By Isaac Einstein, the 12-year-old owner of Ready 2 Mow
Some of my favorite yards to work on are out by the water: Madeira Beach, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach and the Redingtons. They also come with their own set of challenges. Salty breezes, sandy soil, seagrape leaves everywhere and a steady wind that blows debris into every corner. Here are the things I've learned about keeping a beach-area yard looking good, especially this time of year.
1. Mow a little higher and keep the blade sharp
Sandy soil drains fast, so lawns near the Gulf can dry out quicker than lawns a few miles inland. One of the easiest ways to help your grass is to leave it a little taller. Longer blades shade the soil and help it hold on to moisture.
- Try not to cut off more than about one-third of the grass blade at a time.
- Mow when the grass is dry so the clippings spread out instead of clumping.
- Keep the mower blade sharp. A dull blade shreds the tips, and torn grass loses water faster and turns brown at the edges.
- Leave short clippings on the lawn. They break down and give a little back to sandy soil that doesn't hold much on its own.
2. Stay on top of seagrape leaves
Seagrapes look great and handle the beach life really well, but those big round leaves drop all the time. When they pile up on the lawn, they block sunlight and trap moisture against the grass, which can leave thin or yellow spots. In beds, they get tangled in shrubs and make the whole yard look messy.
- Blow or rake leaves off the lawn every week or two instead of waiting for a huge pile.
- Clear leaves out from under shrubs and along fences, where the wind tends to stack them up.
- Pick up leaves and fruit from walkways and driveways so they don't get slippery or stain the concrete.
If your seagrapes or other plants are on or near a dune, check with your city before trimming anything there, because dune plants help hold the sand in place.
3. Clean up palm fronds and windblown debris
Between wind and storms, beach yards collect a lot of stuff: fronds, coconut husks, sticks, sand and the occasional piece of somebody else's trash. It's worth doing a quick walk-around before every mow so nothing gets thrown by the mower.
When a yard needs more than a quick pickup, a full cleanup gets everything back to a clean starting point. When I do cleanups, I haul all the debris away, so you don't have bags and branches sitting at the curb waiting for pickup day.
4. Trim shrubs lightly and keep them off the house
Salt air and wind can be tough on shrubs, so I like light, regular shaping instead of big, heavy cuts. A shrub that gets cut way back all at once has to work hard to grow its leaves back, and that's harder in sandy, salty conditions.
- Shape hedges a little wider at the bottom than the top so the lower branches get light.
- Keep branches trimmed back from windows, walls, roofs and AC units so air can move around the house.
- Clear plants away from walkways and doors so nobody gets scratched up walking in.
Anything that needs a ladder, a chainsaw or tree work is a job for a tree service. I trim shrubs and hedges from the ground, which covers most yards.
5. Pull weeds before they spread in the sand
Weeds love the loose, sandy beds you find near the beach because their roots slide right out of the ground, and that's good news for pulling them, too. The trick is getting to them early, before they flower and drop seeds.
Work on small patches often, pull from the base so the root comes with it, and top bare beds with fresh mulch to keep new weeds from getting started. I do all of my weed pulling by hand, with no spraying.
6. Rinse and water the smart way
Salt spray can build up on plants close to the water. When you're already watering, giving shrubs near the street or the beach a gentle rinse can help. A few other watering tips:
- Water early in the morning, before the wind and heat pick up.
- Check that sprinkler heads aren't blocked by grass, sand or mulch and aren't watering the driveway.
- Watch for grayish, curling grass blades, which are usually the first sign the lawn is thirsty.
- Always follow your city's and county's current watering rules.
Want help with your beach-area yard?
If you'd rather enjoy the beach than rake seagrape leaves, I'd be happy to help. Ready 2 Mow handles mowing, edging and blowing, yard cleanups with debris haul-away, shrub trimming and hand weed pulling in Seminole and nearby beach communities. I'm owner-operated and insured, quotes are free, and I accept any form of payment.
Call or text me at (727) 304-7803, or request a free quote online. Thanks for reading!
Isaac