Nature's Landscape Services

Though mine may be a biased point of view, a career in the landscape trade has convinced me that for the average homeowner wishing to achieve a good looking lawn in an environment conscious way, hiring the services of a “professional” lawn care company should be considered. 

By virtue of the fact that a lawn care company must control cost while at the same time provide a good value to customers, their success rides upon the ability to provide well timed applications, without the use of excessive materials.

There are a number of factors to be considered.

Application procedure has environmental impact.  For while “non-professionals” applying materials to a given lawn may strive to make an application properly, professional lawn care companies use well calibrated equipment and are exact with application.  This results in efficient use of material, as opposed to an inefficient and wasteful use of material that may occur otherwise.

Technology is a factor as well, as technology has provided products, used by professionals, which are designed to reduce environmental impact.  One example of this technology is the development of “adjuvants”, products which actually improve efficiency of materials used.  There are a variety of adjuvants that behave in a variety of ways, and though their chemistry is too complicated to explain here, the result of their use is the ability to use lower rates of materials while maintaining effectiveness. 

Another virtue of using a professional lawn care company, regards timing of needed applications.  For a well timed lawn care program will, more often than not, minimize the “chemical” use required for the lawns care, while a poorly timed program will result in the need of additional treatment. This is very important, as using the highest grade materials available is useless, if not applied at the correct time. If treatments are not well timed, or if materials used are mismanaged, results will be marginally effective at best.  

Finally, by using a professional lawn care company, a homeowner isn’t left with a myriad of partially filled bags and containers of fertilizers and herbicides, the disposal of which is problematic.  These can also pose a safety hazard.

Certainly, a studious homeowner can care for a lawn themselves, but using a professional lawn care company may prove to be better for the environment.

When to apply pre-emergent herbicide to prevent crabgrass and other lawn weeds is a question often asked.    Proper timing is indeed critical, as applying pre-emergent either too early or too late is likely to result in a weed problem.

A common practice is to apply pre-emergent with a single application prior to germination of crabgrass and other lawn weeds.  This is an effective means of applying pre-emergent, but minimizes margin of error in regard to the timing itself.  For if application is made too early, the efficacy of the pre-emergent may diminish while weed pressure still exist.  On the other hand, if application is made too late, there will be nothing in place to prevent weeds. 

Though a single application isn’t what I recommend, if I were to apply pre-emergent with a single application in the Atlanta area, I would target March 1 – March 15 as the window of time for it to be made.

There is a superior means of achieving weed control, in my opinion.  To lengthen duration of crabgrass control with pre-emergent herbicide application, and to ensure that treatment is made on time, the pre-emergent dosage can be “split”.  In splitting the application, half of the dosage is applied well before risk of germination, and the other half is scheduled to occur when the efficacy of the first is expected to be weakened.  The result is both insurance against early germination, and an extended window of control.

The timing of the first application should be February – early March, with the second occurring 6-8 weeks later.

Remember, the objective isn’t to put out more herbicide overall, but rather to split the intended dosage in half to gain a longer window of control with the same amount of product.

There are environmental benefits to using the split application method, as a lengthened window of control may result in less use of “post-emergent” herbicides.

Make sure to read the entire label of any pre-emergent used, and use common sense.

America is experiencing a rapid paradigm shift on sustainability and the environment.  “Going Green” is one of the most popular trends in our society today.  Most people love the idea of “Going Green”, but are unsure of how they can contribute.  Many “Green” initiatives involve a cash expense above and beyond normal.  For instance, a recycling bin is an additional cost above a regular trash can.  A hybrid automobile cost more than a traditional one, and “Organic” groceries are typically more expensive than non-organic.   So where does that leave us?  Well, as it turns out, many of you lawn enthusiast are “Going Green” and you didn’t even know it.  According to The Lawn Institute, “If one compares a well managed lawn to a poorly managed lawn or unmanaged grasslands, the net carbon intake of a well managed lawn is five to seven times higher than the carbon output of mowing.”  What does this mean?  It means that managed “Green” spaces are good!  Even though your lawn mower may produce carbon while mowing, your lawn intakes up to 5 times that amount, resulting in a net reduction of carbon.  So whenever “Going Green” comes up in a discussion, be sure to inform your friends of your environmental stewardship in your own back yard!  Learn more about the benefits of turf grass and managed “Green” spaces at www.lawninstitute.com