2018 - Page 2 of 2 - East Coast Sprayers

Posted on October 1, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

The lawn industry is worth $40 billion a year. If you need to replace your entire lawn with sod, it could cost you a pretty penny – anywhere up to $4,500 depending on size. That’s why it’s important to take care of your lawn.

Don’t let grass bugs destroy your beautiful new lawn. Here are the five most common lawn bugs to watch for and how to get rid of them fast.

1. Grubs (Beetle Larvae)

One of the most common and most damaging of all lawn pets are beetle larvae or grubs. These plump, c-shaped larvae arrive in the spring, summer, and early fall to eat the lawn grass roots. You will find them just below the soil surface.

To get rid of grubs, you can get nematodes, which are microscopic bacteria that invade the grubs and ultimately kill them. You can also try milk spore. The other options are chemical applications either preventative or curatives to kill immature larvae.

2. Chinch Bug

Chinh bugs kill grass by sucking on the blades. While they are feeding, they secrete an anticoagulant which prevents the grass from absorbing water. The grass withers and then dies.

These bugs mature quickly, so it’s important you treat your lawn immediately. Find insecticides labeled for cinch bugs. You should also water and feed your yard regularly to prevent further damage.

3. Sod Webworm

The webworm moth’s larvae eat grass blades and the entire stems. The young sod webworms are about 1 inch in length and will become green or brown with dark spotting. Look for find silken tunnels at the turf level.

To control sod webworms, you need to keep your yard fed and water so it can recover. Next, use a pesticide labeled for sod webworms. They feed at night, so apply in the late afternoon.

4. Armyworm

Armyworms eat the stems and blades. They feed at night or early in the morning.

If you have armyworm damage, these worms create bare spots in a circular shape. They can also make a lawn look like it moved if you have a heavy invasion.

You can try using neem oil spray to kill the larvae. If the damage spreads too quickly, look for the right insecticide which you can get in the organic form.

5. Cutworm

These worms about 2 inches long and are brown or gray with black marks. These worms burrow during the day. You can spot these worms at night or on a cloudy day.

Cutworms bite grass stems completely off. You can find the burrows and the sheared-off grasses if you look closely.

There are a couple of methods you could try to get rid of cutworms. You can spread a mulch of oak leaves or Bacillus thuringlensis, which is a natural method.

Effective Lawn Bug Control

It’s important to apply fertilizer and water your lawn. This helps your lawn stay as healthy as possible to bounce back from pest damage. You can get rid of insect pests yourself or hire a professional for insect control.

Unfortunately, pest damage to your lawn can go unnoticed until major damage shows. You can be proactive in applying preventative treatments to get ahead of the damage.

Want More Lawn Care Advice?

Everyone wants a beautiful lawn free of lawn bugs. Check out our blog today for helpful lawn care tips like seven common lawn care mistakes.

Posted on September 24, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

A healthy lawn increases the value of your home and makes your business stand out from the crowd.

There’s something about that glorious green that makes people sigh with pleasure as they pass by.

Have you recently planted your first lawn? Your next step is to make sure it stays lush, healthy, and green.

Here are five advantages of fertilizers that can give your lawn a helping hand.

A Note on Lawn Fertilization

Lawn fertilizers are either organic or synthetic, and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Organic fertilizers can be homemade and inexpensive, but they’re slow to decompose and take some knowhow to use.

Synthetic fertilizers can make your grass grow more quickly, and will give it the vibrant green color you’re likely looking for. But they can sometimes burn your lawn if applied incorrectly, and can negatively impact the properties of the soil.

1. It’ll Supply the Right Nutrients at the Right Stage

If you’re growing your grass from seed, your new lawn will need different nutrients at different stages.

New grass requires nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in different quantities than an established lawn. Using fertilizer will make sure your grass gets the correct nutrients it needs.

2. It Encourages Your Grass to Grow

Whatever the type, fertilizer adds nutrients to your grass and will help it to grow.

Depending on the type you choose and if you’re in a hurry, you can even make your grass grow super-fast. Make sure you know when and how to use it.

3. Organic Material Helps Your Lawn Absorb More Water and Nutrients

Your grass is thirsty, and with organic material, you can give it a helping hand to get the water it needs.

Things like old grass cuttings and dry leaves can add an extra porous layer at the base of your soil. This also helps your lawn hold water that the blades of grass can then use when they need a drink.

4. It Can Make Your Lawn Greener

As we mentioned earlier, fertilizer can improve the color of your lawn. The best lawn fertilizer is dependant on you, and what you want for your land.

Natural fertilizer gives a more muted green. Synthetic fertilizer will give you the strong, vibrant color that home and business owners are looking for.

5. It Can Improve the Quality of Your Soil

All fertilizers add nutrients to the soil. Synthetic fertilizers have specific percentages of each vitamin and mineral printed on the package. This takes some of the guesswork out of the application.

It can be a little more tricky to work out the nutrient content of your organic fertilizer, but it will often improve the pH of your soil. It also produces a higher-quality soil with a better composition and texture over time.

Reap the Advantages of Fertilizers With Your Lawn

If you’ve recently planted your nice new lawn, you’ll want to keep it looking healthy, green and, well, grassy. The advantages of fertilizers on your lawn are good and plenty.

Both organic and synthetic fertilizers have their own characteristics. You’ll have to choose what’s right for your lawn depending on the specific result you’re going for.

Do you want to fertilize your home or commercial lawn, but aren’t able to do it yourself? Contact us for a quote, and see how we can help.

Posted on September 17, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

We all have that one neighbor with the gorgeous lawn. You know the one, so deep green and lush it almost looks fake. You want one too?

We hear you! Their secret is lawn fertilization. Keep reading to see how you can benefit from using it on your lawn too.

What Lawn Fertilization Can Do for Your Grass

In simple terms, applying a lawn fertilizer provides your grass with the nutrients it needs to grow and thrive. Kind of like how we take vitamins and eat right to nourish our bodies. The environment threatens your lawn’s health, as well as the type of soil it’s growing in, insect attacks, and disease.

Applying a yard fertilizer has the following benefits:

Deep green color
Thicker grass density
Faster growing grass
Lower air temperature through the transpiration process
Quicker damage recovery
Greater resistance to stress

As you can see, these are significant benefits for your lawn. Getting them through the simple act of fertilization is a no-brainer.

Choosing the Right Kind of Yard Fertilizers

Nutrient Profiles Explained

There are many kinds of fertilizers in various formulas, so how do you know which one to buy? Let’s start with the number combinations on the container. For example, 20-10-5.

In order, these numbers represent the percentage of the nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the lawn fertilizer.

Nitrogen is responsible for the green color and is also the most important element in a fertilizer. Phosphorus helps seeds and roots grow which is essential if you’ve planted new grass seed. And lastly, potassium makes the grass healthier and builds a tolerance to disease.

Choose a ratio that specifically helps your lawn issues and local weather conditions. If you have sandy soil, you’ll likely need more nutrients for your grass since the nutrients can leave when the water drains out through the soil. Clay ground tends to hold nutrients well, but the lack of drainage can also cause problems.

Complete vs Incomplete

Not all fertilizers have nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in them. Complete formulas include all three nutrients.

In contrast, incomplete yard fertilizers only contain one or two. You can tell an incomplete version by a zero in the number label, such as 20-0-10.

Organic and Synthetic

Synthetic forms of fertilizer come in two types, quick-release or slow-release. Which one is best for your lawn? Let’s review each so you can make an informed decision.

The quick-release formulas allow the nitrogen into the soil faster resulting in a greener lawn much faster. However, since the yard cannot absorb all the nutrients as fast, you risk future damage and disease. The quick-release formulas may also burn your grass leaving it brown and sparse, defeating your purpose for grass fertilization in the first place.

The slow-release granules won’t give your lawn that instant deep green color, but they won’t burn your lawn or require frequent applications either. These types of fertilizer allow the grass to retain more of the nutrients. Organic fertilizers are slow-release and made from all-natural sources such as feather meal.

When to Fertilize

Naturally, your budget of time and money should determine how often you fertilize. However, according to agronomy research, the most effective regimen is to apply your fertilizer three times throughout the year:

Spring (light application)
Early Summer (light application)
Fall (heavy application)

What’s the Bottom Line?

The benefits of lawn fertilization far outweigh the effort involved in applying them. Now that you know more about yard fertilizers, get started making your lawn the envy of the neighborhood.

Posted on September 10, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

Americans love a green and lush lawn. In fact, the lawn industry is worth nearly $4 billion. Homeowners spend thousands on fertilizers and other lawn products.

With big money invested in the lawn, you want it to be in the best condition possible. If your lawn is important to you, then read on to learn about the most common mistakes made in lawn care. Explore 7 common lawn care mistakes to avoid so you can flaunt the best green in the neighborhood.

1. Overwatering

Many homeowners make this mistake. These misinformed lawn maintainers believe that an extra dose of water is a cure-all.

If the soil is saturated, grassroots have a difficult time absorbing the water. It is possible to drown your grass. The best rule of thumb to follow is giving your grass one inch of water per week.

2. Failure to Water Enough

Grassroots cannot survive without water. If you don’t provide enough water, the roots lose access to water supply.

The water has to soak deep enough into the soil to reach the grassroots. Failing to do so will result in dead grass.

3. Watering At the Wrong Time of Day

It is best to water the grass in the morning. The reason is that the morning is the coolest time of the day.

Watering during the afternoon is inefficient. The water evaporates and the grass does not receive as much water as needed.

4. Fertilizing During Summer

The best time to feed your lawn is during the spring and fall. This is because temperatures are cooler.

Your lawn is more receptive to food and nutrients during this time. By fertilizing in the heat of summer, you run the risk of drying out the lawn.

5. Cutting Too Short

Many homeowners like a shortcut because it looks nice at the moment. It also requires a longer time period in between cuts.

However, there are serious downsides to cutting too short. First, short grass is more susceptible to be overtaken by crabgrass and weeds. Second, shorter grass shoots retain less water and are weaker.

6. Bagging the Lawn Clippings

The cheapest and easiest way to feed your grass is with clippings. Grass clippings are rich in nutrients like nitrogen.

Many homeowners make the mistake of bagging clippings. Take the collection bag off the mower and let the clippings work their magic.

7. Pets Gone Wild

Americans love their pets, but there are downsides when it comes to lawn care. First, pet urine is bad for grass health. The salts, ammonia, and nitrogen in pet urine tend to burn the grass.

Brown spots are not the only byproduct of free-roaming pets. Dogs also like to dig and can make holes in the yard.

Lawn Care Mistakes – Wrapping It Up

Having the nicest lawn on your street does not have to be hard or expensive. Avoiding common mistakes improves the odds of a green lawn.

Steps, like raising your lawn mower blade or watering in the morning, produce favorable results. If you want to learn more about lawn care, please contact us for assistance.

Posted on September 2, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

Many people want to show off their home by surrounding it with beautiful landscaping, but find themselves struggling to find time or lacking the expert knowledge to keep it look it’s best. Most lawn care tips listed below are easy for the average homeowner to keep on their honey-do list, while others can require expert advice to get the job done. At the end of the day, hiring a professional can eliminate stress AND help your lawn maintain its beauty throughout the seasons.

Whether you want to do-it-yourself or hire an expert, we have tricks that can help any homeowner make the best choices for the lawn. In this post, we will share some lawn care tips and tricks on how to fulfill that dream of a beautifully maintained landscape.

1. Grass Care

Having a large area of grass might seem like a time saver, but in reality, grass requires a lot of upkeep. Not only does it have to be mowed at least once a week (sometimes more) to keep it looking beautiful, it also requires regular applications of fertilizer, weed killer, etc. Most homeowners rely on the professional advice of a lawn care expert when it comes to their home’s landscape. East Coast Sprayers is the go-to team of licensed technicians for the Palm Beach County area for a variety lawn fertilization and pest control needs.

Looking for a low maintenance lawn care tip for a large lawn? Consider adding generous areas of stone around the home and maintaining a more manageable grassy lawn area. A stone patio or fire pit area creates a unique outdoor gathering area while cutting back on landscape care. You may also opt to add in large natural stone as a decorative accent throughout your landscape design. Although installing stone might require an initial amount of work, if done properly, areas covered with stone require very little maintenance and add a beautiful appeal to your home.

2. Plant Hardy Flowers, Shrubs and Plants

When shopping for outdoor plants, trees, flowers, etc., it is often very tempting to select something that looks amazing at the outdoor nursery. Upon reading the care instructions, you find it requires a substantial amount of maintenance or may not thrive in your space.

You need to ask yourself if you are truly willing to commit to the consistent watering, pruning, and fertilizing the plant requires in order to grow and thrive. Understand that garden nurseries spend their entire day doing all the necessary maintenance so their plants will look beautiful in order to encourage sales. Instead, select trees, shrubs, and flowers that state clearly they are hardy plants that require little maintenance. If you love the beauty of ornate trees and shrubs, we recommend hiring a professional to keep up with their needs and provide them with the nutrients they need to flourish.

3. Mow Reasonably

Many people think they have to cut their grass to its shortest possible length. But that is not necessarily beneficial for your lawn. Cutting grass too short leaves it susceptible to heat damage, drought and weed invasion. In South Florida, our weather can effect the growth of our lawn, and if its cut too short, the bright, hot sun can severely damage it.

Of course, you don’t want to neglect your grass either because when you finally do mow, the process is often slower and will more than likely leave large amounts of grass clippings that need to be disposed of. A good rule of thumb is to cut no more than 1/3 of the total length of your grass blades. If you know what type of grass you have (i.e. Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, etc.) it can help you determine its ideal height.

If not, then gradually raise your lawn mowing deck every time you mow to find the ideal balance between under and over-mowing for your particular grass species.

4. Call A Lawn Professional

With today’s busy lifestyles, it can be difficult for individuals to find the time to perform all the lawn care and maintenance. The expert touch can not only improve your lawn and surrounding landscape, but alleviate the time and stress of doing it yourself. The best lawn care tips always lead back to lawn experts. Lawn care professionals have extensive experience to help them easily diagnose any issues with your grass and allow them to create the perfect mix of nutrients it desperately needs.

This is where East Coast Sprayers comes to the rescue. We offer a variety of services in Palm Beach County, FL to make your life easier and your landscape lush, green and beautiful. Our services include lawn fertilization, pest control, weed control, tree and shrub care, and much more! Contact us today for your free estimate!

Posted on August 19, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

America loves a well-maintained lawn. In fact, NASA estimates lawns are the country’s largest irrigated crop by area. Collectively, we spend a whopping $28 billion on professional lawn care services to keep them looking their best each year. And why wouldn’t we?

Lawns not only add immeasurably to our home’s curb appeal, but they also keep the yard cool during the warmer months and give homeowners an outdoor space to entertain. Yet despite our longstanding love affair, many homeowners still don’t know how to look after their home’s best asset, especially here in Palm Beach County. Read our lawn care equipment list to discover what lawn tools you need in your home and what tasks are best left to the professionals.

1. An Appropriate Lawnmower

It’s not enough to just own a lawnmower; you need to have one that is suitable for your needs. If your lawn is prone to collecting all sorts of debris, then a bagging lawnmower is ideal for disposing of it elsewhere. During unusually hot or dry periods, mulching is the only way to go because the clippings will protect your lawn from the direct sun and help retain water. Naturally, the ideal option is to grab a lawnmower that quickly and easily switches between the two. That way you get the best of both worlds at the flick of a switch. Size wise, grab a ride on mower if you’re grassy areas spreads over an acre. If not, a standard walk-behind model will do just fine for smaller properties (Added bonus: it will help you reach your daily step goal).

2. A Leaf Blower

Sure, you could use a traditional broom and a rake to clean up those pesky leaves and debris. But who really has the time for that? A leaf blower is an amazing modern invention of convenience that’ll let you finish an hour’s worth of work in minutes. Not to mention they’re quite a bit of fun too.

What type then, gas or electric? Electric blowers are cheaper and lighter, which comes at the cost of blowing power. Some models rely on a power cord which is can be problematic if you are covering a large area. Gas powered leaf blowers are much beefier. They’ll cost you more upfront and blow off a bit of smoke, but they can get the job done fast and are built to last.

3. A String Trimmer

Want your lawn to look better than the neighbors’? Then invest in a string trimmer to cut your corners straight down to a tee. A lawnmower isn’t fine enough to mow those unsightly tufts of grass in narrow and hard to reach places. The string trimmer, on the other hand, was designed for the job. As a bonus, flip it over sideways, and you’ve got yourself a workable edger as well.

4. A Sprinkler

There’s not much point having a lawn if your grass is brown. Rather than watering by hand, install a sprinkler and let the wonders of technology do all the work for you. For the lowest possible effort, grab one with a timer so you can set it and forget it. Certain states enforce water restrictions during dry spells, which is something you’ll need to keep on top of. Here in South Florida, a integrated sprinkler system is a non-negotiable as a homeowner. The hot temperatures make it a necessary tool to keep your lawn looking its best year-round and make taking care of your landscape easy.

Professional Services

Maintaining your lawn can be a somewhat easy job for most homeowners. However, certain tasks really should be left to the lawn care professionals. Lawn fertilization requires immense knowledge; and creating the right mix of nutrients to help your grass thrive can be easily done by the team at East Coast Sprayers. We will identify what your lawn is lacking and create a treatment plan that will keep it looking lush, no matter the season. There are other services we recommending calling a professional for too, these include pest control, weed control, tree and shrub care, whitefly treatments – just to name a few. Contact us today and let our team help you keep your landscape green and beautiful!