Rob,

I can't claim to speak for others. In my case, the cost of the
complete service was comparable to the cost of buying the materials
myself at retail prices. However, based on the poor results the lawn
service obtained, I'm taking care of the lawn myself again.

I could add that some people are allergic or sensitive to some lawn
treatments, especially pestacides (the use of which vs. organic
methods is another topic altogether) and don't want to expose
themselves to lawn treatment materials.

There is also the question of expertise. Growing grass isn't rocket
science, but given the volume of Usenet traffic, books, magazines,
radio shows, etc. about lawn problems, people may turn to
"professionals" in an attempt to obtain better results.

Finally, if people want to put their disposable income into lawn care
and use their time for something else, that's fine with me.
Personally, I enjoy yardwork, or I'd buy a condo, but obviously, that
answer doesn't work for everyone.

Martin



On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 21:47:23 +1200, "George.com"
wrote:


Martin wrote in message ...
I have a similar problem. In addition to the straw appearance, my lawn
seemed to have stopped growing. I also noticed numerous spots where
animals had apparently "core aerated" the lawn, probably in search of
grubs.

For reference, I'm in Southern New Jersey and have an irrigation
system.

Based on not wanting to repeat last year (described below), I applied
the following:

- Spectracide Grub Stop at the recommended rate.
- Bayer Fungus Control. I kind of miscalculated, and put down about 5
lbs. per 1000 ft**2 instead of 3.

The lawn seems to be growing again.

I have a problem like this every year. Last year, I had a lawn service
fertilize. During early spring, the lawn looked great - check the
photo from May, 2005. However, it had to be cut three time a week. By
late July it was awful. My theory was that the service applied too
much nitrogen, causing all top growth and no roots.

Martin. Without wanting to sound offensive, why do so many Americans
seemingly hire people to care for their lawns? It just seems bizarre to me.
I may understand if people had really big properties and needed gardeners
but this doesn't seem to be the case. Can you shed some light on it for me
please.

rob