This week much of the Southeast is expected to experience freezing temperatures, which can cause severe damage to lawns, trees and shrubs.  Here are a few tips to take when a freeze is in the forecast:

• Irrigate before a frost or freeze to ensure there is proper moisture in the soil root zone, however make sure irrigation is stopped early enough to allow time for leaves to dry to avoid ice forming on them.
• Cover cold-sensitive plants with blankets or boxes, but not plastic.  Be sure to remove the covering as soon as the temperatures begin to warm up.
• Do not mow turf that is frozen, and keep the lawn mowed high.  This can reduce cold injury in two ways.  First, it will promote a deeper root system that will provide greater stress tolerance.  Second, it will create a warmer micro-environment within the lawn.
• Avoid foot traffic and vehicular traffic on frozen turf, as it can increase damage.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us or visit our freeze information page!

Cooler temperatures are here! Along with the chilly weather, you may start to see your landscape go through some changes as well.

Rain and cooler temperatures are ideal conditions for Brown Patch to pop up in your landscape and cause damage. Brown Patch is a fungus in the soil that lays dormant until the conditions are just right for it to flourish, with shaded areas that retain water being especially prone to the disease.

If you have Brown Patch damage, you will see circular patches of damaged turf with yellow, orange or purple grass blades on the outside border of the patch. The base of the blade of grass will be rotten and will slide out easily when pulled.

While Brown Patch is unpreventable, it is easy to treat with a corrective spot treatment. This will stop the spread of the disease and lawn re-growth should occur in a few weeks. Also, make sure you adjust your watering frequency – watering once per week in the cooler months is generally sufficient. Water in the early morning before 10 am so the water has a chance to reach root zones.

Have any questions or concerns? Just give us a call!

There is a Freeze Warning tonight through Friday in Central and Northern Florida. The current forecast is predicting overnight freezing temperatures for extended hours which will likely result in some amount of damage or death to lawns and landscape plants. Here are some tips that will help minimize the harmful effects of low temperatures:

• Run your irrigation system for 15 minutes per zone for rotor heads and 5 minutes per zone for spray heads tonight and again in the morning once temperatures rise above freezing.
• Cover your cold-sensitive shrubs and ornamentals (see list below) with sheets or blankets, but not plastic.
• Don’t mow or walk across your lawn if it is frozen or if there is frost present.

If you have any questions, whether you’re a Massey Customer or not, please call us at 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739).

Most Common Cold-sensitive plants*:

• Queen Sago
• Australian Tree Fern
• Palm trees
• Bird of Paradise
• Variegated Schefflera
• Cardboard Palms
• Hibiscus
• Tibouchina
• Firebush
• Plumbago
• Cardinal Plant
• Roebellini Palm
• Bougainvillea
• Staghorn Fern
• Fire Spike
• Lantana
• Croton
• Ixora
• Allamanda
• Philodendron
• Mandevilla
• Heather
• Oleander
• Butterfly bush

*This is just a list of the most common plants. If you have plants not on this list that are fruit bearing or annuals, it is recommended you cover them.

Frost and freeze warnings come few and far between in Florida and generally happen in the northern part of the state. However, when they do come, homeowners need to be prepared to protect their landscape from potentially damaging temperatures.

There is a frost warning in and around the following counties for tonight thru Thursday: Leon, Flagler, Volusia, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Lake, Marion, Sumter, Duval and Clay.

If you live in and around these counties, here are some things you can do to protect your landscape:

• Run your irrigation system for one cycle tonight before going to sleep – 15minutes per zone for rotary heads and 5 minutes per zone for spray heads
• Cover your cold sensitive shrubs and ornamentals with sheets or blankets
• Do not walk across or mow your lawn if there is frost present

If you have questions, whether you’re a Massey customer or not, please call us at 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739) and we can help.

Bundle up and keep warm!