FAQ

---

Because we use a custom blend of fertilizer specifically tailored to the East Kootenay area, your lawn will become greener and healthier over time.  Up to 4 applications in a season will provide the optimum health and vitality to your lawn; along with properly controlled irrigation.

98% of the application to your lawn is a high nitrogen fertilizer which helps with growth and coloring of your grass.  The other 2% can be an approved safe herbicide to control broad leaf weeds in the lawn.  Depending on your local community, this can be 1 of a few different products.

  After we have treated your lawn please allow the grass to thoroughly dry before walking on it or letting children or pets back on to the treated areas. On a nice sunny day this is typically 1 – 2 hours. After the application has dried the lawn is safe for children and pets to be back out on.

The application is sprayed on in liquid form. Our spray guns have 2 triggers on them. One trigger controls the fertilizer, which is always being applied every time you see us spraying. The second trigger releases the herbicide on an as needed basis for spot treatment; only if there are weeds to be killed. 

Kootenay Lawn Doctor only uses Health Canada and Ministry of Environment approved products. Our applications are safe for both children and pets. Please follow our guidelines for keeping children and pets off treated areas until the application has thoroughly dried as an added precaution. 

  Animal droppings, debris, leaves, toys, and locked gates can affect our ability to complete your application. Please ensure to have your lawn in a clean state with gates unlocked (If applicable) to ensure we can provide you with the best possible experience.

  Our lawn applicators have our service down to a science. A standard yard can take as little as 10-15 minutes to complete both the front and back lawns as our trucks are equipped with high volume output pumps that allow us to cover a large area in a short amount of time. Larger properties can also be done in a very short time as we will often send multiple applicators to perform your service efficiently.

Yes. We only leave 1 lawn sign per property in an effort to be as environmentally friendly as possible and cut down on waste. Unless otherwise specified, our applicators will always treat the front and back yard.

Our full season package includes 4 applications of both fertilizer and weed control as needed. We visit communities and neighborhoods on a 4 – 6 week rotation through the summer. Timing of applications can vary depending on weather and a number of other factors. We are licensed by the government with legal regulations, so, windy and excessively rainy days do shut us down and may cause a delay. 

  Yes! We can apply our product with a surfactant which helps the herbicide to bind to weeds even in wet or rainy conditions. Fertilizer actually has an increased benefit when it is watered in right away and will boost the overall results for providing nutrition to your lawn.

  Before Treatment:

In some cases when weeds are more profound in the lawn, mowing before we come to perform your application can actually increase the results of weed control as this will cut open the weeds and make them more susceptible to the herbicide.

After Treatment:

After we have performed a treatment, please ensure that you have thoroughly watered the application into your lawn. Once watered in you are all set to go ahead and mow your lawn. 

  Our applications can be composed of both fertilizer and weed control. Fertilizer does have a mild smell. Also, we add an odor mask agent to our herbicides to help make them less noticeable. Because of this you may not smell anything after an application has taken place.

  We offer 4 applications of fertilizer and weed control in our full season package. For best results we do recommend signing up for all 4 applications. Certain weeds require more applications than others to fully get rid of them. Weeds like dandelions and vetch typically take 1 – 2 applications to get rid of while other weeds like clover and black medic can take upwards of 3 to 4 applications to get rid of them. 4 treatments a year will provide you with the best results for a healthy green and weed free lawn.

 Because we service such a high volume of customers throughout the East Kootenay's, we can not schedule around watering days. Please adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Remember that you can still water early in the morning the day of an application, and if you don’t have any weeds in your lawn then you can water the application in on the same day of treatment.

   Because our applications are applied as a liquid fertilizer opposed to a granular fertilizer, burning is almost a scientific impossibility.

   No! 

We like pollinators and believe that they are an essential part of the environment that needs to be protected. 

Herbicides should not be confused with insecticides. Herbicides interrupt or modify a biological process within a plant leading to the plant being controlled. Insecticides usually target the nervous system of a specific insect, while herbicides target a specific pathway in plants. These target sites do not exist in pollinators, including bees. Industrial Vegetation Management herbicides, when used according to the label, only affect the plants they are designed to control.

 When we see brown spots on lawns there is a few different things that could be happening. The most common causes we see are:

Lack of water

Ensure that you are providing your lawn with enough water to sustain it. Brown spots can also occur if sprinkler heads are missing spots and need to be adjusted. (We can help with that)

Mowing too short

Mowing too close to the ground can harm your lawn and cause it to get scorched in the sun. Ensure that you are mowing your lawn at a height of 3"-4" in length, especially in the heat of the summer months.

Bugs or Fungus

Pests can be drawn to high nitrate fertilizers and can cause damage. The same can be said about a variety of fungi. 

How Long Should I Water My Lawn?

Proper water times depend on the time of year and soil type of your property.

Rotor heads require 30-40 minutes per zone

Spray heads require 10-20 minutes per zone

Early in spring these times could drop by half.

In a Heat Wave the times could increase by 50%.

Early morning water is best for lawns.  Evening watering can cause mushrooms and other fungal issues.  

If you are still having issues, please call for an analysis of your system and schedule.