Author: admin@neighbourlaw

Being in the rental property lawn care business Your Neighborhood Lawn Service has seen many rental properties go downhill from the outside.

Whose responsibility is it to keep up the rental property lawn care? Well who owns the property? Does the tenant get a bad lawn notice from the city or home owners association? No, the owner does.

Arguably the property owner says it’s the tenant’s responsibility and the tenants say it’s the owner’s responsibility. What is the bottom line? Who gets hurt most if the rental property is not kept up to standards. THE OWNER

There are several reasons why as the owner of a rental property you should include the cost in with the rent. Oh I know the tenants say they own mower and will keep up with the cutting of the grass trimming weed eating and up keep on the shrubs if any.

Many rental properties I have seen the lawn mower apparently broke not running on the side of the house rusting. Oh yes the tenant once in a while will borrow a neighbors mower (until that gets old) or a relative in the area. But the rental property lawn care is still being grossly neglected.

Here are some good reasons to include professional rental company lawn care in with the rent.

1) Pride. The rental property lawn care company will take more pride in the work they do than the tenant does in the place he/she lives that are not going to own.
2) Curb appeal nothing looks better than a well manicured lawn in your neighborhood
3) Keep the value of the property
4) Tenant comes home to a well manicured lawn they are more apt to take care of the inside better.
5) Keep the home owners association off your neck.
6) A professional rental property lawn care will keep up on your property which will keep the value on the property up for longer period of time.
You can get a Free Quote from Your Neighborhood Lawn Service to manage your rental property lawn care

Cutting back Ligustrum trees to shrubs may be a possible feat when used with caution. Ligustrum trees are a strong, hardy plant used for privacy hedges around pools and houses. Many “experts” frown upon cutting back the ligustrum trees to shrubs, because as they say the canopy of the ligustrum trees should not be compromised. Compromising the canopy of the tree may hinder the growth of the tree. And that may be true, but here are some pictures that tell a different story. The answer is yes, Ligustrum trees can be cut down to bushes.

it took one season of growth ( 1 year ) for the stumps of the cut Ligustrum trees to form a ball of green healthy leaves.

Although these pictures are not of the same property it still shows Ligustrum trees can be cut down to bushes. Need a Free quote?

MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE TO LAWN CARE

(From Month-by-Month Gardening in Florida by Tom MacCubbin/additions by Lukas Nursery)

JANUARY

• NO fertilizer or weed/feed for St. Augustine, Zoysia, or Bahia lawns
• Apply iron at one-half normal rate to renew green if needed
• Apply fungicide to combat “Brown Patch” if needed
• Mow, dig, and spot-kill weeds
• Sow annual rye grass to fill in bare spots and re-green brown lawns if desired
• DO NOT apply pesticides this time of year

FEBRUARY

• First-of-the-year weed/feed application can begin when danger of freezing weather is past
• Remove all growing crabgrass and dormant runners
• Apply a pre-emergence herbicide (repeat treatment may be needed)
• Apply fungicide to combat “Brown Patch” if needed
• Watch for chinch bug and grub activity and treat with insecticide if needed

MARCH

• Complete spring weed/feed applications (temperatures should be below 85 degrees)
• Apply insecticide if you haven’t already to combat chinch bugs, grubs, sod webworm, and bill bugs(Zoysia) if needed

APRIL

• Complete spring weed/feed by early in month if you haven’t already. This is the last chance to do selective weed control before hot weather
• Iron-only feeding (Summer Green) can be given b\Bahia turf if it is showing some yellowing even after earlier spring feeding
• Watch for lawn insects and treat as needed with insecticide DO NOT USE SELECTIVE WEED KILLERS DURING HOT WEATHER!

MAY

• Some vigorous and shallow rooted grasses (bermuda grass, zoysia grass) may need another fertilizer application
• Apply a pre-emergence herbicide if needed
• Apply fungicide at preventive or treatment rate if needed & watch for fungus infestation
• Check Bahia lawns for mole crickets, Zoysia for bill bugs & sod webworm, St. Augustine for cinch bugs & sod webworm, and all lawns for grubs, and apply insecticide if needed

JUNE

• Light fertilizer application if you missed the spring feeding
• Iron-only feeding or Summer Green product if grass is yellowing
• Apply fungicide at preventive or treatment rate if needed & watch for fungus infestation
• Control mole crickets, cinch bugs, grubs, and other insects with insecticide if needed

JULY

• Some yellowing and light green in the lawn is normal this time of year and may actually make the grass more pest resistant. Use iron-only fertilizer (Summer Green) for Bahia and St. Augustine grass or half-strength fertilizer if desired to improve green
• Apply fungicide at preventive or treatment rate if needed & watch for fungus infestation
• Check for Chinch bugs, mole crickets (Bahia), grubs, bill bugs (Zoysia) and other insects, and treat with insecticide if needed
• Mow, dig out, or spot-kill weeds with non selective herbicides (Weed Out/Roundup) during the hot months

AUGUST

• Iron-only (Summer Green) or light fertilizer application to make lawns greener
• Apply a pre-emergence herbicide if needed
• Apply fungicide at preventive or treatment rate if needed
• Check lawn weekly for signs of insects and fungus and treat with appropriate insecticide or fungicide

SEPTEMBER

• Fall feeding with complete fertilizer
• Summer insects and fungus will affect the lawn for at least one more month, treat with insecticide and fungicide if needed
• Apply fungicide at preventive or treatment rate if needed
• Wait until the later part of the month to begin selective weed control. Until then pull or spot-kill weeds with a non selective herbicide (Weed Out/Roundup)

OCTOBER

• Apply fertilizer or weed/feed now if you didn’t in September. Bahia grass will soon begin to slow its growth.
• Insects and fungus begin to decline, however chinch bugs, mole crickets, grubs, and a few other insects might still need to be treated with insecticide
• Mowing, digging, and spot-killing weeds can continue, as well as the use of selective weed-control products. Broadleaf weed types are the easiest to control

NOVEMBER

• Apply winterizer (potassium-only fertilizer) to your lawn.
• Apply a pre-emergence herbicide if needed
• Treat grubs in your lawn, and watch for chinch bugs and mole crickets and treat with insecticide as needed.

DECEMBER

• NO fertilizer or weed/feed for St. Augustine, Zoysia and Bahia lawns
• Fungicide for “Brown Patch” if needed (Fungicides do not help cold damaged lawns)
• Do not use pesticides at this time of year
• Overseed with rye grass if desired
  

Orange County Extension Office: 407-254-9200

Lukas Nursery Recommends:

Fertilome Weed & Feed (atrazine) (ST. AUGUSTINE ONLY!) (cool weather) Fertilome liquid Weed-Free Zone (carfentrazone) (cool weather) Fertilome Weed Out (2-4-D) (bahia, zoysia/ not for St. Augustine) (coolweather) Fertilome New Lawn Starter (new sod) Fertilome Winterizer (high potassium) Lukas Nursery Iron Plus Fertilizer (spring, summer, fall) Summer Green (iron, magnesium, manganese) Fertilome Weed & Grass Stopper pre-emergent (Treflan) Fertilome F-Stop fungicide granules or liquid systemic (Banner) Fertilome Bug Blaster, imidacloprid (systemic), or Dylox product (insect control)

This was a grueling 4 day clean up and landscape project. On the side of the back porch we ripped out grass and weeds then installed sweet smelling Tea Olive Shrubs with Blue Daze in front.

At the back side of the back porch we cleared out stones, weeds and old weed barrier material. then installed White ruffle Azaleas with Blue Daze to enhance the landscape.
The front walk way – In Ohio we call it the devil strip. We cleared out the ferns, (took two days), installed Asiatic Jasmine , which is a ground cover that does fairly well in shaded areas. there are only a few plants that can grow in shade like this in Zone 9a. Ferns and Asiatic Jasmine. the Jasmine won.

The Crape Myrtle we pruned and cleaned up the weeds around the area and topped off the decorative grasses.

Left front yard we cleaned out Many Split Philodendrons, huge prehistoric ferns, a few Elephant Ears and countless bags of leaves. then we installed Formosa Azaleas, enhanced with New Guinea Inpatients.

Right side of back yard we cleaned out Miscellaneous growth and trimmed shrubs.

Left side of back yard as you can see were massive Split Philodendrons and other plant life that was just there. We cleared that area out and home owner may put in rubber mulch or frog plant.

In the back yard next to left neighbors house we tore out more Split Philodendrons and burned off grass, then we installed Orange colored Shrimp Plant (a butterfly attracting plant) next to neighbors house. At the fence we planted Banana Shrubs, which bloom and smell like ripe bananas. Then we enhanced the look with white Angel Wing Begonias.