Je ne sais quoi

"How come my neighbour's lawn looks so much better than mine when he does nothing to it?"

The answer is, "I don't know".

After all, you live next to your neighbour, I don't. Yet I am assuming you have a job and go to work everyday, you do social activities, go away for weekends/ holidays, have a life to live?

In other words you're not sitting in front of a window with a telescope pointed at your neighbour's lawn 24/7...or at least I hope you're not?

So how do you really know what your neighbour does to his, or her lawn?

Of course if they sneak back a little weed-and-feed, or grub killer over the border every year on that trip to Florida their lawn is going to look excellent. But are they honestly going to divulge they put a little something-something down when they know it's illegal?

I know this is going on a lot more than you think, because many people have told me they are doing it to keep their lawns under control. Is your neighbour one of them?

Again the answer is, "I don't know".

I do know the weed gnomes do not magically appear at three in the morning and haul away all the dandelions. And I also know a healthy green lawn doesn't get that way by itself- it takes some effort.

Look, I too, have a few neighbours who don't have lawn companies and who I never see working on their lawn other than cutting it. Yet both their lawns look as lush and green as mine...sometimes even better.

I fertilize, I aerate twice a year, I over-seed, I apply commercially mixed Fiesta for weed control and still they have no problem keeping up.

Understand this, the lawn care industry still has many tools to help your lawn get to where you want it- soil testing, low maintenance grass seeds like Eco-Lawn to name a few- it's just, without the old methods, it doesn't transform overnight. Yet, whether you use a razor or a butter knife you can still cut a rope and every year they are developing a better butter knife.

So back to your neighbour for a moment and his certain something.

Let me ask you this:

If your neighbour dances over the grey line to get a few bucks back on taxes does that bug you too?

Under the current bylaw there are only two paths to choose from here - play by the rules, or cheat. At fines that range to $200,000 a lawn I think I'll stay on the safer road.

Oh and BTW, the picture above is one of the lawns I take care of with a butter knife.

So, how come your neighbour's lawn looks so much better than yours when they do nothing to it?

The answer is, "I still don't know for sure, but I have my suspicions".

Roll, roll, roll your lawn?

Judging from the number of people who ask me if I roll lawns, there seems to be a certain amount of misconception. Maybe it's hormonal? It seems every year men from all corners feel the need to get out there and work on the lawn and in many cases this includes the overwhelming desire to roll the grass.

You should only roll your lawn in the event it has been newly sodded or seeded. Rolling your lawn, much like aerating too early, can actually cause more damage than good. It compacts the soil sealing off the turfs ability to get precious oxygen, moisture and the nutrients it needs to remain thick, healthy and resistant to weeds as well as other turf diseases.

Compacting the soil squashes all the soil particles together.

This means that air spaces necessary for good root growth are eliminated. It also means that water can't penetrate the soil because there are no holes for it to move into. The bulk of the water runs off the lawn and never penetrates deep into the soil to the root zone level. This run off water takes the dissolving plant food with it so the spring feeding is washed down the sewer. In one fell swoop, rolling a lawn eliminates the necessary aeration, prevents water from entering and assists in the removal of spring applied fertilizer.

I can't think of an faster way to help put stress on a lawn than to roll the lawn first thing in the spring.

Sure I could roll lawns then turn around and tell the customer they now need an aeration while doubling my money in one fell swoop, but if you have read any of my previous posts you'll understand by now, that's not what I'm about.

Yet, those of you who golf will say, "the greens crews roll the green. What about that huh? I wish I had a putting green for a lawn."

Rolling a green is not the same as lawn rolling your home lawn. Your lawn sits on a mixture of soil types and these are easily compacted; a green sits on special sand chosen for its ability not to compact. Turf being grown for putting greens is one of the most intensively managed grass surfaces in the world. It is fed, watered and treated for disease on a regular basis exempt from pesticide bylaws. You and I, we don't have the luxury.

Even with the special sand bases, if the putting greens are rolled several times a week, they will usually have to be regularly "cored" to allow for expansion of the soil, and the introduction of water and air. The turf manager at a golf course is treading a thin line between optimum grass health and optimum playing surface. That is his specialty

What is critical to understand is that the soils on the green and your lawn can't be compared and so the lawn rolling practices will be different.

In any case, the next time you feel the urge to roll your lawn, roll, roll, roll the lawn roller into the neighbourhood garage sale instead because unless you want to produce concrete, you don't need it anymore.

Too much too soon

Spring is here, the birds are returning, the days are getting longer, the wind although still with a bite, is warming up and those dudes are pushing aerators from door to door.

I ask you, what would early April be if we didn't have those individuals moving like slugs, pushing their Ryans and Blue Birds of happiness up and down our streets.

However, the truth is, although aeration is a valuable tool in maintaining lawn health by opening up the root system and alleviating compaction, it's too soon to aerate your lawn. You can do far more damage instead of benefit at this point in the season. When I told this to the girl who huffed and puffed her way passed my house with her banged-up Ryan, she had no idea.

Yet, dollars to donuts say, the company who sent her out knows. They're in the lawn care industry how can they not? They just choose to ignore the obvious in order to take the money off the street.

As I've said before, I don't care if another company or individual does a lawn, I can't service them all and for some reason seem to be one of the few who realize this.

What I am concerned about is, the job is being performed incorrectly and the customer is the one who suffers in the long run.

If I spilled paint on some one's expensive drapes while painting their wall because I didn't follow the correct procedure of protecting the window covering before I started, I wouldn't expect that customer to enthusiastically call me back for more work, or refer me to others.

I feel for the girl, she's doing as directed by the company in order to make a living and I don't expect lawn care will be a vocation she readily follows into the future.

No one wants to aerate lawns the rest of their life and she will have most likely moved on by next season. Her current employer should realize...so may the customer.

True lies

As I await the start of the 2011 lawn season, I am appalled at some of the rumblings I am hearing concerning the lawn care industry.

A few posts back I noted the rampant slander present, as one company slags another in order to gain advantage in a competitive market place. Now I'm hearing the potential customers are not immune to the lies.

One company has been touting the return of chemical spraying for weeds, spray approved by the government. Another claims exclusive rights to a new German weed control no one else has. Yet another is proclaiming the use of a new weed control for 2011 and again...acting like they have exclusivity.

Most people don't know much about their lawn and when they are given this information they take it and run with it. However, be aware of the truth shrouded beneath a haze of misinformation.

These three separate companies from above are actually talking about the same product. That's right. It's the same weed control I've done a number of posts on already. This is because I, like pretty much every other company out there have been using it since May of 2010.

The product is called Fiesta. The active ingredient is iron and it is an organic control so it can be used under the pesticide bylaw. However, it is not a systemic control and must be applied in two applications not more than 30 days apart.

It's also very expensive.

So I ask, is this missinformation deliberate to try and woo/fleece customers back to the already untrustworthy, or is stupidity really that ubiquitous?

It's no different than the kerfuffle surrounding Sarritor a few years back when one company cornered the market on the only available weed control for use under the bylaw. Later the truth about the lack of effectiveness of Sarritor surfaced and that company is still putting out fires while trying to repair their damage credibility.

In revisiting the statements of the three companies in question; I guess because it's a concentrate and requires certain precautions when using it, it's the same process as when we had chemical control...but a true chemical weed control as you, the homeowner knew it....no.

It is manufactured by a German company called Neudorff who are California based, but Fiesta is not sold under the name Neudorff...so German yes, but every lawn care operator with a licence has access to it, so exclusive....no.

New weed control? well in the scheme of things I guess so, since it's still under a year old in the market place, but new as in, no one has used it before....no. Hell, you've probably purchased the diluted Scotts version of it called, "Weed-B-Gone".

You have to ask yourself, if these companies are lying to you about this product, what else are they twisting the truth on?

Don't be an April Fool. Recognize what you're being told for what it's worth: a clever marketing ploy and nothing more.

Vole position

Since I've been out assessing lawns for the 2011 season, one problem seems to be reoccurring this year; vole damage. I've seen it on new and established lawns alike--- one more middle finger from Mother Nature after last year when every problem known to lawn surfaced.

First of all if you don't know what a vole is, take a look at the little mouse-like critter on the top left. This my friends is the vermin that has created a highway of scribbled throughout your lawn. The one that is now visible with the spring thaw and could destroy your garden and trees if they are not dealt with. I say they because they are baby making machines and where there is one vole there are surely now others.

The last resort I would suggest would be using an anticoagulant bait like Warfarin besides voles quickly become bait shy when they realize you're trying to poison them. Plus you run the chance of affecting others, birds,cats, dogs....children and you don't want that.

I would also advise against putting down traps unless they capture humanely and you can catch and release.

Instead there are a few natural ways to deal with the scourge. People with outdoor cats do not seem to have this problem and why would they, the average cat catches three to four voles a day....but if you are short on Felines...

I have also heard that laying a stick of Juicy Fruit at the base of their runway can help dramatically. The little buggers apparently love the stuff and they can't digest the gum so, problem solved.

Repairing the damage: If it isn't extensive the lawn should repair itself once the season starts. Rake up the thatch lightly with a rake, (if it hurts your back, you're doing it too hard), and over-seed if you feel the area will not fill in quickly.

On larger damaged areas where the root system has been destroyed, clear away the debris---again lightly---with a rake and reseed the damaged area. All this is a pain in the ass--- I know, but a necessary evil if you want to keep the weeds from moving in and taking advantage of bare spots.

You've already given up the vole position, you don't want to find yourself the long-shot to having a winning lawn.

Who needs who?

As the nice weather becomes more prevalent in the change from winter to spring, you might be considering a lawn maintenance company, or a lawn care company to help keep your turf's aesthetics in top condition.

When doing so, it is important that you treat the process as if you're interviewing a potential employee for a vacant position. Too many times it seems like the other way around where a company is coming in to assess a property and telling the home owner what they need.

Sure, you're calling in the first place because you need assistance, but don't forget who the boss is. You.

Here are some basic questions you should ask any lawn care provider before making the decision.

Although for many people price is an issue there is one of more significance; is the company licenced to perform the necessary applications?

In order to run a company, you must first have a Land Exterminator Licence, (not easy to get BTW) and an operating licence with the Ministry of the Environment.
Usually this is only a problem if the company is a smaller operation. However, be aware that the Exterminator Licence allows up to three non-licenced technicians to work under your licence. Ever wonder why there always seems to be students working on your lawn?

Insurance/ business liability?

Again the bigger guys- not usually an issue. However if someone punctures a sprinkler line with an aerator, or burns the hell out of your lawn, are they covered to replace the damage?

Portfolio?

You wouldn't hire a dude to work on your kitchen, or build a deck without seeing previous work would you? Your lawn company should be no different. Usually you can get a feel from the website, but remember it's easy to load a page with stock photos. Sadly I've seen it done.

Do you need to be called prior?

Do you have children, pets, allergies? Do you really want someone coming a day before the big B.B.Q. to do an aeration? Make sure you are called the night before an application so if there's a problem you can let the company know and they can reschedule your application.

What do you get for your buck?

How many applications? What do they include? Is there an extra charge for return visits between scheduled applications.

Some people like my buddy Dave at the Gardener do lawn maintenance and cutting during the season. He also does snow removal in the winter, some don't. Be aware of your needs.

Are there any hidden provisions in the contract? i.e. renewal stipulations. Some companies will automatically renew your contract without your say-so for "your convenience" just like a gym membership.

Ask yourself if you're not happy with the work, do you really want them to keep coming back year to year because of the fine print?

Take back the control. After all it is your lawn and on your lawn they work for you.

Win, place, or show?

First off, congratulations to Mrs. D. Heller of Ajax who won her lawn services for the year, Miss K. Varlow of Courtice and Mr. B. Parker of Whitby who both won Eco Lawn over seeding in our home show giveaway.

Which brings me to my next thought: Home shows- are they worth doing?

For three years now we have been present at the Oshawa Home Show and for three years we have watched a dwindling attendance where at times there were more vendors than potential customers to talk with.

A sad fact and one that has us questioning our involvement in future home shows.

It's not like we're a big ticket service like landscaping, or renovations where one job is the difference in success and failure. We have to explore the bigger picture of residual income where we do our best to create a happy customer who becomes a repeat customer.

Don't get me wrong, we did well enough selling Eco-Lawn and lawn care programs to cover our costs and time. We even have some promising leads that will be the difference down the line.

Yet, when the result doesn't out weight the desire and effort you have to ask some hard questions. Do we win when we place at the show?

Right now an affirmative response would have to come with a twisted arm.

Next year...who knows. we'll cross that bridge when we get there provided my sore feet recover.