Page 7 - Lawn & Landscape Guide AL

Insect Control: Now is a great time to apply a horticultural oil for over wintering insects. Do not apply in freezing temperatures or in hot temperatures.
Mulch: February is a great month to top off or apply mulch to your flower bed space. Mulch helps protect the plant, keep weeds out, and retains moisture. The end result of 3”-4” of mulch is recommended. Always remember to keep raw or aged mulch at least 12”-18” off the foundation of your home or structure. This helps prevent termites and other wood destroying organisms from having easy access to your home. Fill that 12”-18” with some type of stone or rubber mulch.
Pre-emergent: Weeds in flower beds are the arch nemesis for homeowners. Apply a pre-emergent to prevent weed germination and thus having to hand pull weeds. Pre-emergents will prevent a variety of weeeds from germination but not all. (Ex: Nutsedge & Bermuda)
Post-emergent: Weeds are now active in our landscaped areas and can be spot treated as needed with a product like round-up. Round-up is a non-selective herbicide. Be careful to avoid plant injury.
Other Tips:
Service your mower-time to get ready (oil change, checking all fluids, grease machine, clean air filter) Clean and sharpen mower blades (2-3 sharpening’s per growing season)
Service irrigation system (replace cracked heads and fix other leaks-fixing now allows you to be ready when irrigation is needed)
March
Centipede, St. Augustine, & Zoysia
Mowing: With no cold temperatures in the forecast, it is officially time to start your mowing season. Starting out, mow your lawn a little lower than normal. (Centipede-2” St. Augustine2-.5” Zoysia-2”)This exposes the soil to more sunlight and allows the lawn to have an earlier green up. But, do not scalp the lawn. Scalping can put additional stress on your lawn and provide the room that weed seeds need to germinate and want to invade that space. Do not bag clippings as the leaf debris will be turned into compost (organic matter) which will later be used by the plant for nutrition.