# OKCpedia > Businesses & Employers >  Lawn Spraying

## rondvu

Help,  the company that sprays my yard had dropped the ball. It is full of weeds and dead spots. None of the neighbors have the same problem.  There Winterizing must not be working or wouldn't be the problems with die out near the end of May.  I am constantly spraying Round-up or Weed B Gone to stay on top of the situation.  I am now to the point of saying "I am paying them so, I should not have to follow up to do their job." Can someone recommend a company or individual that does an outstanding job on their lawn maintenance? 

Signed Rondvu who the ugliest grass on the street

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## Bill Robertson

I use All-Green at work and on my own lawn. No complaints what so ever. In fact, they get on me once in a while for not calling them back to re-treat (free) if I see weeds.

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## jstaylor62

I just buy fertilizer from Eckroat and do it myself. I can get 80lbs of fertilizer(40lbs 34-0-0, 40lbs 10-20-10) for $43 and know I'm getting my money's worth. If you fertilize well enough, your bermuda grass will actually choke out any weeds in your yard.

You can get a 20lb bag of just weed killer, no fertilizer added, for about $15. Just put it down on the grass when its wet and you know its gonna be sunny for a few days and weeds start dying off. Its a lot less ugly process than the brown spots from spraying weed be gone.

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## stick47

> Help,  the company that sprays my yard had dropped the ball. It is full of weeds and dead spots. None of the neighbors have the same problem.  There Winterizing must not be working or wouldn't be the problems with die out near the end of May.  I am constantly spraying Round-up or Weed B Gone to stay on top of the situation.  I am now to the point of saying "I am paying them so, I should not have to follow up to do their job." Can someone recommend a company or individual that does an outstanding job on their lawn maintenance? 
> 
> Signed Rondvu who the ugliest grass on the street


Sounds like the experience I had with Tru-Green. Worst experience ever.

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## WilliamTell

I guess ive been pretty lucky with tru-green in the years i used them. Yard looked great and any time i noticed crab grass they would send someone out within a few days to spray the spots. 

This year i thought it would be a good idea to try to do it myself to save money. I bought a broadcast spreader and whatever the knock-off of scotts is at walmart in the red bag (crab grass/ weed preventer and fertilizer) and I've actually have had great results. Its far exceeded my expectations so far and the neighbors have already started to comment on how great my yard looks and they all still have theirs professionally sprayed. All that ive done is two applications one in February and another a few weeks ago in may. 

I think most problems people have is from cutting their grass too short.

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## Achilleslastand

> I guess ive been pretty lucky with tru-green in the years i used them. Yard looked great and any time i noticed crab grass they would send someone out within a few days to spray the spots. 
> 
> This year i thought it would be a good idea to try to do it myself to save money. I bought a broadcast spreader and whatever the knock-off of scotts is at walmart in the red bag (crab grass/ weed preventer and fertilizer) and I've actually have had great results. Its far exceeded my expectations so far and the neighbors have already started to comment on how great my yard looks and they all still have theirs professionally sprayed. All that ive done is two applications one in February and another a few weeks ago in may. 
> 
> I think most problems people have is from cutting their grass too short.


Agreed............Having your grass cut too short is just inviting weeds and crabgrass to thrive.

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## rcjunkie

> Agreed............Having your grass cut too short is just inviting weeds and crabgrass to thrive.


It's not the grass cut short that invites weeds, you have to mow it often to keep it short, can't let it go more than a few days in between cuttings. Before I moved to Tenkiller, I mowed my yard in Norman at 1/2 inch with a 10 blade, reel mower, but I mowed it every 2 or 3 days.

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## ljbab728

> It's not the grass cut short that invites weeds, you have to mow it often to keep it short, can't let it go more than a few days in between cuttings. Before I moved to Tenkiller, I mowed my yard in Norman at 1/2 inch with a 10 blade, reel mower, but I mowed it every 2 or 3 days.


Wrong, junkie.


http://urbanext.illinois.edu/lawncha.../lesson6b.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_6025940_wee...awn-grass.html

I always have much better luck combatting weeds with taller grass.

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## rondvu

jstaylor62 put a bug in my ear. I went to Eckroat's haven't been in years. I read about SPIZ on line at their web page and purchased two bags put put on the lawn. I am going to raise the mower notch up one level and not bag as often. Hopefully I will have a beautiful lawn in a month or so. Thanks jstaylor62 that bug helped.

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## Jon27

Agrilawn is pretty good.  Our yard was just sprayed this morning.

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## rcjunkie

> Wrong, junkie.
> 
> 
> http://urbanext.illinois.edu/lawncha.../lesson6b.html
> 
> http://www.ehow.com/list_6025940_wee...awn-grass.html
> 
> I always have much better luck combatting weeds with taller grass.


Having worked in the business on a professional level (89ers & Redhawks), I'll have to disagree.

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## drum4no1

Junkie is right on.  Those articles are geared for cool season grass, which does better taller.  However most Ok lawns are bermuda which like to be mowed shorter.  Taller bermuda thins out.  I have Tif 419 bermuda that I mow at 3/8 inch with a 11 blade jacobsen and weeds dont have a chance.  Even my common bermuda backyard at one inch chokes out weeds..

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## Patrick

If you mow it down to 1/50th of an inch, that takes care of all of the weeds. 

On a more serious note, I've also had good luck with Agrilawn.

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## rcjunkie

> If you mow it down to 1/50th of an inch, that takes care of all of the weeds. 
> 
> On a more serious note, I've also had good luck with Agrilawn.


Agrilawn is good, I prefer Eckroat's because they blend their products for Oklahoma soil. If you have any questions about what and when to apply, go to Eckroat's and ask for Don.
I also recommend you take a soil sample before applying anything to your yard, it only cost $20.00 and will tell you exactly what you need to apply, and in most cases, saves you money in the long run.

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## ljbab728

> Junkie is right on.  Those articles are geared for cool season grass, which does better taller.  However most Ok lawns are bermuda which like to be mowed shorter.  Taller bermuda thins out.  I have Tif 419 bermuda that I mow at 3/8 inch with a 11 blade jacobsen and weeds dont have a chance.  Even my common bermuda backyard at one inch chokes out weeds..


Junkie is not right on.  I've had plenty of lawn experience (about 40 years, 89ers and Redhawks not withstanding) and had much better luck eliminating weeds with a higher lawn.

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## ljbab728

> If you mow it down to 1/50th of an inch, that takes care of all of the weeds. 
> 
> On a more serious note, I've also had good luck with Agrilawn.


Exactly right, Patrick.  Better yet, if you just scrape everything down to the bare dirt, the weeds don't have much chance.  LOL

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## rcjunkie

> Junkie is not right on.  I've had plenty of lawn experience (about 40 years, 89ers and Redhawks not withstanding) and had much better luck eliminating weeds with a higher lawn.



Tall vs Short, depends of type of grass, watering routine and how often you mow. If you want it low, mow every 2--4 days, depending on time of year. Even at Tenkiller, I mow my lawn (4 plus acres) at least twice a week, never apply any weed killers and  have very few weeds.

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## kevinpate

> Exactly right, Patrick.  Better yet, if you just scrape everything down to the bare dirt, the weeds don't have much chance.  LOL


I used to live near a family that had about 3/4 of their front lawn as a rock garden. Wasn't all that adorable so I presumed it might have been there to minimize mow time.  Now that the last son is grown and will be leaving, I'm beginning to think it might have been prettier than I remembered and not so bad an idea.

Yea, it's safe to say I'm not a lawn freak

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## drum4no1

Tall ,short, whatever who cares, above all proper regular mowing and correct watering does wonders for a lawn,

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## WilliamTell

Alot of opinions on the subject. I guess the only thing I would say about lawns that are cut very short at baseball fields is that you are starting out with alot better turf, drainage system, and soil then when you would find in the average front yard...but if something works for you then go for it. 

I've scalped my lawns before and would spend the entire year fighting back weeds, so for me it works better just to have it a bit longer.

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## jstaylor62

> jstaylor62 put a bug in my ear. I went to Eckroat's haven't been in years. I read about SPIZ on line at their web page and purchased two bags put put on the lawn. I am going to raise the mower notch up one level and not bag as often. Hopefully I will have a beautiful lawn in a month or so. Thanks jstaylor62 that bug helped.


Glad I could help. You want to take advantage of the early, cooler, grass growing weather as much as possible. I raise the mower a little and mow/mulch every three-four days in hopes of training the bermuda to grow out and not up. If you get thick, healthy bermuda by early June, you will not have a weed for the rest of the summer. 

Another thing I do when the weather gets hotter and the growing season slows is to apply a light application of 34-0-0 every 2-3 weeks. Its just enough to keep the grass green, but not enough to stress the grass to much. 

But like others have mentioned, keep an eye on your watering. Since March, I have only watered my yard with a sprinkler twice. The other moisture has come from rain. I watch my neighbors with sprinkler systems watering their lawns every 2-3 days and my lawn is thicker and more green and my water bill is much less.  :Wink:

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## BrettL

Good posts here.  I'll need to check out the SPIZ.  My yard was a weed field this spring...

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## rcjunkie

> Glad I could help. You want to take advantage of the early, cooler, grass growing weather as much as possible. I raise the mower a little and mow/mulch every three-four days in hopes of training the bermuda to grow out and not up. If you get thick, healthy bermuda by early June, you will not have a weed for the rest of the summer. 
> 
> Another thing I do when the weather gets hotter and the growing season slows is to apply a light application of 34-0-0 every 2-3 weeks. Its just enough to keep the grass green, but not enough to stress the grass to much. 
> 
> *But like others have mentioned, keep an eye on your watering*. Since March, I have only watered my yard with a sprinkler twice. The other moisture has come from rain. I watch my neighbors with sprinkler systems watering their lawns every 2-3 days and my lawn is thicker and more green and my water bill is much less.


Excellant point, I get tickled when I watch people water the yard every night or two for 15--20 minutes at a time. The one benefiting is the City of OKC/Water Department.

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## Jon27

> Excellant point, I get tickled when I watch people water the yard every night or two for 15--20 minutes at a time. The one benefiting is the City of OKC/Water Department.


I'm glad you and Taylor mentioned this.  How often is it necessary to water?  I have a tractor sprinkler that takes about 2-3 hours to water.  It gives the yard a good 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water.  Any thoughts?  I have bermudagrass by the way.

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## Dustin

When we were with Agrilawn, our grass never had weeds.   We loved em.

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## Celebrator

I just hired Agrilawn in April.  They have done two lawn applications and my lawn already looks better than it ever has since I bought the house two years ago.

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## jstaylor62

> I just hired Agrilawn in April.  They have done two lawn applications and my lawn already looks better than it ever has since I bought the house two years ago.


If you dont mind me asking, how much does Agrilawn charge per month or per application?

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## jstaylor62

> I'm glad you and Taylor mentioned this.  How often is it necessary to water?  I have a tractor sprinkler that takes about 2-3 hours to water.  It gives the yard a good 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water.  Any thoughts?  I have bermudagrass by the way.


Wow, how much and how often to water is a little bit of a dark science. The baseline of natural watering is a slow gentle rain. You want to mimick that as much as possible. I try for at least 1/2 inch of water every two weeks. But it depends on several factors that have occured over that two weeks. How hot, how windy and how low was the humidity. If it has been hot, dry and windy, then your yard will need water. If it has been cool, damp and calm, your yard will not need as much. 

I dont just turn on my sprinkler and water. I will often take a bullet shovel and dig into my yard and check the moisture and root depth. I'm not talking about digging a hole, I just use the shovel to open a large enough gape for me to check the dirt. If the shovel goes in easily, that already tells me the soil is okay. If I struggle getting the shovel into the soil, then its time to water.

Also, you want to be sure you get as much water into your lawn as possible. I dont water when its windy. I try to water when its going to be the highest humidity to lessen water loss from evaporation. I also water about a couple of hours before dawn. It lets the water soak in before the sun starts to evaporate, but does not leave the water on the roots overnight so that a fungus develops.

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## SoonerDave

Spiz is still around? I used to LOVE that stuff on my simple bermuda grass yard, but was told the company went out of business. Where can I get it???

As far as the tall vs short argument goes, it surely depends on the kind of grass. My limited experience tells me tiff prefers to be (very) short, bermuda prefers to be a bit taller, and rye likes to be the tallest of the bunch (but doesn't spread much). May be completely wrong as far as the experts go, but that's just what I have observed...

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## foodiefan

> I'm glad you and Taylor mentioned this.  How often is it necessary to water?  I have a tractor sprinkler that takes about 2-3 hours to water.  It gives the yard a good 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water.  Any thoughts?  I have bermudagrass by the way.


Handy little site for watering information:  http://sip.mesonet.org/

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## jstaylor62

> Handy little site for watering information:  http://sip.mesonet.org/


Wow! This is an awesome tool!

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## Bostonfan

> Agrilawn is good, I prefer Eckroat's because they blend their products for Oklahoma soil. If you have any questions about what and when to apply, go to Eckroat's and ask for Don.
> I also *recommend you take a soil sample before applying anything to your yard, it only cost $20.00* and will tell you exactly what you need to apply, and in most cases, saves you money in the long run.


Been thinking about doing that but not sure where to take it.  Does Eckroat deal with soil samples?

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## rcjunkie

> Been thinking about doing that but not sure where to take it.  Does Eckroat deal with soil samples?


They do, but I always use the Oklahoma County Cooperative Extension Office at 9:30 N. Portland. I think it's $10 or $15, but well worth the cost, the test will tell you exactly what nutrients you need to apply.

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## Bostonfan

> They do, but I always use the Oklahoma County Cooperative Extension Office at 9:30 N. Portland. I think it's $10 or $15, but well worth the cost, the test will tell you exactly what nutrients you need to apply.


Thanks, going to look them up and give it a try!

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## Jon27

> If you dont mind me asking, how much does Agrilawn charge per month or per application?


For me, the first treatment was $19.95, and the others are $42.  They do 6/year.  It was similar for me, they've done 2 applications, and my yard looks better than it has.

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## Celebrator

For Agrilawn, it depends on the amount of grass that you have to determine the cost.  For me, each application is $70 based on square footage of my lawn.

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## rondvu

> Spiz is still around? I used to LOVE that stuff on my simple bermuda grass yard, but was told the company went out of business. Where can I get it???
> 
> As far as the tall vs short argument goes, it surely depends on the kind of grass. My limited experience tells me tiff prefers to be (very) short, bermuda prefers to be a bit taller, and rye likes to be the tallest of the bunch (but doesn't spread much). May be completely wrong as far as the experts go, but that's just what I have observed...


You can buy SPIZ at Eckroats for about 22.00. http://www.eckroatseed.com/fertilizers.html

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## Dustin

http://newsok.com/agrilawn-inc.-mark...ad_story_title

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## skyrick

> Tall vs Short, depends of type of grass, watering routine and how often you mow. If you want it low, mow every 2--4 days, depending on time of year. Even at Tenkiller, I mow my lawn (4 plus acres) at least twice a week, never apply any weed killers and  have very few weeds.


Re: mowing height:http://www.neilsperry.com/maq/lawns/...-my-grass.html

Granted, Neil does advise for N Texas, but there's not a lot of difference in the 2 climates (N-TX vs OK)

DFW area, where I live, straddles Zones 7 & 8, but N TX and almost all of OK is Zone 7.

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