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What’s one your customers complaints about their lawn? I bet it’s crabgrass!
In talking with professional lawn care customers, they have told me crabgrass instead of grubs, diseases, or even weeds, is the number one complaint.
Post-emergent crabgrass products can be expensive, and timing is critical to catch it in certain stages.
Would you like to prevent the whole problem?
Would you like it to probably cost you less money than spraying after crabgrass is present?
The strategy I’m about to lay out isn’t original. The basis is not anything
Most of you didn’t already know. The Magic of the strategy is in the details I’m about to lay out. In fact, I’ve talked to customers for years about this, but until I printed a label, grabbed my calculator, then put pen to paper, did I realize what I had here.
Here goes.
Where does most of the crabgrass pop up on your customers’ lawns? Probably not in the middle of the lawn, but rather the edges.
What areas do your customers walk by & see every day? The edges along driveways and sidewalks. They park their cars in the driveway, walk to the mailbox, and walk into their houses by way of sidewalks. Preventing the majority of crabgrass in these spots will keep customers happy, because they won’t be seeing it every single day.
The edges are hot spots. They run along black driveways, sidewalks, curbing etc. These areas collect heat and radiate it into the soil right next to it. This creates warmer soil temperatures in these areas in which crabgrass germinates earlier and actual grass is less dense. It’s also the first place usually that starts to stress for heat.
Applying granular fertilizer and pre-emergent products may work well for most of the lawn, but because it is the edges, the dispersal of the material on these edges isn’t the best. These areas need a little more attention.
Applying a liquid pre-emergent product to these edges after the granular application, will prevent the majority of it from popping through.
Most don’t think they have the time for their employees or even themselves to employ this tactic. I’m here to tell you that you are wrong. Here’s why.
While I was talking to a customer on one of his lawns, I had taken an empty backpack sprayer from his truck. I put it on and had him time me on his watch.
I then walked the edge starting right at the curb where his truck was parked & proceeded up one side of the driveway, and entrance sidewalk, then came back down the other edge of the driveway.
With the wand, I simulated spraying these areas with the wand down, and feet still moving. I even stopped and hit around the mailbox. When I was done I asked how long it took. He looked at his watch & replied “ 38 seconds “ . 38 seconds!
Now let’s think about this. How many lawns are you or your employees doing in a day? 20? 15? If its 20, then spending 45 seconds per lawn will take an extra 15 minutes in an entire day. That’s it. If it’s less lawns, it will take even less time.
Only 15 minutes a day During RD 1 will save:
Customer complaints (and cancellations)
Customer calls
Service calls (which cost much more time & money later)
Cost of product to spray on the offending crabgrass
This all costs more money and time instead of the strategy I laid out above.
Don’t believe me? Read on.
I am going to use a liquid Barricade product for the calculation because it lasts much longer than other products and it also is labeled for oxalis and spurge. These weeds love the hot edges and often are in these spot along hot edges.
Using other spray able pre-emergent products will probably cost even less.
Barricade 4 F Pre-emergent calculation
Approx cost per gallon: $300
Rate per 1000 sq ft (4 month control) .33 oz per 1000
128 oz per gallon
300 divided by 128 = $2.34 per oz
$2.34 per oz divided by .33 oz per 1000 = 77 cents per 1000
Now take avg customer lawn size for the treatable area along driveway edges and other hot spots like mailbox curbs etc
Avg residential area: 150 lineal ft
Spray width along an edge: 1.5 ft
150 x 1.5 ft = 225 sq ft or about 4 lawns per 1000 sq ft (or per 77 cents)
77 cents divided by 4 = 19 cents
19 CENTS & 40 seconds per lawn. That’s it !
Want to know what is even better ? If you own a Permagreen or other ridable spreader with a spray tank on it, it won’t even take you the 40 seconds.
Mixing the liquid pre-emergent in your tank and shutting off the non-edge side nozzle, will allow you spray that edge when you are spreading your edge pass. No extra time.
Some have asked about weed control in the tank. What do you do about that?
When do you begin to spray broadleaf weed on your customer lawns? For most it is after May 1st some time. When are you applying pre-emergent products in rd 1?
Probably in April and early May. When you need to add Weed control to the tank later in May and still have a few late rd 1 apps, just use the backpack pre-emergent strategy for the few late apps. Simple.
Employing these tactics will save you:
MONEY . The cost of products to spray crabgrass later.
Products like Drive, Acclaim, and Q-4. These tend to be expensive.
Time . Less time than spraying after the fact.
Headaches. Less customer complaints and calls.
This spring when I am talking to customers, it won’t be a case of “why don’t you trying this”, it’s going to be: Why Aren’t You Doing This”
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I would love to know where I as a home owner can purchase liquid pre emergents.
Yes, I would too. All I see in the local stores is granules (please give me options other than Scotts). The days-of-old with the gardening nursery with products and old-timer advice has succumbed to Lowe’s and Home Depot where I usually know way more than the clerk does!
I have just been diagnosed with Poa Annua,, I have learned that a pre-emergent is neede to control this weed but what type of application (granular or liquid ) and when to apply, any help? Thanks.
$2.34 per oz divided by .33 oz per 1000 = 77 cents per 1000.
is incorrect, you must multiply.
$2.34 per oz times .33 oz per 1000 = $77.00 dollars per 1000
I assume you said $300.00 per gallon.
$0.77\1000 sq. ft. is correct. If it was $77\1000 sq. ft., only millionares would have their yards treated.