I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape.
Has anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much
should I expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any
advice.

"tenplay" wrote in message
. ..
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a huge
"lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass, bald
spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I don't
know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service business
for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has anyone
tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should I expect
to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

Any chance children will be playing on your lawn at any time in the next two
years?

On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 10:11:54 -0800, tenplay wrote:

I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should I
expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

The real question to ask yourself is do you want to do it yourself or pay
for it. The average rates for western Washington is going to be about 65
dollars an acre for a complete mowing. The "average" size lawns around
here are going to cost 25 to 30 dollars per mowing. Many companies will
insist on a seasonal contract, so there will be 4 mows per month need it
or not. So your total cost will be $900.00 or more per year. This cost is
_just_ the mowing. Fertilization and weed control will be charged
separately. These prices can range quite abit.

What I would do to your property to get it back. Liquid broadleaf spot
spraying. I don't weed and feed any longer. It's more of a waste than it's
worth. A fertilization for the spring to start the lawn off. After the
broadleaf weeds are dead, over seed the lawn areas with a good grass seed
(from your local farm supply). Mow the lawn areas at 2.5 to 3 inches for
the rest of the season. In the fall I would fertilize again, may aereate
the lawn if the soil is compacted and spot spray the broadleaf weeds again.

Your lawn should look a 100% better by winter and will look just fine the
next season. Keep the mowing hight at 2.5 to 3 inches and fertilize twice
a year. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions. If your in the
Whatcom or Skagit are, look at my site to get a hold of me. I can stop by
and help you out.

http://www.ywgc.com

--
http://resources.ywgc.com/info

Timothy wrote:
On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 10:11:54 -0800, tenplay wrote:

I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should I
expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

The real question to ask yourself is do you want to do it yourself or pay
for it. The average rates for western Washington is going to be about 65
dollars an acre for a complete mowing. The "average" size lawns around
here are going to cost 25 to 30 dollars per mowing. Many companies will
insist on a seasonal contract, so there will be 4 mows per month need it
or not. So your total cost will be $900.00 or more per year. This cost is
_just_ the mowing. Fertilization and weed control will be charged
separately. These prices can range quite abit.

What I would do to your property to get it back. Liquid broadleaf spot
spraying. I don't weed and feed any longer. It's more of a waste than it's
worth. A fertilization for the spring to start the lawn off. After the
broadleaf weeds are dead, over seed the lawn areas with a good grass seed
(from your local farm supply). Mow the lawn areas at 2.5 to 3 inches for
the rest of the season. In the fall I would fertilize again, may aereate
the lawn if the soil is compacted and spot spray the broadleaf weeds again.

Your lawn should look a 100% better by winter and will look just fine the
next season. Keep the mowing hight at 2.5 to 3 inches and fertilize twice
a year. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions. If your in the
Whatcom or Skagit are, look at my site to get a hold of me. I can stop by
and help you out.

http://www.ywgc.com


Thanks for your helpful response. Unfortunately I am down in Tumwater,
WA. Actually what I am thinking of is having the lawn service fertilize
and control the weeds as needed, and do the weekly mowing myself.
Having them come in 3-4 times to do the stuff I don't know how to do
should run about $300-400, shouldn't it?

If I decide to try it myself, are you saying that I should fertilize
first, then spray liquid broadleaf, overseed the lawn, and mow the lawn
at 2.5-3 inches, and then, in the fall, fertilize, aerate the lawn and
spot spray the broadleaf weeds again? Did I get the order right?
Thanks. Mike

Doug Kanter wrote:
"tenplay" wrote in message
. ..
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a huge
"lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass, bald
spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I don't
know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service business
for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has anyone
tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should I expect
to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

Any chance children will be playing on your lawn at any time in the next two
years?



Probably not. Why do you ask?

Because you wont know what they are putting on your lawn for 2 years, unless
you are standing there when they are applying it. But you dont know what to
do anyway, so they can pretty much do what they want.
Get with U of W or your Co-op extension agent and get an inkling on what to
do. You could even go to Scotts.com and get the monthly reminder thing of
what to do in your zip code to your lawn. Mother Earth News if you are an
organic-ite. Just stay away from the "Lawn jockeys".


"tenplay" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"tenplay" wrote in message
. ..
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should
I expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

Any chance children will be playing on your lawn at any time in the next
two years?

Probably not. Why do you ask?

"tenplay" wrote in message
...
Timothy wrote:
On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 10:11:54 -0800, tenplay wrote:

I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should
I
expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

The real question to ask yourself is do you want to do it yourself or pay
for it. The average rates for western Washington is going to be about 65
dollars an acre for a complete mowing. The "average" size lawns around
here are going to cost 25 to 30 dollars per mowing. Many companies will
insist on a seasonal contract, so there will be 4 mows per month need it
or not. So your total cost will be $900.00 or more per year. This cost is
_just_ the mowing. Fertilization and weed control will be charged
separately. These prices can range quite abit. What I would do to your
property to get it back. Liquid broadleaf spot
spraying. I don't weed and feed any longer. It's more of a waste than
it's
worth. A fertilization for the spring to start the lawn off. After the
broadleaf weeds are dead, over seed the lawn areas with a good grass seed
(from your local farm supply). Mow the lawn areas at 2.5 to 3 inches for
the rest of the season. In the fall I would fertilize again, may aereate
the lawn if the soil is compacted and spot spray the broadleaf weeds
again. Your lawn should look a 100% better by winter and will look just
fine the
next season. Keep the mowing hight at 2.5 to 3 inches and fertilize twice
a year. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions. If your in
the
Whatcom or Skagit are, look at my site to get a hold of me. I can stop by
and help you out.

http://www.ywgc.com

Thanks for your helpful response. Unfortunately I am down in Tumwater,
WA. Actually what I am thinking of is having the lawn service fertilize
and control the weeds as needed, and do the weekly mowing myself. Having
them come in 3-4 times to do the stuff I don't know how to do should run
about $300-400, shouldn't it?

If I decide to try it myself, are you saying that I should fertilize
first, then spray liquid broadleaf, overseed the lawn, and mow the lawn at
2.5-3 inches, and then, in the fall, fertilize, aerate the lawn and spot
spray the broadleaf weeds again? Did I get the order right? Thanks. Mike

In a previous message, I gave you a web site for Maryland's cooperative
extension. Ooops. Here's Washington's:
http://ext.wsu.edu/locations/

Call them for advice.

"tenplay" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"tenplay" wrote in message
. ..
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should
I expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

Any chance children will be playing on your lawn at any time in the next
two years?

Probably not. Why do you ask?

How about pets? Or you? Neighbors' kids occasionally?

As Garden Viking mentioned, there are problems with the entire concept of
using lawn chemicals. To elaborate:

1) If you could ask the manufacturer of the chemicals about safety, they'd
say "Safe when used as directed". False. It's next to impossible to test
these things in a scientifically correct way, to know if they're safe for
humans to breathe, ingest or come into contact with. And, you WILL come into
contact with them, even if it's months later when the stuff has filtered
into the local water table and back into your drinking water.

2) The lawn service companies use lots of seasonal help, none of whom have
any knowledge about the chemicals they're applying. Once, on a day with 40
mph winds, my wife happened to be home when a Chem Lawn moron was about to
hose down my neighbor's lawn. Due to the wind direction, the spray would've
instantly blown onto our vegetable garden, our fish pond, and our son's
swings. She mentioned strangling to the 911 operator, so the cops arrived
very quickly. The Chem Lawn moron told her and the cops that the stuff was
proven safe for use on edible crops. Of course, he was wrong. The cops sent
him on his way. In any case, they'll tell you anything you want to hear.

When you think of pollution from agricultural chemicals, most people think
of farmers as the primary source. Not any more. According to the EPA,
homeowners are the second point source of this pollution. Golf courses are
the first major source. In any case, you don't even want to be on the list
of point sources. (A point source is a readily identifiable source of
pollution. An example of a non-point source would be motor oil from leaking
cars, which washes out of parking lots into the ground & water).

Even if you used chemicals to rid your yard of weeds (a silly goal), you'd
still need to adopt ideal lawn care practices to keep it that way. You may
as well learn those things first. The best source is your local cooperative
extension, because it's staffed with people who understand YOUR climate. The
timing of various lawn care chores is very important, so getting advice from
someone in upstate New York, or Wisconsin, is not ideal. Find your local
cooperative extension he
http://www.agnr.umd.edu/MCE/offices.cfm

Most lawn service outfits are mow and go and don't really do anything else.
What you need to do is look around for a gardening service or maybe a one
man operation. That's how I ran my service for 15 years, I offered not only
mowing and pickup, but also feeding and care of lawn and plants. My rates
where a bit higher, but the people where happy to pay for the service and to
see a good lawn and garden within months.


--

The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Sidewalk Astronomy
www.sidewalkastronomy.info
Astronomy Net Online Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/astronomy_net
In Garden Online Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/ingarden
Blast Off Online Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/starlords




"tenplay" wrote in message
. ..
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a huge
"lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass, bald
spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I don't
know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service business
for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has anyone
tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should I expect
to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 01:35:19 -0800, tenplay wrote:

Thanks for your helpful response. Unfortunately I am down in Tumwater,
WA. Actually what I am thinking of is having the lawn service fertilize
and control the weeds as needed, and do the weekly mowing myself. Having
them come in 3-4 times to do the stuff I don't know how to do should run
about $300-400, shouldn't it?

If I decide to try it myself, are you saying that I should fertilize
first, then spray liquid broadleaf, overseed the lawn, and mow the lawn
at 2.5-3 inches, and then, in the fall, fertilize, aerate the lawn and
spot spray the broadleaf weeds again? Did I get the order right?
Thanks. Mike


Yes, in so many words, that is the correct method for chemical control. I
posted under the assumption that your IPM threshold was met and you have
chosen the chemical path.

Just for balance, you can also attack the problem with out chemicals and
de-thatch your lawn area and over-seed/ split seed or hydro-seed. You can
remove quite a bit of weeds this way and slightly aerate the soil. You
will have to select a seed that will sprout in a short time to beat the
weed return.

The blow by blow for chemical treatment.

Purchase a 1 gallon tank sprayer. 25.00
Purchase a small bottle of broadleaf weed killer for lawns. 10.00
Purchase a bag of fertilizer. 21-3-7 cenex farmers supply 15.00
Purchase a fertilizer spreader. 40.00
Purchase quality grass seed. cenex farmers supply 2.50 a pound.

Feritlize the lawn correctly. Look at my page on this subject:
http://resources.ywgc.com/info/ferthazard.shtml
http://resources.ywgc.com/info/lawnfert.shtml

Spot spray the lawn weeds. This can be done the same day as the
fertilization. You will need one whole day for dry time and stay off the
lawn for this period.

Wait two to three weeks for the weeds to die. Mow the lawn at 2 inches at
this point. Over seed when your done. Wait 2 to 4 weeks for the seed to
sprout. When the seeds have grown to 2 inches, mow regulary at 2.5 to 3
inches for the rest of the season.

In the fall, spot spray again (if needed!!), fertilize and over seed. Next
years' lawn will need a fertilization in the spring and most likely wont
need chemical treatment. The taller height will help keep the
weed seed from sprouting and help retain the moisture during our summer
drought.

Good luck.
--
http://resources.ywgc.com/info

tenplay wrote:
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should
I expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

Appreciate your different points of view. My backyard abuts a natural
wetlands area with a lot of birds and other wildlife. So I should study
the possible effects of any chemicals before using them. I will visit
the local office of the Washington Cooperative Extension before I
proceed with work on the lawn. Thanks.

"tenplay" wrote in message
news
tenplay wrote:
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should I
expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

Appreciate your different points of view. My backyard abuts a natural
wetlands area with a lot of birds and other wildlife. So I should study
the possible effects of any chemicals before using them. I will visit the
local office of the Washington Cooperative Extension before I proceed with
work on the lawn. Thanks.

Good move. Remember, too, that the tradition of lawns is one imported from
England 400 years ago. Many of the grasses we grow have no business being
grown in certain parts of the country. But, you can buy them because it's
possible, with enough water, chemicals and effort, to drag these plants
kicking and screaming to a point where you're happy, and you think they're
happy, too. Golf courses do this all the time, but you don't have to. But,
ask anyone who's observed natural prairie grasses and they'll tell you that
when the weather gets hot enough, the grasses turn brown and stay that way
until autumn, when some of them green up again.

The point is that in additon to asking the cooperative extension people how
to care for your lawn, you should be sure to ask which varieties are likely
to need the least amount of support in your area. If you have difficult
spots on the property, like deep shade under trees, consider things other
than grass. Otherwise, there are weeds that'll be happy to live there and
drive you crazy. Consider things like pachysandra and vinca.

look for lawn service that is eco-friendly.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
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Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for
any of the recommendations I make.
AND I DID NOT AUTHORIZE ADS AT THE OLD PUREGOLD SITE

"tenplay" wrote in message
news
tenplay wrote:
I am a real novice at taking care of lawns and gardens. My yard has a
huge "lawn" that is in very bad shape. It has weeds, moss, crabgrass,
bald spots, etc.. Other than regular mowing and occasional weeding, I
don't know what else to do. A friend suggested hiring a lawn service
business for a year or two to get the "lawn" back into decent shape. Has
anyone tried this before? What exactly would they do? How much should I
expect to pay? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice.

Appreciate your different points of view. My backyard abuts a natural
wetlands area with a lot of birds and other wildlife. So I should study
the possible effects of any chemicals before using them. I will visit the
local office of the Washington Cooperative Extension before I proceed with
work on the lawn. Thanks.


You might also want to check to see if you're even allowed to use certain
chemicals if you are within a certain number of feet of a designated
wetlands area. Improperly use the wrong stuff, and potentially you could be
liable for some expensive recovery operations (and fines, too), and they may
only need to prove you used the chemicals, and not that the chemicals
actually affected anything.

My two cents: A "perfect" lawn is not realistically possible. And if you are
successful in creating the mono-culture that is a perfect lawn, it won't
last long at all. In other words, you might make it to perfection, but you
won't be able to maintain it, and it'll crash hard and fast after reaching
that point.

And what good is the "perfect" lawn, anyway?

One other option that I don't remember seeing is to get rid of the lawn, or
significant portions of the lawn, and replace it with landscaping that is
more interesting to look at than a simulated green carpet, is lower
maintenance, and less expensive to maintain, too. "Yard" doesn't have to
equal "lawn". And you might be surprised at how little regular maintenance
the right landscaping actually needs.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

Power Lawncare Tools for Spring Clean-up:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/