Future of Lawn Spraying

Future of Lawn SprayingThe business of lawn spraying is changing - technology is getting better and government is more controlling. These two forces – better technology/more government - are changing the way lawn spraying is to be done in Pinellas County. However I can adapt and I am making some simple changes changes to better serve you. To follow is the details of why and what will be changing – read on!

Why Lawn Spray at All?

Grass is perishable and lawn Spraying saves lawns! Lawns are great for the environment and a great setting for your home but grass is very perishable and costly to replace. Lawn Spraying Saves LawnsGrowing grass is easy if you regularly feed, water and protect your lawn. However if you miss a beat the lawn will perish! An average lawn costs about $4000.00 to replace. Lawn spraying not only helps to keep your lawn alive, it helps it to recover from damage. I have actually restored a lawn in one year by lawn spraying - saving the customer from a  $10,000 sod bill!

Good Technology - Better Living through Chemistry

“Safe and Green” are the two buzz words for the new technology in lawn spraying. Even though we still have no effective products for weedy grasses (crabgrass) - products for insect and broad leaf weed (dollar weed and others) control are off the scale for safety and effectiveness. Compared to a few years ago, I have better , safer and “greener”  products thanks to pro”green” chemical corporations.

How Safe?

Pet Safe“Naturally occurring insecticides used in very small amounts that do not persist in the environment” – that simple statement sums up how safe. The primary insecticide I use is a laboratory produced insecticide, naturally occurring in marigolds and many other plants (the insecticide is not “organic” because it is mass produced and not harvested from natural sources). I use it in very small quantities (parts per billion) – i.e. imagine spreading one teaspoon of insecticide evenly over an entire lawn. To be lethal, you would have to drink more than 1200 gallons of the spray in one setting! Also, the insecticide does not last long, breaking down into harmless compounds in 2 months.

The same could be said for the herbicides except herbicides are less toxic.

How Green?

Green Green Grass of HomeHealthy turf is a very good filter plant – filtering out pollutants from the air and rain, capturing dust and pollen, soaking up CO2 and exhaling O2,cooling our environment and saving our soil. I use small amounts of environmentally friendly plant nutrients needed to sustain healthy grass - your personal “green space” to clean the environment. Weak grass (unfertilized) is a very poor filter plant – producing more CO2 than absorbing, producing dust and pollen, heating our environment and allowing soil to erode. Few things in our modern urban setting have a smaller carbon footprint than grass. Therefore you get a big return in environmental “greeness” by using a very small amount of plant nutrients. Nothing is more “green” than healthy grass!

Local Government Regulate Irrigation and Fertilizer

Fertilizer Ban:: No Sale of Use of FertilizerPinellas County has drafted, approved and is in process of implementing a fertilizer ban in Pinellas County. The ban would not allow Nitrogen fertilizers to be sold or applied June 1st through September 30. Joined to the fertilizer restriction is the already very limiting water restrictions. The combo of “no water – no fertilizer” will weaken the turf grass community in Pinellas County into a dead dying community incapable of being “green”. It is a government imposed “Silent Spring” in Pinellas County. A step back in “greening” our environment.

Good Technology overcomes Regulations

Unless the local officials see the darkness of the “Silent Spring” fertilizer bans and water restrictions will produce, the alternative is to adapt. I have very good products to keep the grass healthy in spite of the regulations – but at a cost. Three major adaptations are needed to keep the grass healthy:

1. Monthly Applications of plant nutrients October through June
2. Adding Hydrating Organics to the Applications (Hydretain)
3. Cultivating Turf in only Prime Areas of your landscape

In a nutshell, lawn spraying will cost more for the extra services and it is wise to grow grass in only the most amiable areas of your lawn.

Monthly Applications plus Hydretain

Hydretain 2Currently my offering is 6 applications per year to maintain fertility, kill the bugs and discourage the weeds. That has served my customers well for years. But the water restrictions and the fertilizer bans will will make that service model ineffective. Therefore, I will be offering 12 service visits per year -  October through June will be insect, weed, Hydretain applications with fertilizer and June through September will be insect, weed, Hydretain applications without fertilizer. Also there will be monthly billing – the total cost of all applications divided by 12 months and that amount billed monthly.

Value Engineering the Landscape

Alternate use of Side YardSome areas – under mature trees, small concrete surrounded areas, side yards and even backyards – are not worth the effort required to grow grass. Concentrating your efforts, resources and time on smaller but healthy grass will reduce costs and improve the “green” quality (reduce the carbon footprint) of the grass. For example: Side yards are heavy traffic, low visibility, shady and often water logged where growing grass is difficult if not impossible. An alternative to grass would be a layer of decorative shell, dotted with stepping stones and small planted areas of shrubs. Side yards also make great outdoor storage – not a garden.

Summary

Grass is a good thing and the chemicals used to maintain grass are safe and effective. However with the current trends in regulations, more products and more services are needed to maintain healthy green grass.I have kept current with the technology and the regulations and instead of pointing a finger of blame at others, I have refitted my company to provide a great service at a great price. But it is different from the past ways and methods and will take time for all of us to adjust. I am confident that the services will provide better and healthier lawns that are pleasing to the eye and environment.