January 2026
Pilcher Pest Prevention
Dollar Dollar Weeds Y’all
Now is the perfect time to tackle weeds in turf, like dollar weed. In fact, dollar weed is very hard to get rid of in the heat of the summer. Jump start the spring by deciding to work with a professional (like Pilcher Pest Prevention, where Trudy and Mark are both graduate horticulturists) to get your lawn and shrubs in the best health they can be.
Let this be the year for finally getting that healthy, beautiful landscape. Put us in your arsenal now so that when spring comes (just a couple months away), our fertilization packages and insect prevention schedules will finally give you the landscape you are looking for.
Pilcher Landscaping
Take a Stand Against (Crape) Murder
Please don’t CRAPE MURDER! Crapes are like any other tree; they do need some selective pruning every 3–5 years, getting rid of rubbing branches and opening up the interior structure of the tree to allow air movement and reducing fungus and insect issues.
The reason so many folks murder crapes is because they just see other folks doing it, or they planted the wrong variety of crape in their landscape.
“Right plant, right place” is always the best horticultural rule. There are dwarf, mid size, and large crape varieties. Work with a knowledgeable landscaper that knows these varieties.
Pilcher Irrigation
Fungus Isn’t So Fun After All
Fungus is still a problem in lawns and you need to be sure your irrigation is reduced. Grass slows growing and roots don’t need as much water, so be sure you are watering one day a week and that your zone times are reduced. (And, by the way, this is the law in St. Johns and Duval counties.)
Rain sensors are great too: if they sense rain, they will turn your controller off without you having to think about it or touch anything. Once the sensor dries out, the controller comes right back on again to the same schedule. This can save you money as well. Be sure your rain sensor is working!
Pilcher Lighting
Light Em Up-Up-Up
Didn’t we all love the Christmas lights? And now they are all coming down 🙁 Wouldn’t it be nice to have beautiful landscape lighting in your landscape year-round? Lights that uplight trees… path lights… wall wash lights that light up the walls of your home… You can even get lights that change colors that you can control from an app on your phone. They are an investment to your property and can provide accents to your landscape as well as security.
