Lawn Maintenance Between Service Visits

Lawn care applicators have had some tough times in the past few years. They have faced high fertilizer, chemical, and seed prices, extreme weather patterns, and labor shortages. With these challenges, how can homeowners or commercial businesses help the typical lawn care operator trying to do the best job possible for their property?

First, be understanding. The lawncare business is no different from many other businesses in the United States. They are short on help, which also means they are consistently training new applicators. Likewise, be considerate of the timing of appointments and applications. Weather, vacations, and personnel changes can all affect the applicator’s route. Lawn applicators try not to apply products during extreme hot and cold weather.

Beyond simply being a good customer, you can also support the work of your provider by maintaining your lawn between visits. Try to coincide your mowing with applications, especially weed sprays. The best-case situation is to mow two days before an herbicide is applied and two days or more after the application. Run irrigation sprinklers in the morning if at all possible.

It’s also helpful to understand what is normal and have reasonable expectations. 100% weed elimination is just about impossible. A weed or two that emerges between applications is very possible and likely. Also, keep in mind that not all herbicides work the same way. Some weed kills work faster than others, and cool-weather affects how fast herbicides work.

It’s also helpful to remind applicators of sensitive plants that you may have on your property to keep them safe. Ask questions if necessary, but be respectful of the applicator’s time. They have schedules to keep every day. Lawn applications can be done with liquid, which means you may not always see fertilizer pellets on the soil surface. Even some fertilizer pellets are hard to see because they are black in color.

Another thing to remember is that pet urine and feces can cause lawn problems. If you have pets that go outdoors on the lawn, you should expect turf damage. It’s also wise to double-check your property after service to make sure all gates are locked, all fertilizer pellets are off of your property’s hard surfaces, and timers are reset.

Lawn care operators sometimes ask homeowners up front if they can make liquid applications in between service visits. If so, the number one product to recommend would be Colonise Bio LTO. They can apply this at a rate of three ounces per thousand square feet between each application the lawn care company makes. Colonise Bio LTO contains Armament technology and more to promote color response, plant resilience, and nutrient uptake.

These supplemental applications will provide color enhancement and resistance to stress and disease, while invigorating the rooting system for a truly healthy turf. Other options for supplemental liquid applications are Armament Concentrate (at 16 ounces per acre) and Microsync (at three ounces per thousand square feet). If a homeowner cannot make liquid applications, we offer granular options as well.

For homeowners and property managers, the key takeaway is to think of your provider as a partner in maintaining your lawn. While they work hard to keep your property in the best shape possible, your actions can either support or hinder their efforts. In addition to the recommendations in this article, follow all of your provider’s instructions for maintaining your lawn between services.

Thank you to Matt Biddle and Todd Smith for your contributions to this blog post.