Get Us Through Febru-ugly!!

We almost made it through winter with minimal frost damage in Saint Augustine but Jack Frost hit us late and the temperatures dropping to the 20’s hit our tropical plants and warm season grasses pretty hard. I see many people in a panic that their plants are dead then many that want to jump in a little too quick to cut off the burnt foliage. For your grass, it is just dormant and sleeping, which is a natural part of it’s life cycle. For the tropical plants, Robellini palms, etc. be patient and don’t cut everything off just yet. Most of it should come back and we should start seeing new buds soon. As ugly as it may be, the burnt foliage helps protect from further damage from wind and cold temps. Keep your fingers crossed that today is the last dip into the 30’s for the year and we can get on with life as usual in Florida!

Among our packed work schedule, we keep an eye on the weather and extended forecast, which looks pretty good moving forward. Based on yearly averages, our last threat of frost should be reduced to 30% after March 4th and completely in the clear on March 22. https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/zipcode/32092 This is based on our average “normal” climate, however we all know that nothing seems to be normal these days.

At Bikini Groundskeeping, we have had a busy winter. The late warm temperatures kept us mowing beyond the rate we expected until the big chill hit us a couple weeks ago. What you can expect for the remainder of February is the same as the past month or so. For our full service customers, your schedule will remain for service every two weeks to keep the beds and shrubs maintained. For our grass only customers, we will be cutting only if needed at our discretion. It is difficult to keep an eye on all of our accounts as everyone’s yard grows different and what any particular customer may want. If your lawn needs attention before we get to it, feel free to reach out and we will always add your service to our schedule right away. Our new season kicks off in March and everyone will go back to a bi-weekly schedule. Bermuda will start growing and Saint Augustine grass will be about a month behind. It’s all about soil temperatures and the Saint Augustine grass likes it a little warmer than Bermuda. Be patient! You don’t want to stress your grass by trying to make it do things it is not ready to do. If you have a professional weed control and fertilization company, most of them know what they are doing. If you need that service, reach out to me for who we recommend and use on our own yards. If you would like to change your lawn plan to full service to take care of your shrubs and beds, now is the best time to make that change and reach out to me for your rates.

As indicated above, our new season and schedule kicks off in March. Our winter is a little lackadaisical in regards to communication and schedules as we try to use the winter to rest up from the grind of summer and handle other things. Once we get back to regularly scheduled service, we will be sending out text notices prior to your service dates. Stay tuned in the following days and weeks for more information regarding our growth into additional services, 2022 terms of service, details for your lawn management, etc. We look forward to the season and keeping your lawn looking great this spring and summer!