Horticulture Hotline 06/05/17
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
The magnolias and gardenias are filling the Low Country air
with some great fragrance. The kids are getting out of school and summer
vacation plans are getting their final touches. The heat and humidity are
raising and I start to get asked, “who is a good lawn care professional
(landscape contractor, lawn maintenance contractor, mosquito control company
…)?
I have been hit with some variation of this question a lot
recently. Since we sell products to many different companies, it is best to ask
your friends. We rarely see the end results of our customer’s applications to
various yards. Also, we wouldn’t want you to be at a family reunion talking to
your distant cousin that is also a good customer of ours, and say that Possum’s
recommended a different company other than your distant cousin.
Lawn care companies can spray several different products to
solve several different issues at once. In order to tank mix different control
products, they need to make sure the products are compatible with each
other. Also, the lawn care applicator
must calibrate the sprayer to make sure they are getting the proper amount of
product out, in the given amount of square feet according to the product
labels. Knowing the correct amounts to
put into the sprayer to control what you are trying to control is
critical. Does this all sound “Greek” to
you?
A professional lawn service regularly mix several control
products together to control many issues in the lawn at one time. They are licensed by the state to apply
control products and they apply control products on a daily basis. Many applicators have years of experience
putting out products as well. Most
companies have different programs and they will either treat your yard on an
“on call” basis, quarterly program, or complete yearly programs. Check with the individual companies for what
they have to offer. Just beware that if your yard is all green weeds and they
kill all your weeds, then your yard will be brown. I have been told, “Bill,
they came out and killed my yard!” When in reality the yard was weeds and they
killed the weeds.
When choosing a lawn care company or any contractor, it is
good to get references from neighbors and friends. With lawn care companies, it is especially
important to find one that is doing good work in your neighborhood. Most applicators that work for a lawn care
company have a route in a certain area and different applicators have different
abilities and experience. If you sign up
with a company who is doing a good job at your neighbor’s two doors down,
chances are you will get the same applicator that they have.
One thing to remember, even though your house is right next
to another house, the results of lawn care can be totally different because of
sun / shade patterns. Trees and the way your house is positioned on your lot
can greatly affect the way the grass grows. A sunny yard is best for good grass
growth.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
