Cutting crew courtesy

Common courtesy among lawn care providers is alive in well for most in the industry. When we show up to a lawn in the middle of it getting cut, we move on to our next job and circle back once the cutters are done. Some of our alliances even receive our schedules ahead of time so we can co-ordinate our routing and everyone is happy.

Yet, as in any industry, you have a few bad apples who ignore Notice signs on lawns, and cut anyway, although they know a 24 hr. grace period is needed for the weed controls to work.

These are the companies who usually cut too low hoping to get a few more days before returning for the next mowing. They are the greedy operations, who value customer count over quality, and who don't give a damn about any entity unless it's within their own crew.

I understand, we've all had to race against Mother Nature, work around the wet weather, and try to keep the customer happy in the process. It's a balancing act we've endured for years and will continue to walk the high-wire for years to come. 

So we need a little common courtesy, if not common sense.

Fighting against the conditions is one thing. Fighting each other doesn't need to be.

Kentucky Blue, blows

Sodding is a multi-million dollar business in Ontario. Consider new housing developments,  a useful tool for landscaping projects, and the homeowner who wants to swop a failing lawn with instant gratification. 

Pallets of the green roles are ubiquitous. Yet, many don't know much about sod, other than it looks fantastic when it's first installed.

What you need to know about this pre-grown grass and soil is, it  mostly consists of Kentucky Blue grass. Although you will be told KBG is a cool season grass, I beg to differ. 

KBG is notoriously slow to green-up in the spring. Every year I see lawns that were sodded within the last year that do not respond well to fertilizer until approximately mid-May. By this time, your weeks behind the emerald green of your neighbours.

KBG does not have a deep root system, making it a poor choice for the health of your lawn unless you plan on over-seeding with diverse species of grass (fescue/ perennial rye) to outcompete the Kentucky Blue.

Be prepared to dump biblical amounts of water on your new sod to get it established, or watch it die a slow drought death. I see this mostly in new subdivisions where the sod is dead and dying within a year of establishment.

KBG rings the dinner bell for chinch bugs and grubs. These insects love the stuff and will blow through it in short order. Raccoons also appreciate a newly sodded lawn. It's easy for them to roll it up and have quick access to food.

Also you should be aware that new sod will keep the weeds out of your lawn for a couple of months, but once the chemicals wear off, it's back to the weed farm for most, and you are right back where you started.

With the cost of sod, it doesn't make sense to me to go this route in the first place.

If I said you needed to put a new roof on your house every three years, would you do it?

All this said, there are options when it comes to sod. RTF is a much better choice, and will give you a fighting chance against the elements. However, be prepared to pay at least $5 more a roll (you get what you pay for.) Even then, I would suggest annual fall over-seeding to strengthen the health of your lawn.

If you are still determined to go the sodding route after all I've said, hopefully it's because your moving and want the instant curb appeal. By the time your sale closes and you move on, that sod will be someone else's problem.  

Everything everywhere all at once

 

Remember when it snowed for the first time? Remember how everyone forgot how to drive? Remember how everywhere you looked, people were losing their minds on the roads and highways?

Well this spring it's the same thing, except snow is replaced by dandelions.

Dandelions on boulevards. Dandelions in parks. Dandelions on your damn neighbours lawn encroaching on your grass.

It's wonderful to think, as a small lawn care provider, I can be everywhere at once to spray those pesky weeds but that's not the case. People need to exercise patience. The weeds popped early this year, and with all the wet weather, even the big companies are struggling to keep up.

I've been doing this long enough to realize, customer's memories are very short, and everyone will be singing praise by the end of May when we are well into our second round of weed control. Also the germination of the dandelion will be complete for a while, and things can return to status quo...until the snow flies.