They indicate how much nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) is in that fertilizer. The numbers are percentages of the total package and they are always listed in the same order, N-P-K. A package labeled 10-20-10 will contain 10% nitrogen, 20% phosphorus and 10% potassium by weight.
What exactly is a lawn weed?
By definition, a weed is any plant that is growing where you don't want it to grow. In your shrubbery border, grass may be a weed. In your flower garden, seedling maple trees are weeds. And in your lawn, lots of different plants are weeds.
Is there any single solution to lawn weeds?
Since there are so many types of plants that can become lawn weeds, a simple solution is not available. Various weeds respond differently to weed control methods. Good lawn management is your best defense.
What is meant by lawn management?
You can make the grass in your lawn healthy enough to out-compete most weeds with good management. This requires applying balanced fertilizers at the right times and in the correct amounts. You will also need to mow frequently, keep your mower blades sharp and allow the grass to stay at least 3 inches long. If nature doesn't provide adequate, timely water, you will have to do so. Following good management practices will result in a healthy lawn that can, by itself, control most varieties of weeds.
What about products like Roundup?
There is a group of herbicides that is non-selective. That means they will take action on whatever they are applied to, including grass. They are great for killing tough tree seedlings that crop up in the lawn, but need to be used with care so they won't damage desirable plants.
What exactly is crabgrass?
Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) is an annual grassy weed with broad blades that have a rough texture and are a lighter green than turf grasses. Since it is annual, it germinates in the spring, develops during the summer leaving lots of fresh seeds, then dies in the late fall. The plants that are there this summer will not be back, but their seeds will.
What
does it look like? Crabgrass is a low-growing weed with lots of branches that form clumps. The clumps spread out and root along the stems at joints. The blades are coarse, pointed and short. As the plants get older, they send up branched seed heads that have thousands of seeds. Looking out over your yard, crabgrass shows up as patches of a much lighter green color than the rest of your grass.
Will crabgrass grow anywhere?
While it prefers full sun, crabgrass is highly adaptable and even grows where the soil is poor, dry, compacted and nutrient poor. Unfortunately, that means lawns that have only minimal care are very likely to develop a crabgrass problem.
What exactly is quackgrass?
Quackgrass (Agropyron repens) is a perennial and has a really tough root system. If you can easily pull a clump, it probably is crab, not quack.
What does it look like? Quackgrass has long, tapered blades around 1/3 inch wide attached to hollow stems. The plant is much more upright growing than crabgrass. The seed heads are single, upright stems, not branched like crabgrass. Quackgrass has a strong root system with white, fleshy rhizomes that spread out from the main plant, sending up new plants.
Will quackgrass grow anywhere?
Although it prefers a sunny location, quackgrass is very adaptable and will grow almost anywhere.
When I see it in my yard, what can I do?
You need to be aggressive in dealing with quackgrass, since it is aggressive in your yard. Unfortunately, there are no selective herbicides for quackgrass and with its rhizomatous root system, it is almost impossible to pull. The only real alternative in dealing with quackgrass is killing it with a nonselective herbicide such as Roundup or Finale. Keep in mind that these herbicides will kill anything with leaves and apply it carefully.
How long do I have to wait before I can seed grass?
After using Roundup or Finale to kill the quackgrass while it is actively growing, you can re-seed within 7 days. If you are using a pre-emergence herbicide in the spring, you need to wait a minimum of 30 days before seeding grass. Again, preemergent herbicides continue to affect germination rates after the 30 days, so if you can wait until the fall seeding season, you will have more success.
Do you have any kind of guarantee for your service?
Yes, Top Choice stands behind its service. "You take no risk whatsoever with Top Choice Lawn Care. You must be fully satisfied with every treatment. If not, simply let us know and we'll immediately make things right. We are never satisfied until you are."
How safe are your applications [for my pets, kids]?
Top Choice granular fertilizers are not considered hazardous materials. There is no record of human or pet injury, resulting from a Top Choice Lawn Care fertilizer application. While no lawn pest control material may legally be classified as 'completely safe', our weed and insect controls are termed 'practically non-toxic', the lowest pesticide toxicity classification. These products are all registered for use on home lawns and contain many of the same active ingredients as the products you buy at the local nursery or garden store. Used by our professional technicians in strict compliance with labeled instructions, they do not represent any significant threat to your family or pets.
Can you get rid of ground ivy? It seems to take over our side yard every year.
Yes. But ground ivy is one of the tougher weeds to control. It is just one of more than 50 common lawn weeds that we control in late spring. As soon as they are gone, we begin watching for new weeds to pop up, and if they do, we stop them before they can get a foothold. (And there's no charge for this follow-up service as a full program customer.)
Can I mow the same day my lawn is treated?
If only fertilizer was applied, you may mow immediately. If, however, weed control was applied, do not mow for at least 24 hours. Refer to your treatment invoice for application details. As always, call our office if you have any questions.
How long should we stay off the lawn after treatment?
If your lawn only received a Top Choice granular fertilizer application, you can begin lawn activity right away. If, however, a liquid weed control was applied, please stay off the grass until the liquid has dried. Depending on the temperature, humidity and wind, drying should take from one to several hours.
We've had disappointments with lawn services in the past ... why should we think Top Choice Lawn Care will be any different?
Custom Designed Product Advantages
- Top Choice uses only the highest quality polymer sealed time-released fertilizers that are formulated for the specific needs of your lawn at the time of application. Superior weed control is achieved with the latest in weed control technology.
- Personalized attention, attention to detail, and technical expertise guarantee proven results second to none.
- You take no risk whatsoever with Top Choice. You must be fully satisfied with every treatment, if not simply let us know and we’ll immediately make it right. We are never satisfied until you are.
