Some lawns have aggressive weeds which our fertilizer and weed control program may not sufficiently treat. This is especially common when a lawn has gone a long time without any weed treatments. In such cases a specialty application may be required. A specialty application is a product which will specifically target the problematic weed. Applications of this nature are most effective when they are applied routinely to have a cumulative effect: like a “1-2 punch.”
A specialty application will start to work right away and you should notice leaf curl within 7 days. However, without proper follow-up treatments, the stored energy in the weed’s root system is likely to bounce back. For this reason, we perform on-going treatments with your routine fertilizer program until the weed is completely eradicated or a desired level of control has been reached. Specialty weed control is included as part of the full 7-application Lawn Care or Extender Programs.
Our fertilizer applications contain herbicides to kill the weeds in your lawn. If you are worried about the safety of herbicides – we understand, mixed and used improperly herbicides can be hazardous. However Lush Lawn uses a proprietary, computerized mixing system to ensure that herbicides are mixed at the proper ratio, and all our technicians are trained and licensed to apply them properly to your lawn.
Herbicides can be safely used when you (and pets) stay off the lawn until the spray-solution dries; this can take anywhere from 2-4 hours but can vary based on humidity. However, we understand that you may not be comfortable with herbicides and for that reason we do offer applications that are fertilizer only. Fertilizer-only applications are priced the same, and there is no guarantee for weed-control.
The fertilizers we apply are a custom blend of nutrients that Michigan turfgrasses need each day of the growing season. This means that with each application we are replenishing the nutrients as they are continually being depleted by your lawn. A soil test is only necessary if your lawn exhibits abnormal symptoms, such as large dead spots, discoloration, lethargy, etc. A soil test will determine if additional remediation is necessary to remedy a pH imbalance, unusual nutrient-deficiency, or infestation. These instances are less common and are handled on a case-by-case basis. An annual soil test is included as part of the Extender program and can be added to any other program for a small charge to cover the laboratory cost and analysis involved.
Yes! We offer natural lawn fertilizer and mosquito control treatments.
Our natural fertilizers provide Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus for your lawn. These fertilizers are made of from sources such as fish meal, manure, bat guano, earthworm castings, etc.
Our organic mosquito control treatment is designed to offer an alternative to our traditional pesticide program. This natural mosquito control is effective as it is safe. The materials we use are 100% Organic. They are free of synthetic pesticides and safe to apply around pets, children, and wildlife with no negative impact to the local environment
We use both liquid and granular depending upon the application. All our fertilizer is granular, which is more effective than liquid because we can apply a mix of fast and slow release fertilizers. Having a mix of both means that your lawn is fed continuously. Granular fertilizers are also easier to spread throughout the lawn so it is less likely that we will miss an area.
A lot of companies use liquid fertilizer that require you to receive more applications. The reason is fast acting liquid fertilizers do not contain the same slow-release abilities as coated granular fertilizers and need to be applied more often. Additionally, liquid fertilizers have a greater tendency to burn lawns if applied at too high of a rate.
Our weed control treatments are liquid, which is the most effective way to kill weeds that are present in your lawn at the time of application. The liquid is absorbed directly into the plant leaves causing them to die much more quickly than a granular application.
With the first application, as the weather warms up, you will see your grass start to “green up” faster than your neighbors, weeds shouldn’t be an issue early in the season as they haven’t started to germinate yet. After your second application, you will notice that any weeds you have will begin to curl and die within a 5-7 days after the visit. After several watering’s, the nutrients that we apply will start to be absorbed by your lawn, keeping it green.
If we are treating for a lawn disease or treating to improve soil conditions that were identified as part of a soil test, this can require multiple applications and/or continuing treatment to achieve and maintain desired results.
Lawn treatments are a cumulative process, which means that with each treatment, you are working nutrients into the soil and eradicating generational weed infestations. If your lawn has not been fertilized in a while, it will require some time and possibly some seeding, to fill in the thinning areas which have been taken over by weeds. The service technicians from Lush Lawn will keep an eye on how your lawn is progressing throughout the season to ensure you get the results you are looking for.
We are happy to accommodate your request for fewer applications and customize a program for you. However, our weed-free satisfaction guarantee only applies to a full 7 treatment lawn care program or our Extender program.
If someone else is offering you a weed-free, lawn with fewer applications, this is a red flag. Because weeds germinate constantly throughout the growing season, this means that lawns require frequent and routine attention to remain weed-free, which our 7-application program offers.
We have seen this happen over the 15 years that we have been in business. With fewer applications, your lawn will develop more weeds than your neighbor’s. Give our full program a try, and you will find that your lawn becomes the best on the block.
Early Spring: Application includes nitrogen for spring greenup. Depending upon soil temperatures, growing conditions and the date of your first treatment it may also include pre-emergent herbicide and broadleaf herbicide
Spring: Blanket application of broadleaf herbicide for weed control. Liquid pre-emergent control for crabgrass (if not done in first application) Nitrogen fertilizer with micronutrients will be added to improve summer hardiness. Application includes nitrogen fertilizer, (Fe) iron, (Mn) manganese, and broadleaf herbicide.
Early Summer: Apply our summer-formulated fertilizer with micronutrients and organic material. Weed control is applied as needed. Application includes nitrogen fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide.
Mid-Summer: Apply our summer-formulated fertilizer with micronutrients and organic material. Weed control is applied as needed. Application includes nitrogen fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide.
Late Summer: Apply a time-released balanced fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide spot treatment as needed. Application includes nitrogen fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide.
Fall: Apply a time-released balanced fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide blanket treatment. Application includes nitrogen fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide.
Late Fall: Apply a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer to promote a strong root system throughout the winter and ensure early spring green-up, and broadleaf herbicide spot treatment as needed. Application includes nitrogen fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide.
To help you understand why we recommend 7 applications, some technical understanding is essential. Cool-season turf grasses such as those found in Michigan need between 5-7 pounds of total Nitrogen (per 1,000 sq ft) each season to perform at their best. Since the maximum application rate is 1 pound per application, that equates to 5-7 applications per season. Any less than 3 pounds of nitrogen per season, and our cool-season turf grasses will show color inconsistency and decline in density, allowing weeds to pop-up more readily. We adjust our fertilization rates based upon your specific lawn. Lawns that have built-in sprinklers and are watered regularly will grow faster and require more nitrogen than a lawn that is not watered regularly. Knowing how you manage your lawn helps us in keeping it as beautiful as possible.
Getting the proper nutrients in your lawn is key, but equally important are keeping out the pests like invasive weeds and turf-feeding insects.
Weeds can grow faster than grass and consume the same Nitrogen that we apply to your lawn. Because weeds are routinely germinating and spreading their seed by wind, birds, etc., your weed-control should be just as routine as your fertilizer. Lawns with fewer applications will inherently have more weeds than lawns that get more applications.
Our most popular and effective program consists of 7 treatments per year. We find that this frequency is very effective at controlling weeds that grow at every stage of spring and summer and provides the proper amount of fertilizer to help you grow a lush, green lawn. With less than 7 applications, you may see weeds coming back between treatments.
Perhaps your lawn is lush and weed-free now? That is fantastic news, but that’s not by chance: either the sod farm (if your lawn is new), or the previous homeowner (if you just moved in), or you (good work!) has put in great effort to achieve that. If that same effort is not continued, your lawn will slowly degrade as it consumes soil nutrients faster than they are replenished, and weed seeds slowly infest as they are not routinely controlled.
The good news is that Lush Lawn has a weed-free guarantee with your 7-application program, so you can rest easy knowing that your lawn is getting what it needs to stay healthy, vibrant and the best on the block!
