Lawn care for new homeowners in Central Florida
Galapagos helps new homeowners in Celebration, Davenport, Four Corners, ChampionsGate and Clermont through the first year: we find your watering day and fertilizer rules, set the mower to your grass, care for young builder sod, and plan the beds — in English or Spanish.
What nobody tells you at closing
You got keys, a garage opener and an HOA welcome packet. Nobody mentioned that your watering day depends on your water management district, that your county may ban lawn fertilizer for four months a year, or that the sod the builder laid last month still has short roots that dry out fast.
Your first 90 days
- Find your watering day. It depends on your district, and two of the three in our area are under water-shortage orders right now. Your city page shows the rule with the official link.
- Check the sprinklers. Run each zone and look for heads that are buried, tilted or spraying the house. Dry spots in new sod are almost always coverage.
- Mow at the right height. UF/IFAS puts standard St. Augustine at 3.5–4 inches, bahia at 3–4 and coarse zoysia at 2–2.5, never cutting more than a third of the blade.
- Wait to fertilize new sod. UF/IFAS says at least 30 days after planting; Polk County’s ordinance says the same for nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Read the HOA guidelines before you change anything visible from the street.
- Call 811 before you dig. Florida law requires a Sunshine 811 notice two full business days before excavation, with no homeowner exemption.
Your first year in Central Florida
The Florida lawn year doesn’t follow the seasons you may be used to. In February, a pre-emergent keeps summer weeds from sprouting. April brings the first feeding after green-up. From June through September, the rainy season makes grass grow fast, and unincorporated Lake County and Orange County ban nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, so palms get a cleanup before it starts. Early October is the last feeding; in the cool months, watch for large patch. The Florida lawn calendar has the month-by-month version.
Builder sod and builder beds
Builder landscapes are installed fast and to a budget. The sod is young, the beds are narrow and the plants were chosen to look good on closing day. Give the lawn a full season of good mowing and watering before replacing it; patches that still fail can be replaced with new sod. When you are ready for the beds, landscape design and installation can widen them and add plants that suit your yard, and irrigation service can adjust the zones.
A good first-year plan
- Lawn mowingMowing, edging, string trimming and blow-off at the right height for your grass, on a fixed day.
- Lawn fertilizationFertilizer timed to your grass and your county’s ordinance, with slow-release nitrogen and no guesswork.
- Irrigation & sprinklersSprinkler checks, head and nozzle repairs and controller programming set to your legal watering days.
- Bush & shrub trimmingHedges and shrubs shaped and kept off windows, walls and walkways, with clippings hauled away.
- Mulch installationFresh mulch spread at the right depth, kept off trunks and stems, with beds edged first.
- Landscape design & installationNew beds or a full front-yard redo, planned for Florida sun and rain and, where needed, HOA approval.
How we help you start
First visit
We identify your grass, check the sprinklers and look up your district and county rules.
A plan for the year
Mowing, feeding and bed care timed to the Central Florida calendar.
Upgrades when you are ready
Beds, sod patches and trees, quoted separately and never pushed.
Questions from new homeowners
When can I fertilize the sod the builder put in?
UF/IFAS advises waiting at least 30 days after planting, and Polk County’s ordinance bars nitrogen and phosphorus for 30 days after sodding. After that, follow your county’s calendar; Lake and Orange ban nitrogen and phosphorus from June 1 to September 30.
What kind of grass do I have?
In our area it is usually St. Augustine, zoysia or bahia, and each needs a different mowing height. We identify it on the first visit and set the mower to match.
Do I need to call 811 before planting a tree?
Florida law requires anyone excavating to notify Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before digging, and the statute has no homeowner exemption. When we plant or grind stumps, we request the locate.
Which days can I water my lawn?
It depends on your water management district and can change during droughts. Osceola County (SFWMD) uses a two-day rule; Polk County (SWFWMD) and Lake County (SJRWMD) currently have one-day-a-week shortage orders. Each city page shows the rule for that area with a link to the official source.
How short should my lawn be cut?
UF/IFAS recommends 3.5–4 inches for standard St. Augustine, 3–4 inches for Bahia and 2–2.5 inches for coarse Zoysia, removing no more than a third of the blade at a time.
Can you fertilize in the summer?
In unincorporated Lake County, fertilizer with nitrogen or phosphorus isn’t allowed on lawns from June 1 to September 30. Osceola and Polk counties have no summer ban, but no fertilizer during tropical storm or hurricane watches, and Polk also bans it when more than 2 inches of rain is likely within 24 hours. We follow the rule for your address.
Talk to a real person today
Call (407) 577-6400 or send a quote request — in English or Spanish.