As I write this, we have had one of the driest Mays I can remember. Last year I couldn't buy a sunny day to apply weed control and those cutting lawns were way behind schedule.
There was so much rain I could toss a handful of fertilizer out the window as I drove by and the lawn would still look great.
This year some lawns look like they are already in the middle of August, which just goes to show you, Mother Nature is a fickle beast marching to the beat of her own drum.
When I see one of our lawns lush and green and another right next door that is dry and stressed, it is a tale of two clients, one who waters religiously and one who does not. It might also have to do with proper mowing, with one property raising their mowing height to keep the grass drought tolerant and the other scalping like a putting green.
I could go into the three legged stool analogy again, but when the weather refuses to co-operate and the home owner doesn't hold up their end, there's only so much I can do....there's only so much any lawn service can do.
Water is the fuel that feeds the lawn. Without it...well just look at some of the lawns in the neighborhood.
So far this season, with few exceptions, everyone has had exactly the same applications of fertilizer and weed control, so when there is such a drastic difference between some of them, common sense can lead you to the simple solution.
If you go away, please have someone maintain the lawn for you so you don't come back to a toasty pile of hay....
...or if you simply are too lazy and don't care, don't throw your money away. You certainly don't need me or anyone else attaching their company name to a property that looks like crap. Just get out the fiddle and watch your lawn burn Nero.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
Ready or not....
Here they come...actually, some were out last week aerating the hell out of your ice mounds and every time I see them out this early pushing their Ryans and Bluebirds up and down the street, I can't help but think, this is our version of a slave-labour sweat shop.
Seems I'm always preaching patience at this time of the year to no avail. Mainly because it's hard to sit by while your neighbour is having an aeration and you are not. But know this: an aeration prior to the last week of April can be potentially damaging to your lawn. If it's too soggy you have tire tracks and ripped turf. If it's still frozen, how deep of a core do you expect to get?
The whole process is meant to help your lawn by alleviating compaction, opening up the soil to nutrients, breaking up thatch and creating a stronger root system, not the opposite for the sake of saving a few bucks.
Another excellent reason to hold off is the weed seed factor. If your lawn has been a troubled weed-infested breeding ground in recent years, perhaps you should wait until the fall to have that aeration. Hundreds of the weedy little buggers inhabit each square foot of lawn in dormancy and are waiting for ideal conditions. So then you have the lawn aerated pulling up cores with those weed properties in them and expose them to the elements, wondering why the lawn gets so weedy in May.
Yet many still have it done this early in the year and continue year after year.
Now some may think I am spouting off to create more aerations for myself when the time comes, or deny some student the ability to make a buck. That's not the case. I am simply giving you the 411 so you can make a more informed decision on the proper healthy care for your lawn. You can always tell whoever, you want the aeration, but at a later date. If they want the job, they'll come back.
So...
The next time, resist the urge and wait it out. You will find the grass is greener, on your side of the fence for a change.
Seems I'm always preaching patience at this time of the year to no avail. Mainly because it's hard to sit by while your neighbour is having an aeration and you are not. But know this: an aeration prior to the last week of April can be potentially damaging to your lawn. If it's too soggy you have tire tracks and ripped turf. If it's still frozen, how deep of a core do you expect to get?
The whole process is meant to help your lawn by alleviating compaction, opening up the soil to nutrients, breaking up thatch and creating a stronger root system, not the opposite for the sake of saving a few bucks.
Another excellent reason to hold off is the weed seed factor. If your lawn has been a troubled weed-infested breeding ground in recent years, perhaps you should wait until the fall to have that aeration. Hundreds of the weedy little buggers inhabit each square foot of lawn in dormancy and are waiting for ideal conditions. So then you have the lawn aerated pulling up cores with those weed properties in them and expose them to the elements, wondering why the lawn gets so weedy in May.
Yet many still have it done this early in the year and continue year after year.
Now some may think I am spouting off to create more aerations for myself when the time comes, or deny some student the ability to make a buck. That's not the case. I am simply giving you the 411 so you can make a more informed decision on the proper healthy care for your lawn. You can always tell whoever, you want the aeration, but at a later date. If they want the job, they'll come back.
So...
The next time, resist the urge and wait it out. You will find the grass is greener, on your side of the fence for a change.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Someone's knocking at the door
Surely the last thing on anyone's mind is their lawn as we trudge across frozen tundra, yet the calls , emails, flyers and yes, door knocking have been going on for a few months now. One company was out knocking before Christmas if you can believe it?
No matter how you've been contacted your focus should remain the same, if lawn care is something you are considering when the grass is finally visible, do your homework!
With Google at your finger tips it isn't hard these days to find information on anything, if you do a little digging. Sites like Homestars who collect customer comments on many service industry businesses make it even easier. But be aware if you use this site when checking out a company, especially when you have too many polarized comments,. I would trust a company with consistent 7 and 8's over one that yoyos from 0 to 10 constantly.
For some, price may be an issue, but you need to ask yourself if that, "too good to be true" price is going to lead to a barrage of calls to upsell you extra applications like aeration, grub control and other services to crack the piggy bank. Many times companies use scare tactics like, "you could lose your lawn if you don't get this application," and it works. If you are unsure, ask for a service call and a technician who can show you the issue before you sign on the dotted.
Read between the lines. A lush beautiful lawn for $6 dollars a week may sound nice until you realize that is averaged over 52 weeks and not a 7 month lawn season.
Also an initial price may only include a couple of Fiesta weed controls and if you need more than two sprays the charges will start.
Read the fine print! Is the company you are signing with a continuous service company. In other words, are they going to keep coming year after year until you tell them "no". In some cases that won't be enough and you'll have to jump through hoops to get a cancellation number. Sadly this is how some of the dinosaurs still operate.
Understand, a bigger company will likely have a greater share of unlicensed and novice technicians who will be learning their trade on your lawn. Mistakes are made by the best, but I've also seen some real bone-head applications by technicians who didn't know any better.
Most importantly, use your gut. If you have a good feeling about who you are going to use, take the plunge. After all, the reason you are considering this is to take the stress off of having to do timely applications yourself. If the company you hire is adding to your stress level, close the door and go a different direction.
No matter how you've been contacted your focus should remain the same, if lawn care is something you are considering when the grass is finally visible, do your homework!
With Google at your finger tips it isn't hard these days to find information on anything, if you do a little digging. Sites like Homestars who collect customer comments on many service industry businesses make it even easier. But be aware if you use this site when checking out a company, especially when you have too many polarized comments,. I would trust a company with consistent 7 and 8's over one that yoyos from 0 to 10 constantly.
For some, price may be an issue, but you need to ask yourself if that, "too good to be true" price is going to lead to a barrage of calls to upsell you extra applications like aeration, grub control and other services to crack the piggy bank. Many times companies use scare tactics like, "you could lose your lawn if you don't get this application," and it works. If you are unsure, ask for a service call and a technician who can show you the issue before you sign on the dotted.
Read between the lines. A lush beautiful lawn for $6 dollars a week may sound nice until you realize that is averaged over 52 weeks and not a 7 month lawn season.
Also an initial price may only include a couple of Fiesta weed controls and if you need more than two sprays the charges will start.
Read the fine print! Is the company you are signing with a continuous service company. In other words, are they going to keep coming year after year until you tell them "no". In some cases that won't be enough and you'll have to jump through hoops to get a cancellation number. Sadly this is how some of the dinosaurs still operate.
Understand, a bigger company will likely have a greater share of unlicensed and novice technicians who will be learning their trade on your lawn. Mistakes are made by the best, but I've also seen some real bone-head applications by technicians who didn't know any better.
Most importantly, use your gut. If you have a good feeling about who you are going to use, take the plunge. After all, the reason you are considering this is to take the stress off of having to do timely applications yourself. If the company you hire is adding to your stress level, close the door and go a different direction.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Promises, promises
Monday's IPM symposium at the Congress Centre had it's usual highs and disappointing lows. On the high note, Michael "Pinball" Clemons was fantastic as the keynote speaker touting teamwork, self motivation and a never quit attitude. By far, the highlight reel of the day, or as Pinball would have probably preferred, "the sweeeeeet-spot."
Yet with all the fanfare and the rays of hope of last year's 2014 symposium
not word one was said about the, "next great weed control" Phoma macrostoma, or crabgrass pre-emergent Opportune and barely a passing sentence on Phyllom grub control.
Most of the time was spent on endophytic grass studies, changing weather patterns and the relation of grubs and chinch bug infestations. So was there any new information on how to deal?
Surprise, surprise....not a hell of a lot. Most of the information passed along you can already find in past posts, right here on this blog--- application timing, ideal conditions, proper mowing height etc.
There was even a fact or fiction panel, who for the most of the time, danced around the issues with a sly smile. Questions about nematode true effectiveness, or lack there of, possible amendment to the bylaw...lol, glyphosate vs 2-4-D for the sake of public health and to treat dangerous weed infestations.
At times the panel seemed fidgety and uncomfortable with what they were being asked. After all, those in attendance have lost a stadium worth of clientele between them due to a five-year-old bylaw that has yet to show and significant decline in chemical use.
The only useful information came from one of my suppliers after the presentations. They informed me, a new crabgrass pre-emergent had been approved by the PMRA for testing but was still two years away from going to market.
So, fact, or fiction? Were the products of last year just smoke and mirrors to appease the angry natives? The Big Foot and Loch Ness Monster of the lawn care world?
I don't know? No one answered those questions.
Either way it looks like we've a few years to go until we experience the "sweeeeet spot", and I, like many others, am not impressed.
Yet with all the fanfare and the rays of hope of last year's 2014 symposium
not word one was said about the, "next great weed control" Phoma macrostoma, or crabgrass pre-emergent Opportune and barely a passing sentence on Phyllom grub control.
Most of the time was spent on endophytic grass studies, changing weather patterns and the relation of grubs and chinch bug infestations. So was there any new information on how to deal?
Surprise, surprise....not a hell of a lot. Most of the information passed along you can already find in past posts, right here on this blog--- application timing, ideal conditions, proper mowing height etc.
There was even a fact or fiction panel, who for the most of the time, danced around the issues with a sly smile. Questions about nematode true effectiveness, or lack there of, possible amendment to the bylaw...lol, glyphosate vs 2-4-D for the sake of public health and to treat dangerous weed infestations.
At times the panel seemed fidgety and uncomfortable with what they were being asked. After all, those in attendance have lost a stadium worth of clientele between them due to a five-year-old bylaw that has yet to show and significant decline in chemical use.
The only useful information came from one of my suppliers after the presentations. They informed me, a new crabgrass pre-emergent had been approved by the PMRA for testing but was still two years away from going to market.
So, fact, or fiction? Were the products of last year just smoke and mirrors to appease the angry natives? The Big Foot and Loch Ness Monster of the lawn care world?
I don't know? No one answered those questions.
Either way it looks like we've a few years to go until we experience the "sweeeeet spot", and I, like many others, am not impressed.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Happy anniversary to us
As we prepare to embark on our eighth season in the lawn care industry I'm reminded of the New Year's morning 2008 when I woke up to a law suit courtesy of my former employer.
It seemed they didn't take too kindly to me leaving them to start my own business on the opposite side of the GTA.
Looking back, I see how frivolous and asinine the legal action actually was--- nothing more than a scare tactic of a small child throwing a temper tantrum. There was never any documentation to support a "non-compete," or any of the other erroneous claims they were making. Yet, it wasn't how I perceived it at the time and I still had to seek legal help to defend my position.
It seems we spend much of our time complaining about the negative we have thrust upon us, but it is exactly these moments we should be grateful for. It shaped who I am and how I treat others now. It gave me the resolve and determination to push forward from the corner I had been backed into.
Without that hurdle I don't believe I would have had the focus to start the business, or been as passionate about it. In fact, I probably would have gone to work for...egad!...Weedman.
So, it is with glass raised, I toast that moment in my life and celebrate the journey. Without the flaming bags of excrement on our doorstep once in a while our voices are monotone, the sweet moments are less colorful and the victories less resounding.
A happy and healthy new year to you all.
It seemed they didn't take too kindly to me leaving them to start my own business on the opposite side of the GTA.
Looking back, I see how frivolous and asinine the legal action actually was--- nothing more than a scare tactic of a small child throwing a temper tantrum. There was never any documentation to support a "non-compete," or any of the other erroneous claims they were making. Yet, it wasn't how I perceived it at the time and I still had to seek legal help to defend my position.
It seems we spend much of our time complaining about the negative we have thrust upon us, but it is exactly these moments we should be grateful for. It shaped who I am and how I treat others now. It gave me the resolve and determination to push forward from the corner I had been backed into.
Without that hurdle I don't believe I would have had the focus to start the business, or been as passionate about it. In fact, I probably would have gone to work for...egad!...Weedman.
So, it is with glass raised, I toast that moment in my life and celebrate the journey. Without the flaming bags of excrement on our doorstep once in a while our voices are monotone, the sweet moments are less colorful and the victories less resounding.
A happy and healthy new year to you all.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
To bee or not to bee
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
This post isn't about lawn care as it is about another industry I've been hearing rumblings from. In fact all year. To the point that bees are dying at a drastic rate and neonicotinoids are being blamed. This issue is now before the courts and well...
Since it isn't my area of expertise let me post something from Robert Wager of the University of British Columbia that sums it up best in this article obtained from Force of Nature. He brings up some interesting points on the pro-neonic side.
And what was the problem according to PMRA? Dust from seeding. And what did they do? Add a lubricant and some equipment changes to seeding machinery to eliminate the problem. A couple of key points not covered. A couple of things to think about re: neonics: First the western provinces use plenty of neonics and have very little CCD, Australia uses lots of neonics and has zero CCD (also has zero Varroa mits, hmmm)
Second, what do people think was used on seeds before neonics? Perhaps people should look up the EIQ of those older compounds and see how they compare to neonics before they call for a ban on neonics. This exact experiment is going on in Europe right now as they banned neonics for two years.
This whole story about Bees is very emotional but emotions make for very bad decision making tools in science based public policy.
Has anyone every asked what has changed with bee husbandry in the past couple decades? Very interesting. In Canada, colonies used to be destroyed each fall and all the honey harvested. new bees were purchased from the US each spring. Then the vorroa mite arrived in NA. That effectively ended the cross border movement of bees. So now the colonies over-winter but ask how much of the honey is left for the bees and how much is replaced with sugar water (hardly a equitable swap)?
No one wants to see bees harmed and as long as people keep shouting to fix the wrong thing, the real problems with bees will continue. It is very true there are real issues with bees and CCD but knee jerk blaming of one pesticide when evidence shows several reasons why its not that simple will not solve the real problems.
And there you have it from point A to Bee...sorry again.
A great site to learn about bees is scientificbeekeeping.com
This post isn't about lawn care as it is about another industry I've been hearing rumblings from. In fact all year. To the point that bees are dying at a drastic rate and neonicotinoids are being blamed. This issue is now before the courts and well...
Since it isn't my area of expertise let me post something from Robert Wager of the University of British Columbia that sums it up best in this article obtained from Force of Nature. He brings up some interesting points on the pro-neonic side.
And what was the problem according to PMRA? Dust from seeding. And what did they do? Add a lubricant and some equipment changes to seeding machinery to eliminate the problem. A couple of key points not covered. A couple of things to think about re: neonics: First the western provinces use plenty of neonics and have very little CCD, Australia uses lots of neonics and has zero CCD (also has zero Varroa mits, hmmm)
Second, what do people think was used on seeds before neonics? Perhaps people should look up the EIQ of those older compounds and see how they compare to neonics before they call for a ban on neonics. This exact experiment is going on in Europe right now as they banned neonics for two years.
This whole story about Bees is very emotional but emotions make for very bad decision making tools in science based public policy.
Has anyone every asked what has changed with bee husbandry in the past couple decades? Very interesting. In Canada, colonies used to be destroyed each fall and all the honey harvested. new bees were purchased from the US each spring. Then the vorroa mite arrived in NA. That effectively ended the cross border movement of bees. So now the colonies over-winter but ask how much of the honey is left for the bees and how much is replaced with sugar water (hardly a equitable swap)?
No one wants to see bees harmed and as long as people keep shouting to fix the wrong thing, the real problems with bees will continue. It is very true there are real issues with bees and CCD but knee jerk blaming of one pesticide when evidence shows several reasons why its not that simple will not solve the real problems.
And there you have it from point A to Bee...sorry again.
A great site to learn about bees is scientificbeekeeping.com
Sunday, November 2, 2014
The song remains the same
I'm reminded of a story I once heard about Neil Peart the drummer for Rush and how, when they were recording new material, Neil would always start out with a full drum kit. Yet, with each pass he would be informed that a certain instrument- perhaps the cowbell, wasn't right for the song. So Neil would remove it from the kit and toss it in the corner.
With each repetition of the song the pile of discarded instruments would grow until the right percussive mix was established.
Where am I going with all this?
The lawn care industry is much the same way. Think of each season as a different song that needs the right mix of instruments. This year the song was exceptionally good but there was still a problem with the overall sound.
In the summer chinch bugs came in full force and caused damage, but one discouraging result I found, was most of the damage I saw revolved around my customers with Eco-Lawn- a grass seed that I was told, flat-out, by my supplier was an endophytic cultivar.
Simply, this means it is a grass type meant to withstand chinch bug and grub invasions. However, I witnessed many of my eco-lawns destroyed by chinch. In one case where we treat adjoining fronts of two lawns the feeding only took place on the Eco-Lawn side and stopped once it reached the more traditional blends of perennial ryes, fescue and blue grass.
That raises some serious questions not to mention my frustration.
Now not all my Eco-Lawns were affected, but I have now seen chinch and white grub dine heavily on this supposedly insect resistant grass. Since I too, have touted the insect resistant value of this seed, I must now remove that statement from my vocabulary.
Don't get me wrong, I still feel Eco-Lawn grass seed is a useful instrument in the right situations. However, for this year's song it ended up in the corner and with chinch bug becoming a frequent problem I can't see it returning to the kit anytime soon.
With each repetition of the song the pile of discarded instruments would grow until the right percussive mix was established.
Where am I going with all this?
The lawn care industry is much the same way. Think of each season as a different song that needs the right mix of instruments. This year the song was exceptionally good but there was still a problem with the overall sound.
In the summer chinch bugs came in full force and caused damage, but one discouraging result I found, was most of the damage I saw revolved around my customers with Eco-Lawn- a grass seed that I was told, flat-out, by my supplier was an endophytic cultivar.
Simply, this means it is a grass type meant to withstand chinch bug and grub invasions. However, I witnessed many of my eco-lawns destroyed by chinch. In one case where we treat adjoining fronts of two lawns the feeding only took place on the Eco-Lawn side and stopped once it reached the more traditional blends of perennial ryes, fescue and blue grass.
That raises some serious questions not to mention my frustration.
Now not all my Eco-Lawns were affected, but I have now seen chinch and white grub dine heavily on this supposedly insect resistant grass. Since I too, have touted the insect resistant value of this seed, I must now remove that statement from my vocabulary.
Don't get me wrong, I still feel Eco-Lawn grass seed is a useful instrument in the right situations. However, for this year's song it ended up in the corner and with chinch bug becoming a frequent problem I can't see it returning to the kit anytime soon.
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