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What to Look for in Lawn
Care
Use
the information below when choosing a Lawn Care specialist
Not all lawn care
companies are the same. Lawn care programs will vary not only in cost,
but also in the variety of standard and optimal agronomic services
available. The homeowner will be most successful at choosing a company
to supply the desired type of program if he/she first becomes familiar
with: (1) the annual cost for a company’s standard program, (2) the
services supplied as part of the standard program, and (3) the types of
and costs for optimal services provided by the company. Before
contracting for lawn care services, it is best to contact and compare
several reputable companies. The following series of questions and
answers should serve as a guide for the homeowner during the process of
selecting a lawn care company.
What types of services are included in the STANDARD program?
Fertilization is a standard part of any lawn care program. At Perf-a-Lawn,
we offer pre-emergence (for crabgrass) and post emergence (for broadleaf
weeds) weed control as part of our standard package. Other companies
sometimes offer the services as options. Perf-a-Lawn lawn care programs
include control of surface-feeding insects (chinch bug, bluegrass
billbug, sod webworm) as part of their standard program. Grub control is
offered at an additional cost. Some companies will offer no insect
control at all, while others may provide it only as an extra-cost
option. Disease control is generally not offered in our standard lawn
care service, but is offered as an optional service.
How much fertilizer is applied during the year?
Nitrogen is the key nutrient in turf fertilization programs. Perf-a-Lawn
will supply Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, or tall
fescue lawns with 3 to 5 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet
of lawn per year. Phosphorous (P) and potassium (potash, K) are supplied
with the standard fertilizer program. The actual requirement for these
latter two nutrients will vary from one lawn to the next and the need is
best determined through soil testing. However, routine applications of P
and K will cause no harm, and are actually recommended where the
homeowner consistently removes grass clippings after mowing.
What types of nitrogen fertilizers are used?
Nitrogen fertilizers can vary in the types of growth and color responses
that they elicit from the turf. For simplicity, nitrogen fertilizers can
be categorized as supplying quickly-available or slowly-available
nitrogen. Quickly-available nitrogen promotes rapid grass growth and
dark green turf color relatively soon after application. The promotion
of excessive growth through overuse of quickly-available N sources is
undesirable from both the standpoint of increased mowing requirements
and because grass hardiness and health may be reduced. Slowly-available
N sources provide a slower, more uniform growth and greening response
from the turf. Quickly-available nitrogen is acceptable for use during
the fall and early spring months. Slowly-available nitrogen is excellent
for use in the late spring and summer months. It is important to note
that slowly-available nitrogen can be supplied to turf with equal
success in the liquid (spray) form, as well as the dry (granular) form.
Perf-a-Lawn uses quickly available N in the spring and fall, and slowly
available N in the late spring through summer. |
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What about
late-season nitrogen fertilization?
University research has shown late-season nitrogen fertilization to be a
very desirable option for Western Pennsylvania and other New England
states. This type of program, which emphasizes fertilization during the
September-December period, is reported to enhance winter turf color,
quicken spring green-up, reduce lawn disease problems, and improve grass
hardiness during the summer months. Such a program reduces the amount of
spring and summer nitrogen required to maintain a healthy, green lawn.
When a large amount of nitrogen is applied during spring, the incidence
of disease may be increased and tolerance to heat and drought can be
reduced.
What can a lawn care service guarantee?
Lawn quality will vary from year to year due to variations in weather.
It is IMPOSSIBLE for a lawn care company to guarantee that no problems
will occur if you contract their services, be suspicious of one that
does! Reputable lawn care companies, however, will make every effort to
satisfy their customers. Perf-a-Lawn is staffed with sales/service
representatives to handle service calls. We will take corrective action
to resolve your problem to your satisfaction.
What about educational service to the homeowner?
At Perf-a-Lawn, we have long recognized that the most successful lawn
care program is dependent upon some cooperation from, and education of,
the homeowner. The homeowner generally performs several cultural
practices, such as mowing and watering, which have a substantial effect
on lawn quality. Perf-a-Lawn can provide the homeowner with seasonal
information on proper lawn care and will also provide special
information when an application is made that has special watering or
mowing requirements for the next day or two, following our service to
the lawn.
Can the company offer flexibility in servicing?
Some homeowners may wish to have fertilizer, but not herbicides or
insecticides, applied to their lawns. Some like to apply fertilizer
themselves, but would rather have a lawn care service apply the
appropriate controls for weed, insect, or disease problems. Individual
lawn service companies may be unable to offer such specialized types of
program because of the way in which they purchase or mix their
fertilizers and pest control products. Others may charge extra for such
a specialized program because of the expense and time involved in
providing a service which differs from their standard lawn care program.
At Perf-a-Lawn, the choice is yours!
Does cost equate with quality?
Lawn care companies offer agronomic expertise and a convenient,
timesaving service at a most reasonable cost. In a competitive market,
prices for similar lawn care programs may differ little from company to
company. A company that appears more expensive than the other may offer
some services as part of its "standard" program, which is designated as
optional (extra-cost) services with the less expensive companies. Be
wary of a company that claims to offer services similar to those of
other companies at a much lower price and seems "too good to be true" it
probably is! |
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