Or are there any others out there? My yard has yucky weeds that are going to take more than a day to pull. I was thinking of having one of these guys come out and do an initial application and then we take it from there. Have any of you all used them? Which do you prefer? Cost wise which is reasonable?
Our yard is the same way and we are considering getting one of these companies too. There is another company called Chem-Lawn. I have a neighbor who uses Chem-Lawn. I asked her about it and she is pleased with them. Her Grandmother owns the house they live in and said she pays by the year, so she said she doesn't think it is that much. The only complaint she has is when they aerate the yard they mess up the sprinkler heads. She said they use spiked shoes and walk around in the yard and somehow it tears up the sprinkler heads. We've never used any of these companies, so I can't personally comment on them.
I would ask for some references, if they would give out some references. You could ask for any specials and see what each company offers and how much it will cost. I got something in the mail on Scott's that was a special for a free evaluation of your yard. You could also check the Better Business Bureau too.
Lesco hands down! We have bermuda and if you follow the Lesco's schedule of weed prevention...you will have the best lawn in the neighborhod. You can buy it at Home Depot.
SCOTTS! We live in Bedford and we had TruGreen for a couple of years. Although they promised to do so, they never called before coming (a problem sometimes with two dogs and a young child). Also, our yard, under their care, looked so bad one summer that we received a citation from our homeowner's association for "lack of grass"!! Scotts calls us every time and our lawn looks a great deal better. They cost us less too!
Neither. Both are large corporate companies. With either, you will not get the same technician on the yard each visit. When calling the office for assistance, you get the secretary who really doesn't know anything about lawns.
I recommend Liberty Lawn and Pest. They are 100% woman owned and you will have the same person on the lawn each time and their direct phone number. I wouldn't use anyone else.
Their number is 817-210-6398. I understand that they work all over the Dallas Fort Worth area.
I just wanted to throw the idea to you of organic gardening. It is nourishing the soil for a nice yard instead of using toxic chemicals to force the grass to grow. In March and October you can apply corn gluten meal to keep the weeds from germinating the next season. There might be a way of getting rid of the weeds organically this season, but I don't know what it is...Green Mamas in North Richland Hills can inform you of your best organic choices.
We've used both of those in the past, but stopped because we didn't want all those chemicals on our kids. We now use organic chemicals that we apply ourselves. Twice a year we put down corn meal gluten powder (to control weeds and to supply nitrogen to the lawn)--it's time right now for the first application. Contact Petal Pushers (www.petalpushersgarden.net) to buy it if you don't already have a source. For the fertilization part (because the best way to control weeds is to have healthy, strong grass), we use Fertilizer Program 3 - For Warm Season St. Augustine, Bermuda & Zoysia Grass at http://www.nl-amer.com/catalog/products/FullSeasonPrograms_561.aspx. It really works!
I have had great luck with The Green Machine. After giving them a year to get things under control, I have few weeds and they are helpful when I do have any problems. Pricing is as good as it gets. Good luck.
Margot, we use NatureCare Lawn Service (817-548-7004) My husband is very maticulous with the lawn and would NOT even
think about anyone but himself taking care of his lawn. Nearing 60 though, it was becoming a challenge. I talked him into using NatureCare w/ the understanding if they didn't do it to his liking, he would go back to doing it and use up the
whole weekend. He couln't believe how great they were. We
haven't had any weeds for 3 yrs. and the lawn looks great.
Your note didn't indicate what area you're in so I don't know
if this will be of any help, but Good Luck.
Pat S
where do you live? I have a landscape company in the Arlington metroplex area.
Weeds are a combination of many factors.
Do you maintain your yard on a regular basis? Mowing consistently is a major assistant to weed control, you want to mow and bag the debris so seeds do not fall back onto the ground.
Another thing is the pre emergent treatment at lease twice a year on strategic dates! Along with this is fertilization to make the grass healthier.
Proper watering times are extremely important. And remember your grass needs 1" of water a week. put a glass out and watch to see just how long it takes to give your grass 1". Easy to do!
You can treat your yard very affectively by purchasing weed spray at a local hardware store. It is easy they have some that just fits on your hose!!! You probably have broad leaf weeks and grassy weeds. Get someone to help you select the product for your yard. You will also need to know the type of grass you have.........very important! You probably have to do two treatments, wear gloves and spray in front of you as you walk backwards so you dont step into the grass you just sprayed. It would not be horrible if they sold it in the stores so you are just taking precautions.
---817-271-5372
Let me know if you live fairly close.
Debby HIll, DennisEnterprises
Trugreen has saved a couple of my trees, and now apply a pre a merger.
tru green! it's been a life saver!
Let me know if you get good recommendation on one or the other. I recently opened one of those mailers that contained information for a number of businesses and came across Kelly Green Lawncare and was thinking of calling them. Their coupon is for weed control treatment for $19.99, regularly $49-$55. Don't know what the catch is though, can I just get them to do the initial application for that price or do I have to sign up for multiple treatments.
Neither and None! Weed killers are absolutely NOT safe around kids. No tests have ever been conducted by pesticide makers to determine its safety around children and the EPA does not conduct its own tests for any of the pesticides in use.
The EPA relies off information given to them by the manufacturer (the pesticide companies bury their studies about adverse health risk like the tobacco companies did). EPA DOES NOT APPROVE ANY PESTICIDE AS SAFE, it only regulates the use of pesticides and plays numbers with risk assessment. EPA focuses on acute toxicity and to chronic toxicity. (i.e. they do not collect information about long-term effect of being exposed to these pesticides, or the effects it's causing on our children.)
More studies have come out to show that children, adults and pets are harmed by the chemicals. Some of these weedkillers have a half-life of 300 days. That means it can remain in your yard for that long. These chemicals by TruGreen, LawnDoctor, and other companies have been linked to birth defects, health and developmental problem in children and health problems for adults:
"Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 19 have studies pointing toward carcinogens, 13 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 15 with neurotoxicity, 26 with liver or kidney damage, 27 are sensitizers and/or irritants, and 11 have the potential to disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system."
( http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/facts&figures.htm )
Pesticides are a petroleum based product, and petroleum based products is the main cause of leukemia in children and adults. "A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finds home and garden pesticide use can increase the risk of childhood leukemia by almost seven times."
The weedkillers are also being washed off into our streams and waterways, killing and mutating wildlife (frogs and such). Then they find their way back into our drinking waters that we give to our children and pregnant mothers and sperm-bearing fathers.
GO ORGANIC, PLEASE! If you can, leave the weeds alone, pull them out by hand, mow them to prevent weed seeds for growing, try corn gluten for fertilizer,
Go to http://www.safelawns.org on how to take care of your lawn without chemicals and weedkillers - this non-profit was started by a lawn care professional and father, whom was also poisoned by the chemicals he applied on a daily bases and is now trying to educate people on the harm that can be done by these chemicals.
Interesting reading:
Lawn Pesticides -An Unacceptable Risk
http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pub/lawnrisk.pdf
Is what you put on your lawn killing you?
http://www.safe2use.com/ipm/lawn.htm
Mother and Children Hurt By Widely Used Lawn Care Pesticides
http://www.toxicsinfo.org/Lawn/One%20Family's%20Story.htm
Everybody needs to do more research and digging before bringing these poisons into our homes to harm our children, grandchildren and ourselves.
So TruGreen came and saw - the feedback was positive - but the costs were a bit more than I expected. I love all the feedback you all have given so I am going to continue to seek another company - most likely the organic methods since I am a believer in being nice to the earth.
Thanks!