Do you have a lawn service?
 so this year I decided to hire a lawn service. Not to cut the grass just for fertilize and weed control.They came out about about two weeks ago and sprayed the lawn. No 1) they left the gate open...which we found out about when the dogs got out. No 2) not one weed has died or even looked sickly, in fact they looked rather healthy. They sent a postcard today outlining the timeline and on there were two ground Ivy app's. What???? I had asked if the weed control covers the ground ivy. The answer was yes. I called and asked what was sprayed on our lawn. They told me it was fertilizer. I asked why they would fertilize the weeds.  they told me the ground was still a little cold to put on weed killer. I told them that right now the weeds are living the high life. They will be here next week to spray for weeds.I next asked about the ground ivy app's. They told me that I had asked for two extra ummmm NO! I asked if their weed control included that and they told me YES. They told me it can be hard to kill. I told them if I can do it...so can they.And then I asked very kindly(as dh is yelling in the background) to close the gate when they leave  P.S. Yes I did ask if the weedkiller is safe for the dogs. |
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| Ahhh... that stinks!! ...esp since you needed the help!! I do understand though. What they did is soooooooo common here. We don't get lawn service but many of our neighbors do and pretty much anything you get here (contractors, laborers, install sprinklers, gutters, etc) ...don't speak English. they work fast, work is sloppy, and you just pray you can get in touch with them again if something is wrong. |
We do have a lawn service for fertilization and weed control. Have had the same company for probably 5-6 years now and are very happy with them. When I got laid off last year, we stopped the service and tried to weed/feed ourselves. The result? A few burned out patches where the spreader dumped a whole bunch of stuff in one spot!  We called and reinstated the service for this year in early March. I figured they'd be out within a week or so for the first treatment because they always did the first one pretty early. This spring I noticed that the dandelions were growing like - well, like weeds! Before we stopped the service last year, ours was the only lawn on the street that had no dandelions. Man, it doesn't take long for them to reinfest, does it? When the first treatment still hadn't been done by last week, I called was told they do the first feeding anywhere from Feb thru April. (Guess we were almost last on the list this year - maybe payback for cancelling the service last year?? ) I asked about the weed treatment and was told the same thing - the ground wasn't warm enough yet. Understood, I said - but you should see my crop of dandelions! So they agreed they would spot treat them this time, and make sure to do the weed/feed on the second treatment.We have no fences or gates to worry about, so can't complain about that. Good luck! |
| Yup. James. |
ButtersStotch wrote: Yup. James.  Same here And yes our husbands' names are the same! Last year Jim bought a new fangled machine that uses the liquid form rather than the dry form of the weed & feed & fertilizer. It paid for itself this year by the fact that the liquid (same stuff) is so much more economical than the dry form. And what we like is that it goes to work faster because you don't have to wait on rain! So it is safer for the dogs faster too. When you are doing almost 2 acres, it pays to do it yourself. |
| hmmm, usually the liquid fertilizers are so much more expensive than the dried. Yep, dandelions will come back quickly. Since they are perennial, they will germinate the previous year when those puffers are sending seed and then spending fall and early winter developing that horrendous root. So by blossom time the are vigorous. The herbicides work by interferring with the metabolic processes so for awhile they appear to be thriving and then slowly start to curl around. It takes a long time to kill off the entire root. Leave a root bit and the plant is back. DH spend the a.m. spot treating dandelions on the front acre........where the dogs hang out most of the time. So I had them in the house or enclosed in the side yard with the house door open. They were not amused and kept finding me to express their displeasure. Do keep on top of your lawn service, they find many ways of "extra-ing" you to death. A good one will leave notice what they've done and when the are coming back and why. |
SheepieBoss wrote: hmmm, usually the liquid fertilizers are so much more expensive than the dried. In this case we buy the fertilizer & weed killer in concentrted form & dilute it down to the correct ratio. And the sprayer is much more accuate in putting it exactly where we want it than the spreader was. It pulls behind our tractor. |
ButtersStotch wrote: Yup. James. Seriously jealous of that. Josh is a total cerebral guy who doesn't do any yard work. The ONE time I asked him to mow the lawn, he missed whole lines of grass. Let's not even discuss how his shoveling went. My parents have a lawn service that treats their plants, shrubs, trees and lawn and also cuts the yard. For their big house, I think they get the entire service for a steal. They have the most lush green grass without a single weed or crab grass. I'd just be content if I could get grass to grow in the spot we had the pool removed from. I've been fighting with trying to grow grass there in autumn and now again in spring! |
Todd just seeded the area the pool was in. He got one (a pool) and set it up last summer one day while I was at work...(hmm, his lab pup Biscuit appeared the same way - maybe I shouldn't go to work...  )Anyway - he put it right where I set up my agilty stuff. And the dog walk is built over 2 sawed off dead trees, so it's not like I can move that!!  I spent all last summer and fall making creative courses running around the pool.It is getting moved to a new spot this summer, I just have this mud/dirt circle to work around in the meantime. No lawn service here. We just mow and weed whip - no chemicals. But with a big farm yard, it would be tough. I do hand dig a few annoying dandelions if I feel inclined, and always dig the mutant thistles that blow in from the year before. |
got sheep wrote: I just have this mud/dirt circle to work around in the meantime. Tell me about it! Mine is 12 x 12, so it's sizable. It's Wendel's choice spot for doing his business, but the dogs are constantly playing through the spot so they keep uprooting my grass seed. I'm thinking about getting sod and quartering the spot off. |
no lawn service and no chemicals - we live at a lkae which is our water source. Makes you think twice about what you put on the ground. I use a natural fertilizer on the lawn and mow hte weeds along witht he grass  I do over seed so that the grass comes in thicker each year and less weeds.I would love to have someone come in and mow weekly. It really cuts into my free time since I mow (Dan doesn't understand edges at all). |
| no lawn service here i have 4 acres anyone want to help me cut it |
| I do have a lawn service and each time they cut I always worry that they leave the fence opened. The fence being left opened only happened one time to me many years ago in a different house and different lawn service, but it is one of those experiences you never forget. It was back when Violet was a singleton. TG she didn't leave the yard. |
| Damage done by above ground pools is more than dead grass. I hope you have rototilled and then gone back and hand dug extra deeply. The water weight squishes all the air out of the soil......good start on sedimentary rock formation. Also incorporate organic matter to keep them soil granules separate. Inground pool removal hopefull involved getting the bottom broken up or removed. If not the water can not move beyond, gets stuck and slowly starts building back up until you have a bog. I had one friend who turned her pool into a lily pond, she said it was far more simple than a pool......I think she lied. She did have spectacular water lilies and koi. 4 acres to cut? We have 2 and that's enough since it is a walk behind mower. Calibration is needed both for the spreaders and sprayers, but I agree, easier on a tractor mounted sprayer.....remember to keep the spray heads cleaned, |
| Blake and I look after the lawns together.. He mows and fertilizes (environmentally and pet friendly) and I look after the weeds. I am obsessed with weeds, every night for about an hour I will go out with my buckets and weed digger and just pick.....its very therapeutic to me. |
| DH is a lawn service. Set up the business for him 3 years ago. I get pulled in for the creative stuff. We don't recommend liquids as it doesn't add anything benificial for the long run. The majority of the services with trucks that show up to spray are rarely trained correctly on mixture or application. The goal for our customers is lush low maintenance grounds. If a customer wants to see instant results, out come the chemicals. Most of our customers have been converted to the long term goal. Aeration in the spring. Need oxygen in the soil, helps get water to the roots faster. Corn glutin when the Forsythia starts to bloom. CG inhibitis root development in weeds Organic fertilizer when the ground starts to warm and another CG if it's the lawns first season for organic care. A mild mid summer fertilizer Spot weed treatment with soap based spray throughout summer Never (!!!!) cut grass shorter than 2.5 inches and leave clippings (no clumps) to mulch the lawn. Late Summer another application of CG Mid fall a thin layer of rich fine compost over entire lawn. This process is not just for a pretty lawn. It builds the soil which will support a lush lawn that resists weeds.  |
| I have a question for you Sheepdogma, I figure you are the person to ask... Is it better to buy an aerator or to rent one? I have seen pretty expensive ones, but I saw one that is a push aerator that you place a cement block on to get the weight to go 2.5 inches deep. It's pretty reasonable at $70. I figure if I should aerate twice yearly, it may be cost effective just to purchase it. Any thoughts? |
* Capt. Obvious Danger wrote: Is it better to buy an aerator or to rent one? I have seen pretty expensive ones, but I saw one that is a push aerator that you place a cement block on to get the weight to go 2.5 inches deep. It's pretty reasonable at $70. I figure if I should aerate twice yearly, it may be cost effective just to purchase it. Any thoughts? Call a service, ususally much cheaper than renting. Lot less wear and tear on the body too. Wrestling an aerator can be a challenge and if you aren't accustom to it you may not get a good deep plug. See if you can get a neighbor or two that wants their lawns done at the same time, then you can negotiate with the service. As for purchasing, I wouldn't bother unless the prongs have hollow cores and will remove a plug minimum 3/4" around. Devices that use solid prongs leave tiny holes with compressed materials at the bottom. The holes fill quickly and have little benefit to the grass or soil long term. Whatever way you choose, do it quickly. You only have a couple more weeks before aeration does more harm that good. Oh, if your lawn and soil is healthy, you only need to aerate once a year. |
| Lawn service? Uh no, I had a yard of weeds when we moved in. about 3 years ago I had the "lawn" (actual weeds) removed and lived with a dirt yard... not exactly fun in the winter. Last summer Lee and I finalized our low water garden plan and began planting and pouring our concrete steps. We have about 1/3 of the yard done and the rest is covered with mulch to keep the "grass" (weeds) from growing. With mulch and ground cover, we don't have too much to do, thus no lawn service... We are in California and the droughts are too often to keep a really healthy lawn and they are really water intensive. It's green and pretty this year. A joy to look out the kitchen window and see the lovely flowers and garden growing. |
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