Help...lawn is driving me crazy!
 

I know this subject has been addressed before but I really need current feedback or suggestions please! I'm on my second pest control and fertilizer company since buying the house in 2009 and my lawn continues to be a thorn in my side. I have gotten incredible water bills because "they" said I have to water more, I've spent money on checking and fixing sprinkler heads, the lawn cutter is the best I can find - never cuts it too short and still I have brown patches and ant hills all over the place! I started with Superior and had to call every month for help and they always said its not their fault...now I've had Tri County for two contracts and even though they've promised it will look better it never gets there! I live in TV 8 months a year now (full time in 2013) and this situation is really driving me nuts! I love my home - a designer with a corner lot - but I'm at a loss at what to do. I'm a widow so please don't suggest any "husband do" stuff...but ANY suggestions would be appreciated....thanks!

For the anthills. You can go to Lowes or Home Depot and get some sprinkling stuff and sprinkle on them.

We have Mike's Maintainance for our lawn. If your lawn is fed(fertilized) and watered properly usually that is all that is needed.

Lawn Care
 

We use Scotts and are very pleased with the job they do. They always call and tell me what they are treating for before they come, leaving me the opportunity to say yes or no. I do get calls from the office trying to sell me extras and I always refuse those. I rely heavily on my Scotts "man" to tell me what the lawn needs and I think he is doing a good job.

However, I would add that if you are not here full time it is very difficult to stay on top of any type of regular maintenance.

I have neighbors who use Massey and they seem to be doing a good job too.

Ant hills can really be hard to get rid of. You can sprinkle here, and then two days later, they are somewhere else. hehe But need to be here year round to take care of ants. Some Pest Control companies, come every other month, and some come once a month. That being said, and with the rain we had recently, theres no way the stuff they put down, stayed for a period of time. You can call them back, (and usually they wil come again) and tell them your problem or concern. Brown spots in lawn can be a number of things, but lots of times its burn out, especially if on a little decline. Wish I had a remedy, but if you talk with Plant Clinic at Sheriffs Office on 466 and Morse, they can be very helpful. Also bring in sample of ground (2.00 fee) and they will have it checked for you. Good Luck

Hi Angel,
We inherited a pre-paid Superior contract with our home. They did not do a satisfactory job with lawn maintenance and always said it wasn't their fault. After the contract was up, we switched to Massey's and the improvement was remarkable. They provide a detailed report each month on what they have found upon inspection and what treatments they used. We are very satisfied.

Best wishes!

We had a corner lot for many years and swore we would never make that mistake again. That's why we bot a large Courtyard Villa. You have the choice of a very small lawn or you can change it out for just rocks. You will save lots of time, money and agro.

keep your house and call stellar everyone seems to be happy with them

Massey has my vote
 

I agree. :pepper2:

good advise.

Read this as to causes.

Bottom line is the folks U R using are not doing what needs to done which is to find the cause.

The Plant Clinic sounds like a place to start without wasting money.

Yes Stellar, They will keep you advised when away.

I had the same problem with my lawn as everybody else. Switched to Massey and the ant hills and brown spots on the lawn disappeared. They are a bit more expensive, but they guarantee their work.

We had Superior for the first year we moved here.
Got rid of them quickly. I agree with the posts. We don't have a contract with anyone now. Just take care of it ourselves. I know some of our neighbors are happy with Bate's.
We use Amdro for the ants. Works pretty good. You can buy it from Walmart, Lowes, etc. Good luck

Have the lawn people check your sprinklers. Their pattern is supposed to overlap. Our previous house had the problem of areas being missed. They came and changed the inserts to cover a larger area and also recommended that we put down something called Milonite or something like that. It's actually dehydrated, and sterilized human waste. That worked like a charm but it stinks to high heaven for a week or two. Also, you could possibly have a fungus problem.

We finally gave up. Our corner lot has a 3 car driveway and a large circule driveway in front. Plus we removed all the grass from the side of the house where we have 3 orange trees and filled it in with mulch. On the south side of the lawn, and the biggest part of the lawn, we put in terraced walls with rock and a large (20 x 30) rock island in the shape of the State of Texas. Our house looks like Arizona butr I don't have to replace grass for the first time in 8 years. It was cheaper in the liong run to use rock and concrete than replace the entire yard 5 times in a row.

Thanks everyone for all the help! That's what I love about TOTV --- you ask a question and everyone helps.....
Thanks again!
Char