This winter has seen some of the coldest weather in the last ten years. Usually I will be running two weekly services during this time and checking on properties in between as well. However the latest freeze has damaged 80% of the soft shrubs and sent lawns into defense mode where they are closing down and preserving water at the root level. This means lawns are looking dead / brown and there is minimal growth.
We are expected to continue with cooler than normal temperatures and to compound things we are under a drought watch in many areas. Please don’t be fooled that a few hours rain is going to fix our problems – it won’t. We need the consistent downpours of summer to rectify and potentially save some of the damaged shrubs and lawns.
Current advice from UF/IFAS is to let nature take its course and leave things be. Palms have naturally dropped their fronds down to create insulation so removing these just exposes the palm to more damage. Whilst some soft shrubs appear brown and have lost all foliage their main root could still be viable and will grow back during summer… until then though I appreciate they will look unsightly.
As a consequence of these abnormal conditions I will continue to check on yards regularly BUT I will not be cutting if I think it will do more harm than good. A 1500lb mower running over weakened delicate roots will do nothing for the lawns in the long run and the suction from the blades could well pull out any new formed growth before it has chance to thrive. HOWEVER – I will always be guided by your needs. If you would prefer I cut or would like a quote for ripping out any deadloss please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will happily oblige with your permission.