Consumer Communication: The Parts of the Plan

Professionals know that good lawn care is not an easy task. There are many factors to consider, from weather patterns to customer demands to the fickle and hard-to-predict infestations of weeds, insects and diseases.

To keep these forces from wiping out entire stands of turf, professionals have developed management practices that have proven over time to effectively keep turf free from damaging populations of insects and weeds, and healthy enough to fend off disease organisms.

EARLY SEASON. The first two service calls are the most critical for setting the turf up to thrive. Doug Hague, president, Lawn Classics, Findlay, Ohio, said the first order of business is to assess how well the lawn survived the winter to determine whether any reseeding will be needed. Lawn Classics’ first application is generally a fertilizer and an herbicide combination to control crabgrass. The amount of nitrogen is generally low, because there will be some nitrogen carryover in the soil from the fall application. Fertilizer provides quicker green-up and vigor when the temperatures begin to warm.

The second application, six to seven weeks later, contains fertilizer and an herbicide that controls broadleaf weeds such as dandelion and plantain. Hague noted that his company, as well as many others, will spot treat broadleaf weeds when possible.

The key for the professional is to get the product down soon enough to stop emerging weeds from growing too large and choking out grass, but not so soon that the product loses its effectiveness before weeds emerge. Fortunately, the weed control products used widely in professional lawn care provide good windows of control.

In regions where grubs are a problem, some lawn care companies offer a preventive grub control application in May or June. This reduces the likelihood that grubs will become large and damaging to turf in the late summer and fall months.

SUMMER AND FALL. About six weeks later, an application of fertilizer is applied to carry turf through the summer months, noted Hague. Some companies also scout for grubs in late July and early August and will make an application of a product that will knock down damaging grub populations where they exist. Monitoring for disease problems and, if necessary, making an application of fungicide is also part of the summer regimen for many companies.

The final application of the season is generally fertilizer alone, which helps the plants develop roots and regain strength where drought or diseases are a problem.

DOWN SOUTH. Winter is still part of the season for residents in warmer climates, which means that technicians will need to visit through the winter months as well. Winter weeds are the big concern, according to John Boyd, weed scientist, University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Technicians will monitor and treat for common winter weeds in November and February.