Selecting a Lawn
Maintenance Service
Distributed in furtherance
of the Acts of Congress of
May 8 and June 30, 1914.
North Carolina State Uni¬
versity and North Carolina
A&T State University com¬
mit themselves to positive
action to secure equal
opportunity regardless of
race, color, creed, national
origin, religion, sex, age, or
disability. In addition, the
two Universities welcome
all persons without regard
to sexual orientation. North
Carolina State University,
North Carolina A&T State
University. U.S. Department
of Agriculture, and local
governments cooperating.
Maintaining an attractive lawn area within a landscape requires attention to every
aspect ofturfgrass culture. While North Carolina is an attractive place to live,
it presents unique challenges to growing a quality turf. Many people forego turf main¬
tenance themselves and hire a lawn maintenance service. Selecting one that will fulfill
expectations and provide quality service can only be accomplished if a person has an
understanding of the different types of services offered and the options available.
Types of lawn maintenance services
There are three basic types of lawncare
service — partial lawncare, total lawn-
care, and total landscape maintenance.
Cost and the services offered should be
taken into consideration when selecting a
company. Naturally, the more services a
company provides the more it will charge;
but, there are common denominators to
help make the selection.
Partial lawncare. This type of lawncare
service is used by many homeowners and
commercial property managers who want
to achieve healthy, attractive lawns. Gen¬
erally, firms that offer this limited service
only apply chemicals to the turf, mainly
herbicides and fertilizers, although some
may offer complete pest management op¬
tions, including all weed, insect, and dis¬
ease control. The home- or property-own¬
er is the one responsible for mowing, ir¬
rigation, and other cultural practices, such
as aerification and reseeding. Ultimately,
success depends on the homeowner or
manager performing routine turf main¬
tenance according to recommendations
made by the North Carolina Coopera¬
tive Extension Sendee in its publications.
These recommendations can be obtained
from a local county Extension office or
online at www.TurfFiles.NCSU.edu.
People who use a partial lawncare
sendee may find that actual amounts of
fertilizer applied to the turf by the sendee
are a company secret. However, fertilizer
should be applied at rates similar to those
recommended by the N.C. Cooperative
Extension Sendee. For a high-quality
lawn, applications should be made at the
higher application rates in accordance
with the calendar Extension has devel¬
oped for the specific type of turfgrass be¬
ing grown. These publications can be ob¬
tained from a local county Extension office
or online at www.TurfFiles.NCSU.edu.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is
a philosophy of dealing with pest prob¬
lems that uses a variety of approaches.
While sound IPM strategies rely on a
combination of approaches, one strategy,
pesticide application, is often necessary to
produce a high-quality turf in North Car¬
olina due to the high incidence of weeds,
insects, and diseases that attack turf-
grasses. Here, as with most IPM strategies
involving pesticide use, a key phrase is,
"Less is better." A lawncare technician
should be able to identify the target pests
being treated and should not just apply
a pesticide as "insurance" in case a pest
problem might occur. In addition, he or
she should apply pesticides at the correct
rate and time of year. For example, pre¬
emergence herbicides are often applied
in the spring to prevent the emergence of
crabgrass and other weeds. Exactly when
to apply herbicides and at what rate are
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