Weed Control

+ What is a weed?

Weed – noun: a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth.

+ How does your program work and why don’t I just do it myself?

Our Full Season Weed Control Program starts with a preemergent application covering the treatable areas on your property. We use specialized equipment to make sure we create a blanket over the yard that stops weed seeds from germinating all season long. Because of our experience, application techniques, and access to the most advanced materials on the market we can offer better control, often at a lower cost, than you would achieve treating the property yourself.

+ Is it guaranteed?

We cannot guarantee that you will not see a weed on your property with our service. Over the course of the season we expect to see some weed growth in low-lying areas and spots on the property where water collects: downspouts, near hoses, around outdoor showers, curb lines, etc. We schedule follow up visits and offer free service calls to make sure that these trouble spots do not become a problem.

+ How often do you come out and spray?

We schedule 3 visits to your property approximately 6-8 weeks apart. Between those visits if you see any weed growth at all, we encourage you to call for a free service call.

+ How long until my weeds die?

Weeds will stop growing immediately. The weed control is very dependent on the weather and how actively the weeds are growing. Early in the season (March – June) it can take up to 14 days for the weeds to be fully dead. In the peak heat of the summer the weeds will start to decline the same day they have been sprayed and will be dead and dried up in a few days.

+ What if my weeds don't die?

We ask that you wait 14 days between applications so that we don't over apply. If we are taking on a property later in the season, we may require a follow up application shortly after the first visit to make sure no weeds were missed, but otherwise our applications are very effective. We expect to achieve nearly 100% control of emerged weeds after one spray.

+ Will I have to do any maintenance to my yard if I have your program?

Our Full Season Weed Control Program can significantly reduce the amount of yardwork you will have to do in a season. If we start your service in the Spring, any weeds that have emerged will dry up and blow away on their own, and we will prevent new weeds from growing so that you do not have to pull weeds all season long.

If you activate later in the season, when weeds have had a chance to take hold, you may find that there is some debris on the property after the weeds have died. Most weeds are about 90% water when they are alive, so even the weediest properties will look a lot less messy once they have dried up.

If you have multiple seasons of growth or are starting late in the season you may need to do a yard cleanup after we have sprayed. We do not offer this service but can recommend landscapers in your area to get your yard back in shape.

+ I have weeds coming into my property from my neighbors’ lots.

There are certain invasive plants that we find on customers’ properties: phragmites, Japanese knotweed, bamboo, and even normal turf grass can invade from neighboring lots and be a weed in your yard. Some of these require specialized materials and equipment to control, but in many cases we can include this in your Full Season Weed Control cost.

+ What areas can you treat?

Our Full Season Weed Control Program is designed to treat gravel areas. This can also cover seashells and sand if that is what makes up your yard. We often include patio pavers and other hardscape features with very good results. We are able to treat in flower beds and around landscape plants with this service, but this requires further explanation.

+ What do I need to know if you are treating in my flower beds?

We only use materials that are safe to apply around desirable plants. This means that the products we use are not taken up through plants’ root system, but are absorbed through the green leaf and stem tissue. When we are including flower beds in a property we say “ABAP” or “as best as possible”. This means that we will apply preemergent and spray whatever we can in your beds as long as it does not risk damaging a plant you want to keep.

We can be very effective working around trees and large shrubs, but things like rose bushes, small flowers, and ground cover plants are too susceptible to our spray to treat aggressively around, so you should expect to see some weed growth if you have those plants in your beds.

You can plant flowers in your beds if we are treating them, but anything you try to grow from seed will not grow once we have applied our preemergent.

+ Why “Full Season Weed Control”? I just want one spray.

During our first application we apply the majority of the material we are going to be spraying for the season. As such, we structure our per application fee 80%/10%/10% between the three scheduled visits. Even with the best materials on the market, we know we are not going to get 100% control of your property for the season with our first application so we strongly discourage our customers from abbreviating the service.

+ What if I’m signing up later in the season?

We offer a pro-rated service after August 15th for 25% off. This includes 2 scheduled applications and no service calls. Even after August 15th we may suggest the Full Season Program so that we can make sure we get control of an overgrown property.

+ Are your products safe?

We only apply products that are designed for residential use. Our products require that all people and animals stay off the treated areas until the materials have dried. As long as you follow those rules you can safely enjoy your property all season long.

+ Are your products non-toxic?

No. But they have extremely low toxicity: to help explain toxicity we relate the products we are using to sodium chloride (table salt). The products we use must be tested for toxicity in a laboratory setting before they are put on the market. During these tests they are found to be less toxic than table salt.

Additionally, these tests are done on the concentrated product. Our technicians do not carry concentrates on their trucks, so there is no risk to either the technician or the homeowner of exposure to a toxic amount of any products we use.

+ Are your products organic?

We do not offer an organic weed control program for stone lawns.

There is one organic preemergent on the market, corn gluten, which has been shown to prevent weeds in laboratory experiments. When it is moved to real-world tests though, it is less than 50% effective. The other problem with corn gluten is that it will run from stones and into waterways and contribute to pollution of the bay.

There are post-emergent “burn down” products that are organic, but they would require weekly visits to your property, and are very caustic and more dangerous to our applicators.

We hear about things like vinegar and dish soap mixtures to control weeds and strongly discourage them. The products we are applying are tested for how they will behave once they go into the soil. We know that once we apply our pre- and post-emergents they move about 2” into the soil, do their job, and then break down. We can’t say the same for household products.

+ Do you use Roundup?

For 2022 we are using Roundup Custom, which is a commercial glyphosate concentrate that can be used both in landscapes and aquatic locations. This is not the same as Roundup-brand products that you might buy at the hardware store, which contain other herbicides and surfactants.

As a pesticide application business that has used glyphosate in our services for the past 36 years, we value this chemical as a useful tool to maintain our customers’ properties. We are always researching new products to increase our effectiveness and minimize our environmental impact, but the bad publicity around Roundup is not consistent with published research, and we have not found a safer, more environmentally friendly product for either the homeowner or the technicians.

To read more on our research into glyphosate click here.