The horror...the horror!

So now that you've been through your first season without your precious juice, how's everyone dealing with the pesticide bylaw?

No, this is not a Halloween post. It is merely to see the effects of the chemical free society we now live in when it comes to our lawns. Many of you now co-habitate with a text book of every weed known to man lurking on your lawn, yet, no effective means to rid yourself of all of them.

Personally, I can live without the pesticides, since there are effective organic methods to control pests; Nematodes, Neem etc. However, herbicides? Well, that's a different matter altogether, especially since Weedman has, supposedly, God's gift to lawn care, Sarritor, all tied up and available to the highest bidder only.

It takes small operators, like me, out of the running and I'm forced to play mad scientist with Top Gun, (based on fatty acids), and Horticultural Vinegar, trying to dumb the mixtures down so they don't kill your grass along with the weeds.

But even if I could get Sarritor, would I use it?

I've seen it be quite effective and fail miserably. Why? Probably a number of factors.

Back in the Spring I did a blog on the product amid extensive research and determined, like previous weed control methods, Sarritor had to be applied in certain conditions to be effective. As you know, the larger the company, the less likely they are going to give a damn about ideal conditions for the application, (see my post on Nematodes last month).

Therefore, you have adequate control on some lawns and not others.

If this product was the bomb in weed control, do you think that my business would have tripled in 2009; most of it from dissatisfied customers from bigger companies who say they use Sarritor?

If this product kept the lawns weed free, do you think Green Lawn, who also have Sarritor in their arsenal, would still be pulling weeds naturally as the first line of defence?

People are starting to wake up from the scare tactics of, "we are the only company who offer effective weed control for your lawn".
Fool me once.

Six bills a year for lawn care is too much, unless you have the larger square footage, especially for an application that is so hit and miss.

As long as the bottom line is, how many applications per day and maximum profit margin, do you think these companies are going to take the time to do what really needs to be done to keep a lawn looking good?

Or is this frightening scenario going to continue?

Beware, be aware

This week I was out performing my fall applications when I saw a rival truck from one of the larger companies spraying a lawn down the street.

Thinking that it was a new weed control other than Sarritor, I stopped to ask what he was spraying.

The dude told me he was doing a nematode application.

Well it was quite sunny and hot and as I looked up at the sun I said, "Really?"

"Yup," he said.

Fact: Nematodes should never be applied in full sun, the UV rays kill them.

I looked at the tank on his truck that he was spraying from. "The tank refrigerated?" I asked.

He looked at me like I was from another planet. "No," he said.

"Hmmm."

Fact: Nematodes are a microscopic worm that should be kept refrigerated until time of use.

"Didn't you used to spray pesticides from that tank."

"Yes," he said. "But you can't spray pesticides anymore."

Finally something knowledgeable.

Fact: Nematodes should be sprayed from a tank that is strictly used for that purpose. Any residual chemical will kill them.

"Well, good luck getting those nematodes to work."

"Look," he said, obviously becoming a little agitated by my banter. "I just do what I'm told by the company."

Fact: Just doing what the company tells you is not always in the best interest of the customer. Especially one who's paying a C note for dead nematodes.

Tis the season to be seeding

Fa,la,la,la,la....la,la,la,la

Now I know many of you out there swear by Spring seeding, but if you listen to the argument, Fall is actually the best time to over-seed your lawn.

Labour Day is the bench mark I tell people who want to ensure the health of their turf come next Spring.

The reason I feel so strongly about seeding at this time of the year is simple. The weeds are virtually done for the year, having gone through their germination process. There just isn't the same competition for the soil that you have in the Spring.

The nights are cooler with an abundance of natural precipitation, yet the days are generally, still warm with lots of sun- an ideal condition for any grass seed.

You are also utilizing the benefit of two growing seasons- that's right- this Fall and next Spring.

One other important item that I will stress is, to use a premium grass seed. The cheaper the seed, the more weed seeds you will find lurking in the bag.

Why go to all the effort of over-seeding your lawn when you are simply compounding the problem by planting weeds that may spring up next year. It's bad enough that tons of weed seeds already lay dormant in your soil, or the top soil you have delivered, waiting for ideal conditions to break free.

Most premium seed have undergone a testing process for weed seed and will have little to none.

I use Eco-Lawn when over seeding mainly due to this. Each and every bag is tested and the results are displayed on the back as my guarantee.

Sure, the seed costs a little more than other brands out there, ( about $40 after you factor in tax), but we're talking about grass that is slow growing, (9 inches a year), has a deep root system that needs very little water, (9 inches in clay soil, 14 in sandy soil), will eventually choke out any weed's ability to germinate, has a natural endopyte to ward off Chinch bug and even survive any grub infestation.

It is also a seed that does not need the addition of top soil to germinate, as long as you have good seed to soil contact.

It's not high in protein, so you're not putting out expensive bird food and it grows well in full sun as well as thriving in deep shade.

To me, it's worth shelling out a few extra shekels to have a lower maintenance lawn.

Remember you get what you pay for and by seeding with a high-end seed now, you won't have to pay later with your time, pulling those nasty weeds.

Rub-a-dub-grub

So as we enter another grub season, please be aware that, the king of the hill, Merit is no longer the treatment of choice for the European Chafer and Japanese Beetle. In fact, with nematodes, (microscopic worms), the only fairly effective control on the market, your options are limited.

I say, "fairly effective", only because there has to be a partnership between the lawn care provider and the homeowner concerning this application. three days of watering in are required for desired control.

Merit falls under the new bylaw and not even if you have a history of infestation, cry health hazard, or crawl into the Ministry's office dripping blood with grubs hanging from your various limbs, can you get an exemption, or approval to use this product.

I know, I've been on the phone to M.O.E. to find out if under certain circumstances it was permissible. Subsequently I've had to say goodbye to a few townhouse complexes that every year have had skunks and raccoons rip their turf to shreds searching for the tasty root-feeders.

But getting 72 different units to water in a nematode application for three days after- it's just not going to happen. The owners of the complex realize this and have decided to save their money for sod replacement.

Nematodes must also be kept refrigerated and applied in cloudy or rainy conditions- UV will kill them. On a day of unsettled weather where it's raining one minute and sunny the next, you could find yourself sitting in your truck for a chunk of time waiting for the appropriate window.

Yet, as an applicator I'm on the same playing field with other lawn companies out there and very willing to play by the new rules.

Don't get me wrong, although I still am a big fan of Merit, I have had a great deal of success controlling grubs using nematodes. However, unless you want to install a nine hole golf course, you are going to have to do your part and water, water, water.

Putting MOE on notice

So Ontarians have been living with the provincial bylaw for a few months now and the weeds have had a field day- no pun intended.

It's not that I mind so much having to pull the weeds when I'm out doing applications- it's just a little more time consuming than applying Sarritor, (which I can't get anyway because a chosen few have a monopoly on the product), or spot spraying Top Gun and Eco Clear that will also burn the grass.

What I do take issue with, is the fact the government wants to have their cake and eat it too- an all too familiar scenario.

You see, now that Lawn Care Providers are forced to operate under new eco-friendly standards, (forget IPM altogether brother), they are still required to have an operating licence from the Ministry of the Environment.

Yet, I can live with the $200.00 dollar cash grab every year and pony-up the dough.

MY problem- and it's a big one- is WHY do I still need $200,000.00 on my insurance in case of environmental damage for organic applications? Not only does this drive my premiums through the roof and cost you, the consumer, more, it's hard for a smaller operator to get.

I'm told by the Ministry, I need this because the corn glutens and the nematodes that I use still have to go through a testing phase and have PCP numbers. I might buy this line if I could actually find a PCP number on my nematodes, but I can't.

I guess they figure we are all brainless twits that have nothing better to do with our day than stand on a bridge and dump bag after bag of fertilizer into the lake.
Maybe we are....I mean, look at the above picture. The lawn stake has been inserted incorrectly. It looks like I'm being told there is "No ice" which I wouldn't expect to find on a lawn anyway.

So, I'm putting the Ministry and any half-wit politicians on notice while they're playing a round of golf on their weed-free fareways; take a serious look at your regulations gentlemen before you add to the ever growing list on the unemployment line.

Lawn and disorder

Happy Victoria Day, or May long weekend, or whatever you like to call it. For me it marks the near end of my second round of applications.

This year I have been hearing some disturbing stories from my customer base and consumers alike, about the underhanded behavior of other companies in the lawn care industry.

Some claims, "Even though I told them I quit and didn't want the service anymore, they showed up and did my lawn and billed me in the Spring! Now they say they'll take me to collection if I don't pay."

I'm well aware of this tactic. I used to work for one of the bigger companies and every Spring I'd have four, or five unhappy homeowners, a day, screaming at me because they cancelled. I was never told by the company. I was just given the invoice to perform my job.

However, this year seems to be even worse. Not only is this practice in full swing, but these companies are no longer paying attention to the fact the lawn has already been flagged by someone else. By double application they are risking the health of the lawn and only angering the former customer further.

Then there are the incessant phone calls. As many as three times a week. "Who's doing your lawn? We can give you a better a price. Why did you leave?"

Do they really think these pesty moves of desperation are going to endear themselves to the homeowner who has worked all day and now has to be bombarded by calls from a company they don't want to hear from?

But the worse practices are the companies who show up to assess the property, take the pre-payment and then don't do the work- it is happening!

Or the companies who are slandering others in the industry to get the customer's business. "Don't go with them. They don't use the correct weed control. They won't do the work for you. They are not as efficient as us."

If you define efficient as: Having an unlicensed student technician, with one day training, running through your lawn because he's got forty jobs to do that day and who spends more time filling out your invoice then doing the work - then I guess they are right. I'm not as "efficient" as them.

If you define efficient as: Not being able to have your lawn problems and billing issues solved because you can't get anyone in the office to return your phone calls now that they have your money - then I guess they are right. I'm not as "efficient" as them.

I'm not sure if the new bylaw is making everyone crazy and fight tooth-and-nail for every square foot of lawn out there, or years of greedy practices like these have just made the offending companies stupid?

I would hope it's the first reason, but really there is no excuse to what's going on.

I would like to apologize to the homeowner on behalf of this lunacy because it just makes my job harder when I have to go in and try to rebuild the tattered threads of trust.

I would like to name all the offending parties, but then I'd just hear cries of "We'll take him to court!" Besides you probably have a pretty good idea of who they are. After all, they're the ones who have been screwing you for years.

I would like to say, "Forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."

But they know exactly what they are doing.

It's what they've always done.

It's just that the consumer is much smarter than they are given credit for.

Aerating the dirty laundry

This week I started doing my aerations.

Why so late you ask?

I should ask you, why did you do your lawn so early?

I know some companies have been attacking neighborhoods with their army of students for weeks now, offering low priced aerations. Some, started...*gulp*... back in late March!

It's a competitive market place out there and I understand everyone wants to be the first to take the money off the street.

What you as a homeowner, don't seem to realize that aerating your lawn that early, to save a few bucks, is actually doing more harm than benefit.

Sure aeration is great for your lawn. I recommend it twice a year- spring and fall. It's great for compacted soils, allowing oxygen and nutrients to reach and thicken the root base; breaks up thatch layers; promotes deeper root growth; even helps alleviate grub infestation, but not at the cost of destroying the composition of your soil.

You know how soggy the weather is in April. Do you think adding a heavy machine like an aerator to your soft lawn helps?

I don't tell you this because I want your business. I can't possibly service every lawn out there. I'm just asking you to think long term when it comes to your lawn. You want it to look nice don't you? To be healthy, thick, lush?

Is it really worth the $10 or $20 dollars you saved to be counter productive in reaching these goals?