"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Bill R wrote:
zxcvbob wrote:

I figure they must have a commercial "applicators license" to use
herbicides. Who issues that license?

The *******s treated my neighbor's back yard last week, and they
sprayed 2,4-d through the fence and into my vegetable garden. I
recognized the twisted new growth as being herbicide damage before
I
even found the little ChemLawn sign in their front yard.

While I was writing down the phone number from the little sign,
another neighbor came by and said he's complained to ChemLawn
before
about them leaving Weed-n-Feed granules all over the sidewalk when
they were done.

Bob



Bob,

Sorry to hear about your garden. Most states regulate the lawn care
industry but, in most cases, the "safe use" of herbicides is not
done
very well. You may also check with your county, some have some
regulations that they must follow.

One way to deal with companies like that is to sue them in small
claims
court (sometimes not worth the trouble). If you have a local TV
station
that has a "consumer affairs" person, it may be worth it to call
them
and see if they will do a story on them (especially if the lawn
company
gives you any "lip", which they OFTEN do).


This would not be worth suing, because I can't really prove much
economic damage, and it's not very spectacular. The plants may or may
not grow out of the damage, and it's just a few plants affected -- all
my yellow squash and maybe a few of my tomatoes and peppers, but the
tomatoes and peppers have just about recovered. Only the squash was
actually sprayed, and a little drift or overspray onto some
raspberries.
They must have used an ester formulation rather than amine, and the
tomatoes and peppers just got a whiff of it.

I think I'd get more satisfaction treating this as an EPA thing or a
criminal tresspass issue; I don't think I could get anyone to take the
criminal complaint seriously, but the regulatory issues should fly if
I
can find the right agency to complaint to.

I'm having enough trouble this year with rabbits, squirrels, roaming
cats, and cool nights. I don't need this kind of trouble on top of
it.
At least the beans look good and they are growing faster than the
rabbits can eat them.

Best regards,
Bob


Getting money from them isn't the point. The point is that they have to
pay someone (not a lawyer) to go to small claims court and deal with the
issue. This should result in a company-wide memo warning their sprayers
to avoid gardens.

This will not only keep it from happening to you again, it'll help a
whole lot of other gardeners.



Ray Drouillard