Father and Son Pest and Lawn Solutions

08/07/2026

HOW TO CONTROL CRAB GRASS IN YOUR LAWN.

Crab grass is one of the most common weeds around. What makes crab grass a challenge to control is killing the crab grass without injuring the lawn. Herbicides generally work in one of two ways. Either they kill grass and not broad leaf plants, or they kill broad leaf plants and not grass.
Only a few select herbicides will kill certain types of grass and leave other types of grass un-injured.
Consequently, killing crabgrass within your lawn without injuring it requires carefully selecting the right herbicide.
The herbicide, Drive, will kill crab grass without injuring Bermuda or zoysia. The herbicide Grass Getter will kill crab grass without injuring centipede. There are no herbicides available that will kill crab grass without injuring St. Augustine.
An effective way to prevent crab grass is to apply a pre-emergent herbicide in February. Although a pre-emergent herbicide application may not prevent all crab grass, it will significantly reduce it.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935

08/06/2026

08/05/2026

HOW TO TREAT MOLE CRICKETS IN YOUR LAWN
Mole crickets are one of the most destructive insect pests in this area! They burrow just below the surface of the soil, churning up the ground, feeding on grass roots, leaving dead grass lying on top of the ground. Left unchecked, they can destroy large sections of lawn ultimately requiring requiring resodding.
We, along with other professional lawn treatment companies can use a product called Fipronil that is effective against mole crickets (and fire ants) for months at a time. However, you can also treat them yourself with a little effort. Here is the most effective way to for treat mole crickets and protect your lawn:
1. Thoroughly water the lawn late in the afternoon to prepare the soil for treatment.
2. Apply Bifenthrin (Talstar) in the evening immediately after watering. Mole crickets are nocturnal feeders and will be closest to the surface and easiest to kill in the evening.
3. Thoroughly water the lawn again, immediately after the application to push the insecticide into the soil where the mole crickets are.
4. Repeat as necessary.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer free lawn consultations. PM, text or call me 850-240-7935

08/04/2026

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT MUSHROOMS GROWING IN YOUR LAWN?

Mushrooms grow off of decomposing roots and stumps under the ground and pop up when moisture and temperature conditions are conducive for the spores to grow (usually cool, wet spring and fall weather). They don’t harm the grass and there is no product they make to treat them with. Once the weather turns cold or warms up, depending on the season, they will go away. In the mean time the only other option is to pluck them.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935

08/03/2026

HOW TO CARE FOR NEW SOD.

After installing new sod there are a few things that are necessary in order to assure it gets established and thrives.

WATER.
Water is the most important element for new sod! When sod is harvested, 80%-90% of the root system is cut away so it has a very limited ability to absorb water. If the sod is laid in the summer, it is necessary to water twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, to keep the new grass from getting drought stressed. Water twice a day for about 2 weeks until the new sod starts to root and then decrease the frequency to once a day, early in the morning. HOWEVER, if the sod is laid during the cool season, the sod does not dry out nearly as fast and it is important to limit the watering frequency to avoid DISEASE activity! During cool weather, watering new sod once every 2-3 days in the early morning is usually sufficient. To determine if the new grass has enough water during cool weather, feel the soil on the back of the sod, if it is moist, the sod has enough water.

FERTILIZER
Do not apply any fertilizer to new sod for at least 30 days and not at all if daytime temperatures are below 85 degrees. Fertilizing new sod too early will re**rd root growth and could cause it to collapse and die. When fertilizing, use a balanced fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 that has equal amounts of all major nutrients since our sandy soil is void of all nutrients.

W**D CONTROL.
Applying herbicide to new sod will add stress to the grass and could kill it. Avoid applying and herbicide for at least a month or more until it becomes rooted in.

INSECT CONTROL.
It’s not uncommon for sod to come infested with sod web worms eggs from the sod farm. Monitor the new sod closely and treat any sign of sod web worms immediately with insecticide. Applying insecticide to new sod will not stress it.

DISEASE CONTROL.
Disease is most common in new sod that is laid during cool weather. Monitor the new sod for disease activity and apply fungicides as needed. Fungicide will not stress new sod.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? Contact me for a FREE LAWN CONSULTATION! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935

07/31/2026

A cool fence idea!

07/30/2026

IS THIS ADVERTISEMENT FOR REAL?

This ad for zoysia grass has been around for decades. It seems to communicate that "Amazoy" is a super grass that grows anywhere, under any conditions and is impervious to problems. Is this true?
In reality, there is no grass that is quite as good as the ad makes this sound. This ad is just a really good marketing piece and the fact that it has been around so many years, verifies that it sells grass plugs! HOWEVER, zoysia does have a lot of the good
characteristics mentioned in the ad. It's dense, grows well in shade and sun and is drought tolerant, just understand all these attributes do have limitations and zoysia is not indestructible.
So should you buy these plugs? The grass plugs you receive from this offer are actually pretty small, about the size of your finger. It would be a lot cheaper to buy zoysia plugs locally or cut up pieces of sod and plant them. By the way, there is no "super strain" of zoysia either. Most all varieties of zoysia will give you the same benefits, the biggest difference will be in appearance, color and texture.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? Contact me for a FREE LAWN CONSULTATION! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935

07/29/2026

https://youtu.be/5eGc12RYL2E?si=dvM5cKTbjYXEv2S4

Looking for a simple way to patch in a new piece of sod in a declin...

07/28/2026

HOW TO ESTABLISH SOD WITHOUT AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM

For the most part, here in the Emerald Coast, having an irrigation system is essential to establish sod and to have a healthy, thriving lawn. There are however, ways to establish and maintain sod without an irrigation system.
We installed a new entrance to our office last summer and needed to sod the area around it but it was not irrigated. So, we did two things to make sod work in this area:
1. We waited until winter to lay the sod. Sod laid in the winter does not require irrigation because the cooler temperatures and shorter days cause it to not lose much moisture. That, combined with periodic rain we get over the winter is enough to keep the sod alive.
2. We chose the most drought tolerant grass available, Bermuda. Once established, Bermuda grass will tolerate summer heat and periods of drought like no other grass. It won’t be as lush as if it were irrigated but IT WILL SURVIVE. And that is what we needed for this spot out by the road. The only requirement Bermuda has is lots of sunlight. It is not shade tolerant whatsoever, which was no problem for this spot.
So, in our application of needing grass around our entrance that has no irrigation, we installed Bermuda sod in late November. It will be rooted in by spring when the temperature warms up and will be able to survive the stress of heat by the time summer get here. We don’t expect it to be a lush, trophy lawn, but that’s not what we need. We just need it to survive, which it will!

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935

07/27/2026

HOW TO ESTABLISH NEW SOD AROUND TREES.

I received a message from a home owner who questioned my recommendation of zoysia sod. He said he planted zoysia in his back yard and it died with in a year. The first thing I asked him was if he had any trees in his backyard. He replied "Yes, two large magnolia trees!"
New sod installed on top of root bound soil will not have a very long life span. It will be very difficult for the new grass to establish itself into the root bound soil and it will eventually decline within a year or two.
When installing new sod in areas where trees are growing, spread an inch or two of sand on top of the root bound soil to give the new grass some free soil space to establish itself in. By doing this you will ensure the longevity of the sod you install. By the way, also make sure that the tree canopies are high enough to let in sufficient light for the new sod to thrive.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? Contact me for a FREE LAWN CONSULTATION! PM, call or text me at 850-240-7935