Your Lawn is Our Business
Locally & Family Owned for Over 17 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions that you can not find here, please feel free to call or email us at any time.
01
Can I be notified before a service or treatment?
Yes! Notify us by phone or email and let us know if you would like to be contacted the day before or the day of service. Also, include in your request whether you would like to be contacted by email, phone, or text and is it okay to leave a message.
02
Do I have to be at home?
No! Most of our lawns are serviced during normal working hours. Unless otherwise instructed, your technician will complete his work and leave information pertaining to that day's application at your door. This will explain what was applied, any issues we noticed that may need attention, helpful tips for the current conditions, and how you can obtain the full benefit of this application.
03
How will I know my lawn has been treated?
We will leave a flag in your lawn, alongside the curb, along with information at the door.
04
How long do my pets and I need to stay off the lawn after you visit?
Obviously, you want to be aware of when we make an application to your lawn, that's one reason why we post signs in your lawn when we service your property. After the application of granular fertilizer, you are free to walk on the lawn immediately. However, after a weed control application, you need to wait at least 30 minutes before entering the lawn or allowing a pet to do so. You can review the information we leave at your door to find out if weed control was applied.
05
Can I mow after an application?
The granular fertilizer is too heavy to be picked up or disturbed by mowing. However, we do recommend waiting at least 1 hour after an application when weed control is applied. Also, if possible, do not bag clippings for the first two mowings after an application. This helps recycle the nutrients and provides a greener lawn.
06
Should I mulch or bag my clippings?
Mulch is best in most cases. Mulching returns nutrients to the lawn, as well as organic matter. It also helps to retain water. Sometimes it may be helpful to bag if your grass has gotten extra long between mowings. At that point, mulching could cause clumping and will smother the lawn.
07
Will mulching contribute to thatch?
No! Roots growing near the surface will cause thatch. Mulching helps to deter thatch by helping with the decomposition process.
08
When and how should I cut the grass?
You should mow the grass at the highest setting on your mower or at least 3 inches. Each time you mow, you should cut no more than 1/3 of the grass height. Your lawn may require mowing more than once a week during peak growth and only once every two weeks during periods of slow growth. Since the root system of a grass plant grows proportionately to the above-ground parts of the plant, a longer cutting height results in a stronger, deeper root system.
09
Are sharp mower blades important?
Yes! A sharp clean cut will seal quickly and recover faster. Mowing with a dull mower blade causes shredding of grass blades, which causes a very unsightly brown appearance. It can also lead to water loss and increased disease susceptibility.
10
Should I water my lawn after a lawn treatment?
We recommend watering in all of our granular products such as fertilizer, crabgrass preventative, surface insecticides, and grub control. Watering within the first few days will enhance the effectiveness of the product. However, since the liquid weed control needs time to dry before a heavy watering, in order to allow the material to be absorbed into the grass plant, we recommend watering the day after an application.
11
How much water does my lawn need?
Your lawn needs 1 to 1-1/2" of water weekly. Mother Nature provides water, but she sometimes needs help. To determine the need for supplemental water, look for these telltale signs of oncoming drought stress:
*Areas of the lawn especially near concrete or asphalt (sidewalks and driveways), under large trees and on slopes, take on a dark, silvery or smoky blue-green haze. In some cases, the lawn just appears faded in color or even yellowish.
*Footprints or lawnmower wheel marks don't spring back shortly after they are made.
If your lawn shows symptoms of drought, water it immediately regardless of the time of day. Under normal circumstances, early morning is the best time to water your lawn so that the leaves can dry slowly and naturally without too much evaporation, and with most of the water penetrating the soil. Regular, fairly deep watering is better than daily light sprinklings. Deep watering and allowing the lawn to dry out between watering will force the roots to penetrate deeper in search of moisture.
Avoid light watering; this will result in a shallow root system. You should water for long periods of time 60-90 minutes in each area at least once a week.
12
Why do you use granular fertilizers?
We only use granular fertilizer. It costs more but the slow-release fertilizers provide a long-lasting response and are safer for the turf. It also allows us to customize our programs based on weather conditions and your lawns’ needs.
13
How long before weeds are gone?
You should notice some signs of the weeds starting to die with in the first 2-3 days. But the full results of the weed control could take up to 2-4 weeks. Variables such as temperature and rainfall can affect the duration of the results.
14
What if it rains after your application?
In general, our applications will work once they have had time to dry on the plant, usually in about 30-60 minutes. We also use products to help the herbicides stick to the weeds in adverse conditions even if there is a light rain during application. Products such as grub controls, pre-emergent, surface insecticides, and fertilizers are actually helped by rainfall. As always, we have free service calls if the results are not satisfactory.
15
What if I notice weeds still actively growing between applications?
Please call us. We offer free service calls to our full program customers. If you are not due for your next scheduled application, your technician will gladly re-visit your lawn to make sure our program is working properly and address any weed or other issues you may be having.
16
How often will I receive applications?
For our 6-Step lawn program, we work to keep applications between 4-6 weeks apart. Timing for certain products and weather conditions play a big roll in the actual dates of applications. If you ever have a question about when your next application is due, feel free to call, text or email us.
17
I have clumps of wide-bladed grass growing in my yard; do your applications control this?
No. In general most of the wide-bladed grass in home lawns is Tall Fescue or Quack Grass. These two are frequently confused with crabgrass, which has more of a yellowish or light green color and does not typically appear until summer. We do apply crabgrass control with your first or second application to prevent it from overtaking the lawn come summer. Tall Fescue or Quack Grass are permanent grasses and need to be removed and re-seeded.
18
When can I seed my lawn?
The ideal time to seed lawns in this part of Indiana is between the beginning of September through mid-October. You can actually get good results anytime the grass is actively growing, however, you may have to deal with weeds and crabgrass with a spring seeding. As with any new seeding, proper watering is essential for good results.
After your lawn has been aerated is a perfect time to overseed the lawn. If you do plan on doing any seeding, please notify us so we can adjust your future applications accordingly.
19
If I have bare or damaged areas in my lawn, will this program help them recover?
Somewhat. As a general guideline, any area larger than a silver dollar will require other attention, such as raking and seeding, aerating and overseeding, and, in some cases, you may need to bring in dirt.
20
Can you get grass to grow in the shade?
Growing grass in shaded conditions can sometimes be difficult. We generally recommend over-seeding the areas with shade tolerant grass such as fine fescue. As trees become larger, so does their need for space and nutrients, causing the grass to thin. Some areas that will not support grass growth may best be changed to a mulch and landscape area.
21
Do you recommend preventive grub control each year?
Yes. White grubs can be very destructive and can damage your lawn quickly. Eliminating grubs also helps prevent damage from animals such as opossums, skunks, and raccoons that can ruin a lawn digging for grubs.
22
If I don’t get the preventive can you still control the grubs when they are present?
Yes. We do have different products to quickly control grubs; however, the price for these is much more costly than the preventive and you may have to repair any damage caused by the grubs.
23
I have moles in my lawn. Does this mean I have grubs?
The presence of moles does not necessarily mean there are grubs in the turfgrass. The mole's main food source is earthworms. The grubs are active only at certain times of the year and the moles will feed on them if they are an available food source.
24
How safe are the lawn applications?
The materials we use for our lawn applications are of very low toxicity and are registered with the EPA and used in strict compliance to labeled instructions. Licensed technicians apply them in accordance with state and local regulations.
25
Do I have to worry about the product persisting in the environment?
No. After the product is applied it is broken down quickly by soil microbes and other means into harmless substances - water, carbon dioxide, and humus. This occurs within a short period of time, generally less than thirty days.
26
Is there a contract to sign?
No, You may cancel at any time. As a convenience Grass Green, Inc. will continue all of your Step services year to year until we are notified otherwise. We always send out our service schedule before each season to remind you which services are scheduled.
27
How will I be invoiced?
Our technicians will leave the invoice along with instructions at your door after each application unless you have requested that your invoice be emailed or mailed.