Macgyver Services

Why grow grass? You may have asked yourself this question at one time or another. It's like a child's question such as: why is the sky blue? We grow grass for one reason: we can mow it and it survives, even thrives. Any other plant, even most other grasses would die after being mowed with any regularity. There are over 10,000 species of grass, yet only about 50 of those are suitable for use in a lawn.

Why can lawn grasses be regularly mown without dying, and still maintain a healthy and attractive appearance? Unlike most plants, lawn grasses grow from the base of the plant, well below the sharpened rotating lawn mower blade. Other plants grow at the tips that don't respond well to being repeatedly cut.

The process of mowing is actually reducing the plants leaves and cutting down its ability to use photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process that takes carbon dioxide from the air and turns it into carbohydrates that the plant uses for food. When the plant looses some of this ability, it overcompensates by producing additional leaves. The result: an even thicker, denser lawn.

So, the answer to the question "why grow grass?" is: because it's the one plant that adapts best for the environment we've created for ourselves.

Grass, lawns, yards, grass and turfgrass: everyone has a name for that green space, but what it really is, is your own little piece of the earth. You own it, you take care of it, you're responsible for it. Your lawn needs you! And, you need your lawn.

Our lawns have become a major player in our eco-system, after all lawns cover about 50 million acres in America (2003 estimate). That means what you do is multiplied thousands of times over. So it's important to do things right and not because that's the way you've always done it.

Taking steps like soil improvement, being careful with herbicides and pesticides, fertilizing the lawn. Identifying disease, pests, or lack of maintenance.

Macgyver Services is here to help care for your lawn. To provide professional service for each and every situation your lawn goes through every month, season to season, we encourage your lawn to grow to the best it can be. We have the resources you need to get your lawn growing so you can enjoy it worry free.

Chinch bug damage to a St. Augstine lawn

Dry weather enhaces survival of chinch bug nymphs and eggs by reducing the incidence of disease. Also, drought-stressed lawns are more susceptible to chinch bug injury, therefore, proper irrigation is crucial to Chinch bug population control.

Grub Worm Damage

The best time for treating grub worms is in late summer or early fall while the grub worms are still small and close to the surface. The damage in the photo above was the results of the grub worms eating at the roots of the grass on their journey up from the deep soil to appear as "June Bugs" or as some call them "Japanese Beetles" The lawn pulls back like loose carpet with no roots.

Grub's Life Cycle

Brown Patch

Brown Patch is most common to Bermuda, Kentucky Bluegrass, Centipede Grass, Bentgrass, St. Augustine, and ryegrasses in regions with high humidity and or shade. Brown patch is a fungal disease that presents a serious threat to St. Augustine each spring and fall. Brown patch commonly starts as a small spot and can quickly spread outwards in a circular or horseshoe pattern up to a couple of feet wide. Often times, while expanding outwards, the inside of the circle will recover, leaving the brown areas resembling a smoke-ring. This fungus will generally occour in the same areas of the lawn each year. The spores become active in the fall as temperatures drop and there is excessive moisture available for the fungus to develop. Scarring from the damage will usually remain until new spring growth fills in the area. Always be aware that watering your lawn at night when temperatures are favorable can also produce this fungus. Only water between the hours of 5am to 9am so that your lawn has a chance to dry out during the day.

Grey Leaf Spot

Leaf spots first appear as tiny brown to ash- colored spots with purple to brown margins that enlarge and become elongated or diamond-shaped. Sections of the leaf blade will also turn yellow. In severe cases, lesions develop on stems and spikes and the leaves wither and die. Turfgrass may have a burned or scorched appearance resulting from death or spotting of the leaf blades. The condition is usually cause by excessive moisture especially in shady areas of the lawn where an abundance of nitrogen is located. Avoid watering in the evening hours especially in shady areas and never water at night. Only water between the hours of 5am to 9am to give the blades time enough to dry before nightfall. Never water during the heat of the day.