Call now for the $50 discount/

Verticutting cleans, thins,
 removes thatch, and improves mowing

Wow, sign-up now before the end of Janurary, in Pinellas County only for the $50 discount.

Contact York

727 455 7337

york.ysta@gmail.com

We ask all customers

1. Have the grass mowed as close to Verticutting day as possible?
2. All sprinklers marked and or cleaned around.
3. Sprinklers turned off.

Why does my lawn need Verticutting/

1. Every type of grass creates thatch.
2. Thatch accumulates naturally.
3. Over fertilization contributes to thatch.
4. Removing the thatch opens up the lawn allowing water, fertilizers, pesticides and the sun to reach the root system better.
5. Over watering, and over fertilizing increase the top growth.
6. The most popular grass in Central and So. Florida is St. Augustine.
7. Unlike most other grasses St. Augustine's will grow in layers, making mowing more difficult.
8. The layering magnifies all the problems stated above.
9. Then if your mowing with your trusty 21" mower, in the cool Florida sun, you may need a cold beer break every 20 minutes?

The true story of Verticutters here in TampaBay

1) The original Ryan Verticutter, when it died
parts were not available to repair the gearbox.

2) Then I found 2 of these newer model Verticutters stuck back in the corner of a mower shop.
The company who was at one time plastering the back page of the TV Dail ( Sunday St. Petersburg Times)
with verticutting ads, had given up on Verticutting?  At that time I didn't know why.

3) Then we Verticutt the soccer field above and this lawn in Seminole, both Bermuda grass.

4)

5) Then we found out why the contractor was out of the  Verticutting business?
This machine was tearing out the grass, not cutting it like in the photo below!

6) After we almost destroyed some St. Augustine lawns, we built the machine above.

7) The finished product

Is it really a man's world?

Guys, think back to when you and your wife went house hunting?
Let me tell you a story about lawns, shopping, and marriage.

  Here in Pinellas County St. Augustine lawns are so out of control. One reason, my opinion, over watering, with (reclaimed water ) which adds more nutrients, plus over fertilizing and wives.

 But you may think it's the lawn spray programs fault (maybe) or is it just a catch 22?

If you're in the lawn spray business, you think I am crazy? You say these lawns need fertilizing, pest control and weed control, every other month?

 So the catch 22, OK, I will draw an (analogy) between makeup for women and lawn spray programs! ( You now think I am crazy)
 For years I have wondered why women wear makeup and most men don't?  Simple some smart business man years ago figured out how to make more money!  

 Now the lawn spray industry has lots of money tied up in equipment, employees to pay, and wife's, who want to go shopping for makeup and stuff!! eke.

But maybe the idea spraying lawns more often was not dreamed up by that guy or even a man?  Could it be retaliation by women?  Please follow my thinking, it’s Saturday morning, your wife wakes you early, honey she says, you know I have to go shopping, and I need your opinion on stuff!! So please mow the lawn.

So follow, what if it was a woman who dreamed up the greener lawn, not men, and yes it's that poor guy who slaved all week!  He has to get out in the hot sun and push his trusty mower thru that lush, perfect weedless expanse surrounding your abode?
 Just to take his wife shopping!

Guys, think back to when you and your wife went house hunting?  You didn’t know then about this shopping conspiracy, aka, the lush green lawn, did you?

Yes, it has been said this massive plot/conspiracy was hatched in a women's restroom, hard to believe isn't it, not really.  Think back to the last time you were at a party or out to dinner with friends. Did your wife go to the restroom alone?  If you didn’t know that’s where it all happens; the conspiracy I mean.

Ok, let's go back to the house hunting part, just in case you didn’t know women are smarter than you know, even if they're blonde!   Its right men look at the yard, the garage, the basement, that's part of the man castle stuff. We want to cut, saw, fix, build, invent and watch the game with a fresh imported beer, with no interruptions, like ( honey, do I look ok in these slacks?)

What you didn't know,  in the house hunting phase, she knew you admired a great lawn; you wanted that man castle stuff. Even when her eyes glazed over when you talk about that SS Camaro you want to restore in (your) garage.
And then as guys show up at the man castle, and you plot, aka, like in the women's restroom, hehe.

They chat do you have to take your wife shopping?  Is your lawn almost impossible to mow?  Have you heard about this Verticutting thing?


And I will say " real men don't shop with their wives " unless you're a saint? Or just bring your copy of 'Atlas Shrugged ' just 1200 pages! It could take that long.
 Now you all think I am a wacko?  Maybe?  Just make your life easier, and your wife happy, and verticutt that lawn.
The caveat, the next time they go to the ladies room, she will tell what a wonderful husband you are!

Make an appointment now for the fall Verticutting season and save $50.

Contact York: 727 455 7337 or york.ysta@gmail.com

My History of verticutting?

Now desperate, I found two newer used Ryan Verticutters.

Yes, that is me with our original Verticutter, it died. It was so old when I called Ryan Equipment looking for parts, the gentlemen said he worked there for 30 years and had never seen one.

Then we Verticutt this soccer field with
Bermuda grass, and the home lawn below. Just
perfect for Bermuda grasses.

Then we found this never machine was not designed
for St Augustine grasses. It just ripped out the grass.

Then I built Verticutter above then later added a winch to raise
and lower the cutting unit.

Make an appointment now for the fall Verticutting season and save $50.

Contact York: 727 455 7337 or york.ysta@gmail.com

Lets discuss what variety of grass is best for your lawn?

1.   See video  after Verticutting                https://youtu.be/B7U3W3R0suE

This blog is geared for Central and South Florida lawns

Why are golf greens verticutt so often? 

Golf greens ( Bermuda grass) are built on special soil structures, The

 additional traffic then creates compacting of the soil.

Making aeration and verticutting so necessary to the health of the green.

Also because the customer is paying, so the ball must roll on a beautifully clean and smooth surface.

Mowing will require a reel type mower mowed almost daily at about 1", for golf greens.

Greens require much more attention to fertilizers, pesticides, and watering.  As a rule, I would not recommend Bermuda grass for the homeowner, in Central and South Florida. 

The Bitter Blue variety of St. Augustine after Verticutting

excellent for shade and the sun.

   Dwarf Seville St. Augustine after Verticutting

Varieties of St. Augustine

Dwarf Cultivars

'Captiva.'

'Captiva' (Figure 4) was released by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station in 2007. It has dark green, short, narrow leaf blades and reduced vertical leaf extension, making it a slower-growing cultivar. It exhibits improved tolerance to chinch bugs compared to other commercially available cultivars. It is somewhat susceptible to diseases such as large patch and take-all root rot, particularly if it receives excess fertilizer or irrigation. Although it has not been officially evaluated for shade tolerance, the dwarf St. Augustine grass cultivars all have better tolerance to shade than the standard cultivars. It should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches.

Figure 4.  

'Captiva' St. Augustinegrass

Credit: 

K. Kenworthy

[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]

'Delmar.'

'Delmar' is often sold as sod or plugs. It has good shade tolerance and also does well in full sun. It has short internodes, a dark green color, and good cold tolerance. ‘Delmar’ is susceptible to chinch bugs, tropical sod webworms (Herpetogramma phaeopteralis), and large patch disease. Like the other dwarf cultivars, it has a tendency to become thatchy. It should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches.

'Sapphire.'

‘Sapphire’ has a blue-green leaf color, purple stolon color, and long leaf blades that remain folded, giving the grass a fine leaf appearance. It spreads rapidly and grows aggressively during the growing season. It is susceptible to most major pests associated with St. Augustinegrass. ‘Sapphire’ should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches.

'Seville.'

‘Seville’ is a fine-leaved variety with a dark green color and a low growth habit. It is susceptible to chinch bug and webworm damage. Like the other dwarf cultivars, ‘Seville’ tends to be prone to thatch. ‘Seville’ performs well in both shade and full sun, but is cold sensitive. It is not as common as ‘Delmar,' but is also a good choice for shady sites. ‘Seville’ should be mowed to a height of 2–2.5 inches

...................................................................................................................

Bahia grass

Many years ago Bahia was the dominant grass in Central and South Florida. Now it is commonly used for cheap sod installations, and along roadways, etc.

Because of the damage by the mole cricket,  the University of Florida developed Floratam St. Augustine.

Now many years later you rarely see a beautiful Bahia lawn, why?   

• Possible lack of know-how on how to care for it?
• Poor sod quality; it falls apart when trying to pick it up.
• Installation is like piecing a puzzle together.
• Almost always needs to be leveled with a lawn roller, after installation.

The benefits

• Can be considerably cheaper than other grasses.
• Can be grown from seed
• Requires fertilizer only twice a year.
• One good watering every other week will keep it green.
• Requires mowing maybe once a month in what we call our winter season.
• Benefits greatly from verticutting.
• With proper care, you may have a beautiful and cheap lawn.
• 
  

Some  disadvantages

• May grow 6 inches a week in the summer months.
• Will require at least two-mole crickets treatments a year.

................................................................................

  

My recommendations

• If you want simple and cheap go with Bahia.
• For a St. Augustine lawn, only a dwarf variety ( Seville ), it will not build up the matting like Bitterblue and Floratam.
• Seville may be mowed at 2-2.5', this is never hard to mow.
• Other non-dwarf varieties will need mowing at 4 -5"

You decide: If you want less work as the cost of keeping a lawn beautiful can be expensive for some, then Bahia is best.

1. Does not require a sprinkler system.
2. Fertilize only twice a year.
3. Must have mole cricket control.

Is your irrigation correct?

Water at the right time.
Watering in the early morning or late evening when temperatures and wind speeds are the lowest will reduce water loss through evaporation. Check with your local Water Management District office or Cooperative Extension Service office to find out how often to water. Tighter watering restrictions may be for different counties ranging from one day per week to two days per week and as restrictive as from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm for no watering.
Lawns only need about ¾ inch of water in one watering session. Place empty tuna cans or measuring cups around the yard (all within the range of the sprinkler, some close, some farther away). Turn on the sprinkler for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, measure the amount of water collected in each can/cup. Check to see if there was an even distribution of water in all the cans/cups. If the cans/cups collected a ¾ inch of water, then you know you need to water for 30 minutes. If the cans/cups collected more or less than ¾ inch of water, then calculate approximately how long you need to water your landscape so that it receives a ¾ inch of water in each watering session.
So how good is your irrigation? Is it truly all about the design?
Some stuff to think about:

• The size of the pipe delivering the water.
• The source ( pump, city water, reclaimed, etc. ).
• How many gallons of water will each source deliver?
• How much water will each pipe size deliver? Most common pipe sizes (1/2" 12 gallons per minute GPM - 3/4" 18 GPM - 1" 24 GPM )
• The size of the nozzle installed in the sprinkler. Most sprinklers have available many different size nozzles. They change the rate of precipitation and coverage area.
• Some types of sprinkler device used (rotors, spray heads, drip).
• The distance between each sprinkler. (always design for 100% coverage)
• Pop-up spray heads and rotors should never be on the same sprinkler zone

Sprays heads, as a rule, should never be placed more than 15'
apart.

Why separate sprays and rotors? 

• The average spray head zone above requires about 15 minutes per watering.
• Rotors below require about one hour per watering.
• Then if placed in the same zone some parts will receive 3 parts more water then the other.

In the photo below the rotors are set about 25' apart. The spray from each head should reach the other with no wind ( 100% coverage ). Your goal should be at least (60% coverage) under windy conditions.

Save water with efficient irrigation

Pinellas County Watering Schedules:

Reclaimed: http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/reclaim-irrigation.htm

County Water or Wells: http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/water-restrict.htm

Next: let's talk about your sprinkler system
For a free estimate: 727 455 7337 or york.ysta@gmail.com



Make an appointment now for the spring Verticutting season and save $50.


Contact York: 727 455 7337 or york.ysta@gmail.com

Now SAVE $50

WE ARE THE ONLY PROFESSIONAL VERTICUTTING COMPANY IN TAMPA BAY

Consumer Save $50 when we Verticutt your lawn, by recommending a friend, and we Verticutt their lawn.

Contractors, earn $50 by recommending your customers; for each lawn we Verticutt.

Cleaned and thinned, vastly improves mowing

completed 7/20/17

All grasses benefit from Verticutting, also improves mowing 

More info: www.verticutting.com

Aeration versus Verticutting for St. Augustine grasses, in central and South Florida

Stop in Feb. 24, learn more about Verticutting.

Aeration of St. Augustine grasses here in central and South Florida is just total dishonestly?  What exactly does putting holes in sand accomplish?

1. The truth, some dishonest companies are pushing aerating, Why?
2. It's easy money.
3. Aeration will have no effect on St. Augustine lawns grown on sand.
4. The aerator drops the core back on the lawn, so any thatch it removes is left.
5. Then because it's sand what keeps the hole from filling back up?
6. Also, aeration has no effect on layering. 
7. Moving north from Tampa bay, the soil structures will change, and then the lawns may require aeration.

 
The photo does not show the real problem, the matting (the top growth) is in most cases 3-4 inches or more above the soil line. As explained above aeration does exactly nothing to solve the matting problem.
The layering or matting is created by over watering, too much fertilizer, mowing too high, and not verticutting.  All these factors create thatch, not grass clippings.

Now is the right time to verticutt:  Contact York:  727 455 7337  or  york.ysta@gmail.com

The verticutting season is here in central Florida. It is time to put your lawn on a diet.