[williep]

I am a snowbird who owns a courtyard villa that has no grass but is landscaped with various shrubs, trees, and flowering plants. Although it requires no mowing, it will need to be weeded and fertilized periodically when I am not here. Can anyone recommend a company or person, who is dependable, that can do this work? Also, approximately, what is normally charged for this type of service.
Thanks, Bill from Duval & Mass

[l2ridehd]

Grrrrrr I hate those weeds. They grow where other stuff dies and faster then any plant ever thought possible. I have hired redwitch to do mine when it needs it. But I discovered Preen works magic. Sprinkled over the mulch every three months and no new weeds. You will still need to weed for about six months as Preen only stops new ones, so you have to eliminate all the old ones. But after the first 6 months, continue on an every 3 month application schedule and 99% of the weeds are gone. Now takes me about 5 minutes to weed everything at our home. Because it worked so well, I am going to start doing it at the rentel home as well.

[redwitch]

Preen is definitely a great product. Use it around your plants. For spraying around the edges and driveways, I use a solution of 1 gallon vinegar, 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dishwashing detergent. Does a pretty good job.

The one problem with most weed services is that we legally cannot supply any sort of product unless licensed to do so (3-day course and $800/year for the license for the service and a possible $500 fine for the homeowner). The way to get around it is for the homeowner to supply the product (the service cannot purchase the product and bill you for it -- you MUST purchase and supply it) and pay to have it applied. This works well for my clients and business.