The Southwest Florida Water Management District gives great tips on making the most of your Southwest Florida property.

Bays and waterways contribute to the quality of life in Florida. Waterfront owners can help protect these fragile natural treasures by following these tips:

• Never prune mangroves or remove any vegetation without first seeking proper permits and guidelines.
• Establish a maintenance-free zone of at least 10 feet between your landscape and a water body.
• Remove invasive exotic aquatic plants by cutting, pulling or raking.
• Plant a buffer zone of low-maintenance plants between your lawn and shoreline to absorb nutrients and to provide wildlife habitat.

Friendly visitors, like butterflies and beneficial insects, will enjoy your landscape if you provide food, water and cover. Attract wildlife by following these tips:

• Plant vines, shrubs and trees to create cover, nesting areas and food.
• Provide a water source such as a birdbath or a small pond.
• Provide wildlife shelters such as a bat house, birdhouse or brush pile.
• Protect the health of wildlife visitors. Limit pesticide use by spot-treating only the areas that need attention.
• Consider including native plants in your landscape. They are the natural food, shelter and nesting plants of our local wildlife.

ProMo is the best new residential and commercial lawn care company located conveniently in Southwest Florida and serving Cape Coral, Fort Myers and North Ft. Myers, Estero, Punta Gorda, Bonita Springs and Naples. Check out our specials:

• Refer a Neighbor for $100 Off 
• Refer a Neighbor and get $100 off of your service agreement.
• Free Lawn Mowing with Estimate
• Receive one free lawn mowing simply by letting us give you a service estimate.
• Buy Back Program with 3 Year Service
• We’ll BUY YOUR LAWN EQUIPMENT if you sign up for three year’s service.

Importance of Correctly Mowing Your Lawn

Most people don't realize how much proper lawn care and mowing contributes to the overall health and appearance of their home lawn. Therefore, let's take a look at some of the mowing basics that will provide you with the best possible results:

"Oh dear, are my blades sharp enough?"

• Lawn care with mowers provide, instead of a clean "scissor cut", a rotary-mower "whacks" the grass blade off.   Therefore, it is especially important to keep rotary mower blades very sharp.  Remember to balance the blade if you sharpen it yourself.
  
  
• "Mow grass in the coolest part of the day for the cleanest cut."
  Grass blades are more turgid when they aren't under heat stress (Example: summer afternoons).  However, dew interferes with good early-morning mowing, especially if you are mulching your clippings, so evenings are usually best.  Also remember that "wet grass conditions" will aid in the spread of turfgrass disease pathogens that are already present on your lawn.
  
  
• "The longer the grass, the deeper the root." 
  This saying reminds us to cut turfgrass at the highest setting possible.   2-1/2 to 3 inches is the ideal height for most home lawns.  Grass growing in the shade needs to be cut as long as possible, since it needs more leaf area to intercept limited light.
  
  
• "Never remove more than 1/3 of the height of the grass at a time." (Example: If you are mowing your lawn at 3 inches, always cut it before it gets beyond 4-1/2 inches in height)
  
  
• Mulching your clippings helps return nutrients to the soil.  Try to mow often enough, and under the right conditions, so that clumps of grass aren't left on the lawn.  Under "thick thatch" conditions it is probably advisable to bag your clippings.  Clean your mower deck after mowing.
  
  
• Don't refuel mowing equipment on the lawn in case there is a spill.
  
  
  PROMO LAWN CARE CAN HELP! 
  CALL 1-800-NEW-LAWN for a FREE CUT & Lawn Analysis
  
  
  Article source: http://www.donnan.com/mowing.htm

Is your Florida lawn drowning?

Did you know your lawn talks? (Unless it’s drowning.) Over-watering is a common mistake and unfortunately it has detrimental effects leading to possible weeds, insects and diseases. In fact, experts at the University of Florida suggest turning off your irrigation system and turning it on only when your lawn exhibits the following signs of thirst…

·Folding leaf blades. Drought-stressed lawns will curl up their leaf blades lengthwise in an attempt to minimize leaf area. Wilting is best seen on the older leaves of the grass plant, as the younger leaves are not fully developed and may appear wilted even when they are not.

·       Blue-gray color. Drought-stressed lawns turn from green to bluish-gray.

·       Footprints remaining visible. When footprints or tire tracks remain visible on your lawn long after being made, your lawn is experiencing drought stress.

When you water your lawn you should also consider how much rain your area gets. Perhaps your area is experiencing drought conditions? Here are three tips for watering during a drought: 

·         Priorities. Water highly visible areas first.

·         Time of day. Water early in the morning. Less water loss occurs from evaporation and wind drift in the morning because of cooler temperatures and less wind.

·         Frequency. Irrigate deeply at long intervals rather than watering frequently and shallowly. Deep watering improves drought resistance by promoting deeper, more extensive root systems.

Trust is priceless.

How do you know whom you can trust in and around your home? Choosing a trustworthy and professional lawn care service is easy — it’s all in asking the right questions. And, don’t be shy. Your safety and comfort-level is important! Just ask…

Trust is priceless.  Know who you are hiring before you buy.

1.     Do you employ only legal US citizens? Employing illegal aliens not only puts a strain on our economy and health care system it’s also ILLEGAL. If a lawn care company is willing to break the law by employing illegal residents what else are they doing that’s illegal while performing lawn care?

2.     Do you do criminal background checks on all your employees? If you are away from your home for an extended period of time you want to know that the people caring for your home are of good character and upstanding members of the community. And, if you are at home you certainly want to know that you are safe.

3.     Are you licensed to perform lawn care service in your city, county and state? If your lawn company is operating without a license they cannot purchase business insurance or workers compensation insurance. And, if you employ such a company and there is an injury or if damage is done to your property you will be the one sued or paying for the repairs.

4.     Do you have the proper applicators license to use chemicals for pest and weed control? Being properly educated in handling and applying weed and pest control chemicals is serious stuff! Improper use of these chemicals can kill lawns, shrubs and trees — just as easily as they kill weeds. Much more important it can make pets and children sick or even cause death.

Lawn mowing is not child’s play.

You wouldn’t let your child play with a saw. It’s just as important to keep them a safe distance away from the lawn mower. Lawn mowing injuries are quite common according to ScienceDaily. In 2007 approximately 16,200 children under age 19 were treated for such injuries. Another report indicates that 2 out of every 1,000 ER visits are a result of lawn mower injuries — that’s about half of firearm related injures. David Bishai, associate professor in the Department of Population and Family Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says, “These are machines with sharp blades spinning at 160 miles per hour just inches away from our feet and hands. Everyone needs to respect the dangers and use common sense.”

Ninety-five percent of lawn mower accidents treated at the Johns Hopkins pediatric trauma center between 2000 and 2005 involved amputations that needed reattachment or reconstructive surgery. 

Luckily, lawn-mowing injuries are completely preventable. The easy and affordable choice is to hire a lawn service to do the job for you. It will not only save you from possible injury but it saves so much valuable time you could be spending doing something you really enjoy!