[Larchap49]

Originally Posted by Laker14

Just returned last week from 5 months up north. Generally the lawn looks pretty good, but I have an area where these weeds are taking up residence. St. Augustine grass, this area gets full sun, most of the day.

We have Bates doing our lawn fertilization and weed control. I called them today and they said my contracted service takes care of all weeds except "crabgrass"....
I was also told that service comes once every two months, and I am due this month for a service.

First question I have is do you think it's within the normal range of service expectations that even if I'm on schedule with my service, that these weeds can infest like this in between services?

2nd question, can you identify these weeds?

3rd question, any suggestions going forward besides waiting for Bates to do the next service and seeing what happens?

Thanks,

Yeah the three most common in our lawns and none of them are crabgrass

[Teemotay]

Originally Posted by Laker14

Just returned last week from 5 months up north. Generally the lawn looks pretty good, but I have an area where these weeds are taking up residence. St. Augustine grass, this area gets full sun, most of the day.

We have Bates doing our lawn fertilization and weed control. I called them today and they said my contracted service takes care of all weeds except "crabgrass"....
I was also told that service comes once every two months, and I am due this month for a service.

First question I have is do you think it's within the normal range of service expectations that even if I'm on schedule with my service, that these weeds can infest like this in between services?

2nd question, can you identify these weeds?

3rd question, any suggestions going forward besides waiting for Bates to do the next service and seeing what happens?

Thanks,

Q1 - I would not be happy with the service company if this was my yard and would ask the company to come out and look at it and retreat.

Q2 -
The weeds pictured appear to be Florida pusley, Kyllinga (in the sedge family) and purslane or spurge. Can’t tell, exactly, from the picture.

Q3 - you can change service companies, or spot treat the weeds yourself with an appropriate herbicide for your grass type. Also, now is a good time to apply a pre- emergent herbicide. This will prevent certain broadleaf weeds like chickweed, crabgrass and others from germinating. This will prevent weeds from starting and will give you about 3-4 months of prevention. Apply it again in the spring.
Crabgrass drops it’s seed in the fall and it germinates in the spring so spot treating the crabgrass now with an herbicide spray and applying a granular pre-emergent, like prodiamine, will be a big help. These are DIY (do it yourself) ideas. Your service company should offer these options, however they won’t use a granular pre-emergent. They’ll use liquid, which is fine.

Good luck! Weeds are a bugger this time of year.

[Foristell10]

I have used Atrazine and a newer product called Image that I found on Amazon. They both work but It seems like the Image works a little better. Which ever product you use, mix it with a wetting agent in a spray bottle or tank sprayer to maximize the effectiveness. All those weeds shown are not crabgrass.

-Larry

[kendi]

Originally Posted by Laker14

Just returned last week from 5 months up north. Generally the lawn looks pretty good, but I have an area where these weeds are taking up residence. St. Augustine grass, this area gets full sun, most of the day.

We have Bates doing our lawn fertilization and weed control. I called them today and they said my contracted service takes care of all weeds except "crabgrass"....
I was also told that service comes once every two months, and I am due this month for a service.

First question I have is do you think it's within the normal range of service expectations that even if I'm on schedule with my service, that these weeds can infest like this in between services?

2nd question, can you identify these weeds?

3rd question, any suggestions going forward besides waiting for Bates to do the next service and seeing what happens?

Thanks,

Find a new service. In addition to the bimonthly service Deans will come out anytime for free to take care of the weeds.

[OhioBuckeye]

You know I have lots of luck with, “Ortho chemical called “Kills Weeds not Grass”. When weeds die after about 3 or 4 days reseed that area & keep moist. It’s worth a try! I worked with “Chemlawn” up in Ohio for one summer & the only trouble I ever had was with Pea Vine, chemicals didn’t seem to want to kill it. Good luck, there’s lots of good ideas here!

[maistocars]

Originally Posted by JOG

Superior Pest Service 17 years as most of our neighbors on our cul de sac....no problems.

Agree on Superior and they come out right away for any issue.

[KsJayhawkers]

Originally Posted by Laker14

First of all, thanks to everyone for your helpful responses.
Specifically, for Gary, I take it you have been happy with Deans? We are not overwhelmed with Bates. When I called with my concern the response was "you are scheduled this month" and not "we'll send someone out right away". I suppose I could have been a bit more forceful, and probably should have been.

We bought the pre-owned home 2 years ago (come February), and the previous owner was using Bates so we just extended what she had. We use them for pest control around the perimeter (does not include termites) and lawn fertilization and weeds. Our yearly bill for both services is $516, and they come every two months.

And as I say, we have a nice weed patch in one area, so either that's normal, or the Bates treatment is not up to standards.
What services does Deans provide for you, and how does the cost and efficacy compare. BTW, we have a corner lot.

We had Deans for a year and after repeated call backs, they have destroyed our lawn and several others in our Village. Fired Deans and I went to Ace Hardware in Wildwood and spoke with their manager who was very knowledgeable about turf management. They have a program all printed out for DIY people. My lawn is coming back to life but it will be an entire season before I have it all back to normal and weed free

[Laker14]

Originally Posted by KsJayhawkers

We had Deans for a year and after repeated call backs, they have destroyed our lawn and several others in our Village. Fired Deans and I went to Ace Hardware in Wildwood and spoke with their manager who was very knowledgeable about turf management. They have a program all printed out for DIY people. My lawn is coming back to life but it will be an entire season before I have it all back to normal and weed free

I am concerned about the 5 months I am up north. From mid-May through mid-October I wouldn't be here to do any maintenance on it.

[Laker14]

A little follow up on the weed problem:
The technician from Bates showed up today. We were due by the end of this month, so I don't think this was a special run to address my phone call.
Some of what he told me that might be the issue.

1. Perhaps not enough water. When I told him I had heard it was a particularly wet summer, he said that it wasn't really. It was really pretty dry until the weekend of Ian. Was I mistaken?

2.Sometimes during the summer they don't spray for weeds because some of the weedkillers they use will kill the grass in the summer heat. That's the first mention of that I ever heard.

3. I asked him how long it should take for the weeds to die, and he said about 3 weeks. So I asked him if I should call if the weeds are still there in 4 weeks, and he said I could call but they are way understaffed and he's having a hard time getting out to everyone as it is. (Bingo?)

All in all, not a very impressive showing. I'll keep an eye on it. I don't think I'll be keeping Bates, but I'll give them a chance to get this right before I fire them.

[Altavia]

Sounds like they don't want/need your business.

Chinch bugs were bad this year. Brown spots along the road and driveway are a clue.

Dean's is consistent in my experience. They do need to be called back occasionally. But as with everyone, depends on who they send out.

Recommend having a camera front and back so you can watch application.

[Calisport]

I have a small yard so I mow my own grass and pull any weeds as they sprout up. Neighbors use lawn care companies and weeds are everywhere. I would guess that their mowers pick up weeds from other yards and soon you have all weeds. My front yard is all St. Augustine and no weeds.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye

You know I have lots of luck with, “Ortho chemical called “Kills Weeds not Grass”. When weeds die after about 3 or 4 days reseed that area & keep moist. It’s worth a try! I worked with “Chemlawn” up in Ohio for one summer & the only trouble I ever had was with Pea Vine, chemicals didn’t seem to want to kill it. Good luck, there’s lots of good ideas here!

Like anything weed killers are SOLD. A catchy name like,"Kills Weeds not Grass," is a great SALES DESCRIPTION. The side of the bag, the can etc MUST tell you what it is. Most general lawn weed killers are 24D. Used properly it works well and is fairly inexpensive. INSTRUCTIONS will say do not use above 80 degrees. This is Florida. We have two types of grass here ST Augustine and Empire Zoyzia. Beware 24D will KILL St Augustine.

All should have a soil test done. It is not very expensive. Grass likes a PH around 6.5. Most of the Villages is loaded with natural limestone and the PH is likely 7.5 to 8. It is wise to improve what you have. Add organic matter-it takes far more than most people think and you need to get it into the soil not laying on top of the grass. You will likely need to add Sulphur-do not go nuts and apply too much. It takes TIME like a year to work..

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Calisport

I have a small yard so I mow my own grass and pull any weeds as they sprout up. Neighbors use lawn care companies and weeds are everywhere. I would guess that their mowers pick up weeds from other yards and soon you have all weeds. My front yard is all St. Augustine and no weeds.

Pulling weeds is the best solution. You pull it and it is done. You mention a small lawn. I also pull some weeds. Chemical sprays are far faster.

One of the weeds in the original post is Allium. It produces bulbs on it's roots.
You pull the weed, plant, and you leave the bulbs to grow more weeds. I seem to recall reading you can eat the bulbs and they taste like nuts. I don't remember if the red or the white ones taste better. I've never eaten them. Hum, how much could I charge to allow neighbors to HARVEST my crop?

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Laker14

A little follow up on the weed problem:
The technician from Bates showed up today. We were due by the end of this month, so I don't think this was a special run to address my phone call.
Some of what he told me that might be the issue.

1. Perhaps not enough water. When I told him I had heard it was a particularly wet summer, he said that it wasn't really. It was really pretty dry until the weekend of Ian. Was I mistaken?

2.Sometimes during the summer they don't spray for weeds because some of the weedkillers they use will kill the grass in the summer heat. That's the first mention of that I ever heard.

3. I asked him how long it should take for the weeds to die, and he said about 3 weeks. So I asked him if I should call if the weeds are still there in 4 weeks, and he said I could call but they are way understaffed and he's having a hard time getting out to everyone as it is. (Bingo?)

All in all, not a very impressive showing. I'll keep an eye on it. I don't think I'll be keeping Bates, but I'll give them a chance to get this right before I fire them.

As far as watering. As stated elsewhere I have added organic matter to my lawn. I used a drill and went down 6 inches every 6 inches across my entire lawn. Roughly 100 50lb bags of manure on a 5,000 sq foot lawn-that is 5,000 pounds of manure. Yes it is a lot of work.

My soil, no longer sandy clay holds a great deal of water. Your sprinkler measure what it puts down in each zone. Clean tuna fish cans work well. You want to check to see how much water is applied and how even it is applied. Typically the people we hire to cut your lawn use a far too large and HEAVY riding mower. You need to check on a regular basis.
We checked. On the side of our home the grass was terrible. We as told run the sprinkler at night. I am asleep. I discovered two heads were cut off, some heads were stuck under the sod and the run time was far too short.

Four weeks for the weeds to die? Many people expect, demand instant results. The common weed killer 24D actually causes the weed to grow itself to death. You will notice the weeds are curling etc in a matter of days. Dead? More like two weeks. People-wow it was better than he PROMISSED.

[mikeltry]

Originally Posted by gweisheipl

I use Tru-Green every other month service. Charges about $55 for each service and lawn looks great. In between I fertilize myself.

Im glad you like True Green. After paying money up front I fired that company because they never showed up but always sent me a text stating they treated the lawn.