TruGreen/Chemlawn?

leliz

Has anyone ever used them? They gave us a pretty good estimate to seed/fertilize/weed our lawn, but DH started researching them online and found a lot of complaints. Thanks!

laddiebug

I've never used them but I can tell you that they are one of the oldest and biggest lawncare companies out there.

sarahmf13

We used TruGreen last year to try to repair the disastrous lawn the previous owner left for us.  We had a TON of weeds and they did a pretty good job of reducing them (not all since we have quackgrass, and all you can do for that is to basically use round up).  However, we didn't find out until after our 5th treatment or so (I think we had 6 last year) that if you call them about a week to 10 days after your treatment that they will come back for a "boost" of the weed killer at no extra charge.  We kept having major thistle problems over the summer, so when I finally called to complain about it not doing a single thing to eliminate it, they said that I was supposed to be calling in to let them know so they could come do touch ups.  That would have been very nice to know earlier so we could have had the problem taken care of quicker.  I think in the end they did a good job.  Right now our lawn actually looks nicer compared to our neighbors on both sides, but I think this year we're going to try and tackle it ourselves.

TarHeels&Rebels

There's no reason to pay someone to do what you can easily do yourself.  Seriously, spreading fertilizer is really, really easy and only takes an hour or so a few times a year.

Traditional chemicals or an organic system.  Either one would be under $300 a year for an average size lawn.

leliz

TarHeels&Rebels:

There's no reason to pay someone to do what you can easily do yourself.  Seriously, spreading fertilizer is really, really easy and only takes an hour or so a few times a year.

Traditional chemicals or an organic system.  Either one would be under $300 a year for an average size lawn.

Yeah, DH has been doing it himself, but the professionally-treated lawns in our neighborhood just look so much better. Thank you for the links, though.

hoping4septimus

why would you put chemicals down on your grass? Do you not walk on it? Do you know what it does to the water?

Brandles37

I work in the graphic design field and have worked closely with one of the lawn companies. I'd rather not mention the name. When you have them come fertilize your lawn, they are in fact using a stronger formula then what you can buy in the stores. So, yes, your lawn will look better if they fertilize it just because they have a stronger formula. 

I personally am a fan of organic fertilizer. A lot of nurseries carry it and I think they might apply it for you also if you prefer. But I think that depends on the nursery. I know they will in our area.

MadameFancyPants

Don't do it!  We used them for a little while and it was one of our worst mistakes as homeowners! 

I'd subscribed to the service while DH was deployed as a gift so he could come back to an awesome yard.  Yeah, they killed ALL the grass in the back and left the weeds!  While they were supposed to come every 4-6 weeks, the man would show up every 2-3 and spray.  Many times I wasn't home so I couldn't send him away but I was slapped with the bill.  

When we cancelled, they became a HUGE thorn in our sides.  We'd get calls from them at least one evening a week asking us why we didnt' want them anymore.  Finally, DH got really nasty on the phone and they finally stopped calling.  

We spent the next 3 years trying to get grass to grow back and it never happened.  When we sold our house, we told the buyers on our way out we'd spread new seed everywhere. 

This is just our expirence, so please take it for what it is. 

laddiebug

hoping4septimus:

why would you put chemicals down on your grass? Do you not walk on it? Do you know what it does to the water?

Do you know that if applied in the right amounts it doesn't even get into the water we drink? The grass uses it and filters it out. Jeez.

leliz

hoping4septimus:

why would you put chemicals down on your grass? Do you not walk on it? Do you know what it does to the water?

How do you make your lawn look nice and green? (I'm genuinely asking, not being snarky). Ours is patchy and has weeds without any chemical treatment.

laddiebug

leliz:

hoping4septimus:

why would you put chemicals down on your grass? Do you not walk on it? Do you know what it does to the water?

How do you make your lawn look nice and green? (I'm genuinely asking, not being snarky). Ours is patchy and has weeds without any chemical treatment.

The thing about organic fertilizers is that it takes about 5 times (sometimes more, sometimes less depending on which organic you're using) as much applied to get the same results and the synthetic ones and it costs more. Synthetic fertilizers actually do get filtered out by the grass. A 50' x 50' patch of grass will make enough oxygen and clean the air of dust for a family of four. And, I'm not making that up.

hoping4septimus

laddiebug:

hoping4septimus:

why would you put chemicals down on your grass? Do you not walk on it? Do you know what it does to the water?

Do you know that if applied in the right amounts it doesn't even get into the water we drink? The grass uses it and filters it out. Jeez.

really because my HOA has a huge problem with too much nitrate (i think that's what it is) in our pond because of all the run-off from yards.

Again, my kids play on the grass, i'm not about to put down chemicals where they play

hoping4septimus

leliz:

hoping4septimus:

why would you put chemicals down on your grass? Do you not walk on it? Do you know what it does to the water?

How do you make your lawn look nice and green? (I'm genuinely asking, not being snarky). Ours is patchy and has weeds without any chemical treatment.

I pull out weeds by hand and seed and aerate annually. I also apply a light layer of compost in the spring.

Maybe I'm not too picky, but I actually like clover. It attacts honey bees which is good for my veggie garden.

leliz

Okay, thanks. Our main problem is dandelions, which I guess we could pull up by hand. Compost is a good idea too.

Green*Flamingo

We used TruGreen last year. Huge mistake. They would show up at the most random times, and because I was at work during the day, I couldn't send them off. I would end up with a bill I was stuck paying. Once we cancelled, they would call DH and I weekly, despite us asking multiple times to be taken off the call list. DH actually said "I will no longer use your services BECAUSE you keep calling me." They continued to call. In fact, they still call...we just no longer answer.

This year we decided to go organic. We are weeding by hand, applied compost from a local nursery, and the yard looks better than ever. The few bags of compost cost us 1/2 of just one TruGreen treatment, and works much better. I won't ever be applying chemicals to my lawn again. Organic may be more expensive, but it is truly the way to go now.

laddiebug

hoping4septimus:

laddiebug:

hoping4septimus:

why would you put chemicals down on your grass? Do you not walk on it? Do you know what it does to the water?

Do you know that if applied in the right amounts it doesn't even get into the water we drink? The grass uses it and filters it out. Jeez.

really because my HOA has a huge problem with too much nitrate (i think that's what it is) in our pond because of all the run-off from yards.

Again, my kids play on the grass, i'm not about to put down chemicals where they play

High amounts of nitrates in lakes and ponds is generally caused by agricultural farming (large areas) or animals (pig and cow farms). Not so much by turfgrass. Turf will have *some* runoff, but that's because the fertilizer is improperly applied and usually too much is applied.