Minnesota Lawn Care Services
The 6 Critical Questions To Ask Before
You Hire Any Lawn Care or Fertilizing Service
1. How many applications are appropriate for a Minnesota Lawn?
Lawns that are older then 35 years need on average 3 pounds of nitrogen per year, which can be accomplished in just 3 applications. Lawns that are usually less then 35 years old require 4-5 pounds of nitrogen per year - which should be applied in 4-5 applications.
Good results from fertilizing can be achieved with as little as 3 applications per year ... and if you want outstanding results, 5 applications of fertilizer should be applied each season. A reputable lawn care service will give you the expert inspection and advice you need with each visit ... and will provide insight to thatch management, insect and disease control, and can answer any other questions you may have.
Weed Control
The only weed treatment that needs to be scheduled regularly is pre-emergent fertilizer, which is used for crabgrass control. Crabgrass is controlled by preventing the seeds from growing. As a result this application needs to be done, on average, no later then May 20th each year. Broadleaf weeds such as dandelions are not prevented; they are treated as they emerge. As a result, broadleaf weed treatment does not have to be schedule regularly - but should be available with each application in case broadleaf weeds appear on the lawn.
2. How much training have your fertilizer applicators had?
Every person hired to apply fertilizer to your lawn must be licensed by the state of Minnesota. A state applicators license means an individual has completed the minimal requirements to be licensed.
Does that ensure the person applying the fertilizer is properly trained, educated in all aspects of lawn care and performs quality work? Not necessarily. Many companies hire applicators, get them quickly licensed and then send them out to your home. Often times you will get a different service tech with each application. How comfortable are you using your lawn as a teaching and testing ground for new employees?
The Pro Turf training method
All Pro Turf technicians are trained for 2-3 years with senior staff on commercial sites where they is more space to focus on proper application and agronomic problems. This is where they learn and become experts in proper application and diagnosis insect and disease problems.
Lawn care and turf skill are developed through seasonal training sessions and on local fertilizer test plots. Additional lawn care and fertilizing skills are developed through power point presentation developed from local Minnesota conditions.
Our residential service applicators must treat lawns for more than 3 years before they get to work on your lawn. In addition, we contract with local professional organizations to administer our safety and customer service training. We all know that a person's confidence increases each time they see a familiar face, especial when that same person performs safe fertilizer and weed control applications for over 10 years.
3. Caring for your environment is easier then you think - clean your leaves from the street
Did you know that you can reduce the phosphorus run off of your lawn by up to 40% with one simple action? By simply cleaning up the leaves and grass clippings from the street. If every homeowner understood that, it would make a huge positive impact on our environment.
Going green is definitely a part of our culture today. Does taking care of your lawn and landscape qualify? Absolutely! Is it good for the environment if I use synthetic, organic or man made fertilizer? Yes! The source of the fertilizer does not make a difference to your turf, trees or the environment when properly used!
Fertilizing and keeping your grass thick and healthy helps the environment in many ways
When properly applied, all fertilizer, whether it is organic or manufactured is helpful to your lawn, landscape and the environment. Green plants, including grass are a living and breathing organisms, they give off oxygen and consume CO2 (carbon dioxide) Turf grass also has a cooling affect on the environment and enhances ground water by increasing infiltration of water and cleanses the water as it passes through.
4. Liquid vs. Granules
The fact is your lawn doesn't know or care how fertilizer is applied. The only way turf can absorb nitrogen and potassium fertilizer is through the roots. It doesn't matter how it's applied, it still needs to be watered into a solution into the soil and absorbed by the roots.
Both granule and liquid fertilizer applied to the surface of your lawn do nothing but sit on top. Liquid dries on the surface as a dry fertilizer on the surface of the lawn. Granule fertilizer is applied dry and sits on the top of the lawn. So the point is; all fertilizer needs to be watered into the soil and become a liquid at some point to get to the roots and be absorbed.
It is often assumed that granular fertilizer is slow release and dissolves slowly.
Not true. Only the portion of the granular that is actually a slow release formula will last up to 8 weeks. Scott's fertilizer contains 20% slow release, and 80% really quick release, which dissolves and goes to work immediately. This is considered an acceptable average fertilizer blend.
Liquid slow release fertilizer
It is also true that a higher percentage of slow release formula in your fertilizer blend will last longer. The more slow release applied at one time the higher the dose can be without damaging the lawn. Pro Turf's liquid fertilizer starts in a bag, and then the slow release is controlled by an ingredient that treats all of the nitrogen in the fertilizer - providing 100% slow release nitrogen. The residual fertilizer affect can be controlled by adding more slow release product, providing up to 20 weeks of residual fertilizer benefit.
Liquid blends can be custom made and are usually blended daily for changing weather patterns. The slow release can be controlled per batch and all compatible products can be added as needed; such as fungicide, insecticide and herbicides. Liquid fertilizer blends can simply be made better and applied with other products, resulting in one labor charge for multiple products.
5. Do it yourself vs. hiring a professional - can you afford to do it yourself?
When you do it yourself, you will need to pay an up front cost for fertilizer and the spreading and weed control equipment. Product recommendations are made by so-called experts, who are most often part-time staff or seasonal garden store workers.
Results for your lawn are achieved by the trial and error method - keep trying and hope it works! The only type of service call you have is when you go to the store and buy more supplies. Insect and diseases are diagnosed by bringing a hunk of lawn to the garden center and then hope they can match it to a picture and guess correctly.
How will you know when you're watering too little or too much? A true professional service will give you that value added advice that can only be properly collected on site.
6. The #1 reason for poor results - watering!
No one single factor has more impact on the results of lawn fertilizing than water. Fertilizer simply won't work without the growth caused from water. Lack of water can cause quick declines in color and density. Too much water can cause excessive growth, harbor disease organisms and increase disease occurrence. Infrequent or erratic watering patterns can cause a flush of growth with signs of improvement and declines in appearance and density when the watering intervals are too long.
Strong healthy lawns receive regular watering weekly or bi-weekly depending on the time of season. Sprinklers should be left in one area until one inch of water for weekly watering has been dispersed, or one-half of an inch for bi-weekly watering. Watering is most cost effective when it is applied regularly and for properly timed intervals. You will realize the best results from your lawn service with regular watering.
Guarantees - What Do They Really Mean?
If you call because you're not happy with the appearance of your lawn or weeds, how quick is the response? If it takes more than 48 hours, it's probably too long! Is there a dedicated service person or will the regular applicator that services your home have time to handle the call? When a service technician comes out, how many years have they been diagnosing lawn problems? If it's less then 5 years, can you really call them an expert.