Probably won’t get much feedback. Those type of companies are more expensive, for big box store type of applications.


Not sure how it translates to less chemicals on the lawn, versus your current spray and pay set up.


What is the current company applying and when/how often ?

 

I could 100% be falling for the marketing on chemicals and lawn care. Lol

We are using a company called Massey who applies fertilizer and pre and post emergents. We hired them a year ago and the grass has been going slowly downhill so I am starting to look at different options.

 

I cant imagine them being very good or cost effective. I looked at a few of their products and they basically use Cedarwood Oil for ticks and fleas. Some sort of pytherthin for mosquitoes. Iron for dandelion control.

Their drought stress formula is basically Potassium (which does not help drought stress). Their Texas green is N and K at a very high price.

This is all basically marketing, snake oil, and pretty packaging.

 

Haha, this is probably why I can’t find great info about it from folks who use it 🤦‍♀️

 

This is primarily a DIY forum. If you want to take ownership of your lawn and make it the best it can be we are here to help you do that. Fertilizer, insecticide, herbicide, pre emergents, PGR, basically all chemicals you should do yourself. We can help you with it. It will be less expensive and the results will be better.

If you want to outsource certain things that are really hard work, ie verticutting, aerating, sand top dressing. Those are heavy duty tasks that folks with specialized equipment can potentially do better. Although most members here do that part themselves. But it’s hard work.

 

To be honest, I’m nervous about taking it over and thought the subscription could be a good way of transitioning over to doing it myself. I would however love to learn how to properly care for our grass on my own so I can enjoy the satisfaction of a healthy lawn from my own work. I picked up a soil test to send to UGA today. That seems like a good place to start? I know this forum is full of great info, but it is overwhelming to know where to start. Are there any threads you’d recommend? Thank you!

 

If your company is fertilizing and applying pre+post emergent, there is no reason to think that would be the cause of the grass “going downhill” as you said. do you know what and how much they are fertilizing? what herbicides are they using? are you watering enough? How much sun does it get?

 

This was the most recent application at the end of April. I use a Rachio for managing watering and it seems to do a good job of keeping up with the change in temps and avoiding over saturation when the soil is moist from recent rain fall. I’m probably getting an 1” a week, though I haven’t rechecked this spring. Front lawn is Bermuda and not thick enough to keep weeds at bay. Backyard is zeon zoysia and because it’s pretty thick in most areas, doesn’t have the same weed problem, or the applications they’ve applied are better geared for the zoysia vs Bermuda, but I’m at the beginning of learning about proper care myself. I just know that my neighbor who follow’s Pike’s Nursery plan has healthier looking grass than us when previously his was in a similar state. I know there are a ton of variables to consider when making the comparison, but I had hoped with what we pay, we’d have a better outcome.

 

soil test is a great starting point. post a picture of the results here or in the ‘nutrients & soil fertility’ sub thread. there’s a pinned thread called ‘soil remediation guide’ that is worth reading -> Soil Remediation Guide

 

Thank you so much! I will!

 

I would start with the Bermuda bible. I would also wait on the soil test until the beginning of next year since they have already applied stuff and that will skew the baseline.

Get a 4 gallon electric backpack sprayer (that is going to be one of your most important tools).

Those weeds in the front Celcius will handle pretty easily.

Get a bag of the cheapest Urea 46-0-0 you can find and start applying N to the lawn. That will push growth.

Mow at least twice a week.

Confirm how much water you are putting out. Do an irrigation audit.

You can make an order of magnitude improvement in what you have with not a huge amount of effort. Taking it to the next level after that is where things get crazy.

 

I could suggest you sit back and monitor your spray company this summer. Help you understand what theyre doing if it feels overwhelming for now. Next summer you can improve on their “plan” both for performance and cost.

While you have the free time, mow more. Guaranteed to thicken up that bermuda the more you cut. Schedule an aeration service. And do a sand leveling. It can greatly improve the appearance.

 

I could suggest you sit back and monitor your spray company this summer. Help you understand what theyre doing if it feels overwhelming for now. Next summer you can improve on their “plan” both for performance and cost.

that’s a pretty good suggestion. I still think getting a soil test now is also a good idea. knowing soil pH is valuable if your lawn isn’t responding the way you want. you can share test results with your company and let them make any adjustments to the NPK ratio if needed.

 

The OP is just trying to get rid of weeds and thicken up grass. Although it would not hurt he probably does not need a soil test. The grass looks pretty good where it’s growing. Let’s keep it simple.

Mow
Proper water
Pre Emergent
Celcius and Certainty for the weeds.
Urea for N

Just do that and the lawn will be 90% better.

Then decide if you want to get crazy.

 

I do not disagree with any of that at all. But he’s new to lawn care and thinking the lawn is going downhill and/or the company is messing up his lawn. my thought behind a soil test is it would eliminate the uncertainty his his mind… that knowledge goes a long way towards avoiding rabbit holes.

 

I personally think getting a soil test done for most, enda up sending everyone down a rabbit hole. 🤣

OP should stick to mowing, weed control, feed nitrogen and circle the wagons end of the summer and see where it landed. Knowing the pH is quite honestly pointless in the grand scheme of things. I don’t know mine at all, and I seem to be doing fine.


I do think down the road if trouble still continues where all the basic portions aren’t fixing, then you dig into the dirt and figure out why nothing is improving.

 

Yeah I think if you dont want to DIY, then just find a better lawn company. Someone like Massey which is a big corporation with local franchises may or may not be good. Shop around for a smaller more local company, specifically who is more organic if you want.

 

I get it that the weather is pretty consistent this time of year for most of us but I always still want to know where I stand regarding GDD. It is totally possible to push growth through regulation by applying nitrogen. So if you are fertilizing your lawn, you really should know the GDD. The only real way to mess up your grass with PGR is by repeatedly reapplying when the previous application has not worn off. You could see an increase in growth from nitrogen and think the PGR is wearing off when you are actually in the middle of your regulation cycle.

 

Y’all, thank you so much for all of the advice/recommendations! I’ve taken the last several days to think over it all and have decided for the short term to bring in a small, local company to help us get on track while I learn more about the chemistry side of lawn care. I am taking over mowing and maintenance and don’t want to overwhelm myself. We’ve had a company who comes once a week to mow. I mow in between, but think we could save some money if I take it over myself. I’m really looking forward to learning more as I take great pride in our home and being able to take care of it.

With that in mind, what are the best threads/resources for beginners to dive into? Additionally, should I still get my own soil test or have the local company we hire do one?

Thank you!!

 

Ideally if they are really going to care about your grass they will want to do a soil test to figure out if it needs anything, if theres any significant problems. Doesnt hurt to ask. Youre paying them so they should be willing to tell you what they are doing, what problems they are solving, and how.

 

Read this:

https://www.thelawnforum.com/threads/bermuda-bible-the-new-testament.1651/?post_id=30491#post-30491

 

Also until you have an issue you cannot specifically diagnose I would forgo a soil test. Let’s see what your grass looks like in a couple of months and then we can determine next steps.

Right now focus on mowing, and if your service cant kill the weeds we can give you advice on that.

 

I second this regarding the soil test.

 

Thank you guys so much!