Turf Care Services

Here at Mid-Georgia Pest Control, each of our customers is valuable and important to us. We provide superior service that will give you the healthy, thick lawn you and your family will enjoy season after season. With years of experience in caring for lawns in Georgia, Mid-Georgia Turf Care Technicians know what to look for and how to treat your lawn with just the right combination of liquid and granular treatments. In addition, you can call us anytime you have questions or concerns about your lawn.

                  Services

*Turf Insect control               *Soil Samples

*Fertilization                           *Aeration

*Weed Control                        *Overseeding

*Pre-emergence                     *Lime

*Disease and Fungus control

                               Warm Season Turf Care Program

(Bermuda)

Round 1:

First Pre-emergent application of the year and broadleaf and grassy weed control

Round 2:

Second Pre-emergent application.

Broadleaf and grassy weed control as necessary

Round 3:

High rate Nitrogen fertilizer for quick green up. 

Round 4:

Slow release fertilizer and weed control as needed.

Round 5: 

Slow release fertilizer and weed control as needed.

Round 6: 

Third Pre-emergent application of the year.

Round 7:

Fourth Pre-Emergent application of the year. 

Pelletized limestone application as needed to condition soil.

Cool Season Turf Care Program

(Fescue) 

Round 1:

Pre and Post emergent weed control

High rate Nitrogen fertilizer

Round 2:

Pre and Post emergent weed control

Round 3:

Controlled release fertilizer and broadleaf control as needed

Round 4:

Application of high phosphorus fertilizer to promote root health and seed development 

Round 5:

Application of controlled release fertilizer and broadleaf weed control as needed

Round 6:

Pre and Post emergent weed control  

Round 7:

Application of controlled release fertilizer and post emergent as needed

(Aeration and overseeding is recommended at this time)

Turf Tips

Mowing

During active growth periods, lawns should be mowed on a regular schedule so that no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is taken off.  Removing more than the recommended height will stress the turf, causing brown patches to appear.  Also, make sure that the mower blades are sharp.  Mowing with dull blades will also stress the turf.

This picture shows mower damage from improper deck height.

Recommended Mowing Heights:

Bermuda- 1/2" - 1 1/2"

Zoysia- 3/4" - 1 1/2"

Fescue- 3" - 4"

Remember, the more often you mow, the better your lawn will look.

Watering

During vigorous growing periods, lawns should recieve 1" - 1 1/2" of water per week to maintain healthy turf.  Water the lawn in the morning after the dew sets in to ensure effectiveness, less chance of evaporation, and decrease disease development.

Thatch

Thatch is a layer of living and dead grass stems between grass leaves and soil surface.  Excessive thatch makes watering more difficult since water evaporates much more quickly in the thatch layer.  Also, thatch decreases the effectiveness of fertilizer.  Thatch prevents the nutrients in the fertilizer from reaching the soil level.  Thatch that is greater than 1/2" is considered excessive and should be removed.

Turf Terms

Weed-  A plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-made settings such as gardens, lawns, or agricultural areas, but also in parks, woods and other natural areas. More specifically, the term is often used to describe native or nonnative plants that grow and reproduce aggressively.

Broadleaf Weeds-  are weeds with broad, often flat shaped leaves. They include weeds such as dandelion, cudweed, henbit, chickweed. These particular weeds are more common than any other weed, and are generally easy to control   (The pictures below are examples of Broadleaf Weeds)

The above picture is Spotted Spurge (Prostrate Spurge)

The above picture is Yellow Woodsorrel (oxalis) 

Sedges- The third class of weeds. They favor closely to grassy weeds, but in fact are separately categorized. Sedges like Yellow and Purple Nutsedge are difficult to control, often leading to multiple applications of herbicides in order to control them. (The picture below is an example of  Sedge)

 The above picture is Nutsedge

Pre Emergent- A product that is applied (granular or spray) to the soil to prevent the germination of a certain weeds i.e. Poa Annua, Crabgrass, etc.

Post Emergent- A product that is designed to target a desired species of plant or weed. Post emergence can be either a granular or spray solution diluted in water for application.

Fertilizer- Chemical compounds applied (granular or spray) to promote plant health. Main components of fertilizer are characterized by numbers i.e. 28-5-12, 18-24-12, etc. The numbers represent the mineral value in the fertilizer, or NPK. The first number represents the mineral Nitrogen, the second is Phosphorus, and the third is Potassium. These are the main macronutrients that a lawn needs to be healthy. Other micronutrients can also be found in fertilizers as well, such as Calcium, Sulfur, and Magnesium.

Limestone- A mineral that is used as amendments to soil to reduce acidity. Red clay here in Georgia is highly acidic, therefore a yearly application is necessary to control acidity. This allows the root system of turf to readily absorb the nutrients in fertilizer as well. If the soil is too alkaline, Sulfur is added to correct this problem. The relative pH in the soil should be around 6-6.8. A reading with a pH meter or a soil sample can determine if soil is too acidic or alkaline.

Soil Sample- A soil sample is taken to determine the lack or surplus of minerals and their availability in the soil. These are generally taken for further investigations of problematic lawns.

Grassy Weeds- Are weeds that are grass-like in appearance. These weeds include fescue, poa annua, bermuda, crabgrass, dallisgrass, goosegrass, etc. These weeds are more difficult to control than broadleaves, often leading to multiple applications of herbicides.

Herbicide- A substance that is used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed.

Fungicides- Chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores.

Germination- The process in which a seed or spore emerges from a period of dormancy.