing those nutrients and, yes, it was so green. The reason for this is because the warmer weather is contributing to vertical top growth, that iron and micro nutrients was utilized by the grass for an enriched deep green color and that lawn man did indeed have to keep it nice and trimmed more frequently.

This is were I come in, the bubble buster, to rain on that parade. The grass in what appears to be in dormancy is doing so much more now than you think and can see on the surface. The fertilizer, the iron, the insecticide that was once needed and everyone thinks is the full program of the lawn spray service starts to become shifted and geared to the lawn that is now in need of other things. Oh, do I have your attention now?, that is correct! The lawn is now in need of different supplementation. The lawn is not growing so much vertically at this point, but it is growing in a lateral motion. The St. Augustine lawn spray service we provide is going to feed that lawn to maximize fill in. It is going to help insulate the lawn for the cold winter that may be coming shortly around the corner. These services are going to enrich the lawn with a very important supplementation called Potash! (K2O) for those Techy type personalities out there. This going to help the grass withstand stress. It will also helps stabilize the turgor pressure in the cells of the grass to ultimately help with disease resistance. Does not sound so good skipping that service now does it? This is a very essential service for your lawn in this season. That is not the only benefit of this application.

Pre-emergents may be another word you may have heard of. In these lawn spray applications, the pre-emergent is also applied to help reduce weeds before they can be seen or at early stages of growth. Skipping the cooler temperature lawn spray services is for sure going to cause you to pick up the phone and call Imperial Pest Prevention regardless of skipping that crucial service. The reason you may ask? Well the "monster" weeds are for sure going to get your attention. These winter weeds such as Hawksbeard and Dandelion weeds can get huge, and do so quickly. Even with having the lawn sprayed, these monstrous weeds can still pop up. They are armed and ready to suck up the nutrients in the turf and grow at an alarming rate. Applying the Pre-emergents will for sure help knock down weeds.

Post-emergents are another reason. Post-emergents are more so simply put as week killer for weeds that can be seen or are in the growing process. Although Imperial Pest Prevention may control them year round with our lawn pest control program, we are limited by restrictions of heat and that hot summer here in Florida. The cooler months now allow us to treat weeds at a much more aggressive manner with an arsenal of weed killer. A nice blanket application of the Potash, the Pre-emergent and the post emergent are going to kick you off in the right direction. It is important to remember, these are not visibly able to be seen. That lawn that has stress spots, yellowing, frost bit, looks a little rough, is doing so much on a microscopic and invisible level at this time. This is the reason why most homeowners look to skip this application, simply because they can not see a visible change. Most of this application is helping to maximize the results for the next season!

It is also important to realize that in Florida, we have an influx of hot and cold


temperatures. Insects will still be in the turf, the need for insecticide can still be present. Fungus is also another component of cooler temperatures. Although these can not be cured and are aggravated by certain weather conditions, they can be retarded to minimize damage and help minimize unsightly curb appeal further.

The purpose of this pest control blog post as all of Imperial Pest Prevention's posts are not to act as a selling tool. They are to educate current customers, the web surfer looking for a pest control company, or anyone in general. If anyone reading this has any questions, we are always available at 386-956-9506 or on our pest control company homepage. We appreciate all of you reading this and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holiday for / or any-other holiday you celebrate.

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