March Questions

Q. What “weed and feed” fertilizer would you recommend to put on my lawn that has both Centipede and St. Augustine grass?

A. When your lawn is about 50% green (mid-March) you can apply Ferti-lome St.Augustine Weed and Feed to kill young tender weeds and to prevent warm season weeds from emerging. This is safe on Centipede grass. It will help with  Chickweed, Dollarweed, and Oxalis. If you have large Clover, Dandelion and Spurge we would recommend waiting until the lawn has entirely greened up (April) and applying Ferti-lome WeedOut Plus Lawn Fertilizer. Bring in samples of your weeds for additional help.

 Q. What general lawn fertilizer is recommended for our area lawns?

A. Esposito’s Own Brand 15-0-15 with 50 percent water insoluble nitrogen is specially blended to satisfy the latest recommendations from lawn experts with Florida’s County Extension Service. Apply after your lawn has greened up.

 Q. Can I do anything to help repel Armadillos from my property ?

A. Armadillos feed on white grubs and earthworms. One strategy is to reduce the grub population and to apply a repellent to make the earthworms distasteful to them. We recommend applying Hi-Yield Kill-A-Grub granules to the lawn and watering in with Dr.T's Whole Control.

 Q. My yard is too shady for Centipede grass to grow. Can you recommend a good grass for me to plant?

A. St.Augustine grass varieties are our only choices for the shade here in the deep south. ‘Amerishade’ is a new very shade tolerant variety developed by The Scotts Co. that is now available in sod and plugs. ‘Amerishade’ received the highest rating for its performance in shade studies conducted at LSU in 1996 and 1997. ‘Amerishade’ has a dwarf growth habit (lower than ‘Seville’) and can be mowed between 1-2” high! We are excited about the potential for this attractive St. Augustine variety because it is lower growing and more shade tolerant than other varieties.

 Q. When do I fertilize my Azaleas, and what is best to put on them?

A. Fertilize your Azaleas after they finish flowering with Esposito’s Own 5-4-7 with minors. Be sure to rake away fallen blooms first to help avoid future attacks of Azalea Petal Blight.