FAQs

Both of our lawn care programs offer core lawn health benefits to tackle your lawn’s most common concerns, outlined below. For details on the specific services offered in each program please visit our Lawn Programs page for a side-by-side comparison.

Rich Green Color from Fertilization

• Our custom-blended fertilizer will provide exactly what your lawn needs when it needs it to be as healthy as possible. The lawn’s response to the feeding is generally within 7 – 14 days and will last 4 – 6 weeks. Our formulations and application timing work together to prevent surges in color or growth after each application.

Healthy Roots and Soils

• We conduct multiple soil tests throughout the year so that we know what your lawn needs. The proper amounts of phosphorus and potassium are applied at just the right times of the year to be best utilized by your lawn. These essential nutrients help prepare the plant for hot, dry conditions and feed the root system so it can flourish and recover from stress.
• Soil microbes (tiny organisms) are an important component of the soil ecosystem.  Our program feeds these important microbes using rich carbon sources and other products to help feed and proliferate the microbiome.. Healthy soil microbes unlock and make available nutrients the plant needs. This, along with our formulation of micronutrients, not only feed the soil, but help fully round out the nutrition of your turf.

Weed Control

• A healthy lawn is your best defense against weeds. As grass strengthens and thickens, it actually helps prevent crabgrass, dandelions and other weeds from growing by blocking out the sunlight and using up the moisture weeds need to germinate.
• A weed free & healthy lawn  is best achieved when following other non- program base cultural practices such as  following best practices in mowing and watering, and providing annual lawn aeration or overseeding.
• Below you will find how your lawn care program will combat both broadleaf and grassy weeds.

Broadleaf Weeds

• We are actively treating the broadleaf weeds on your lawn as long as the weather and temperatures allow using our custom blended weed controls. Different weeds appear at different times of the year, so we will always be checking when we are at your property.
• Weeds typically take 7 – 14 days to die during the growing season and may take longer to totally disappear.
  • Early Spring- In cold weather, weed control effectiveness may take as long as 3 – 4 weeks to start working. As weather conditions improve and broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, begin to appear, we will be back out to your property to properly control them.
  • Mid to Late Summer- During very hot, dry weather, weed control effectiveness may also take longer, as long as 3 – 4 weeks to start working. Waxy coatings of some weeds can prevent or make it take longer for products to be effective. When temperatures cool a bit, it will be back to approximately 7 – 14 days to be effective.
  • Late Fall- The late fall or last application is one of the best times of year to control broadleaf weeds because the plant carries the product deep into the root system. You will not see the typical curling and browning of the weeds, but you may see the weeds turn slightly purple. Over the winter and into the spring, the weed will finally disappear leaving your lawn in a great position for next season.

Crabgrass Control

• The two pre-emergent applications in the beginning of the year will create an invisible barrier to protect your lawn from being infested with crabgrass. Each time we visit during crabgrass season, we will spot treat any crabgrass that has emerged with a special post-emergent product. Emerged crabgrass can take 1 - 2 applications to control.

Nutsedge Control

• Each time we visit your lawn we will be scouting for nutsedge. If we find nutsedge, it will be treated with a specialty product. It can take 1-2 applications to fully control nutsedge.

Customer Experience

• Every visit, a full evaluation of your lawn is being performed to evaluate results. We will be checking for weeds, insects and diseases, and we look for any future potential problems that may arise. Be aware of the notes from your technician that you receive via email; they will help provide as much information as possible to enhance the results on your lawn.

Preventative Grub Control will protect your lawn from harmful grub worms throughout the season. We recommend that the lawn receive rainfall or irrigation of approximately ½ inch after application to carry the product into the roots where it becomes effective. The product will still be effective if watering is not performed immediately but should occur within 7-10 days after application for best results. It is important to monitor your lawn and let us know if you see any unusual brown spots during late July through September.

This application controls Ants, Fleas and Ticks that are in your lawn along with destructive insects such as Chinch bugs and Billbugs. It is a great program if you spend a lot of time outside, have pets or children or have had a history of turf damage from insects!

It will last approximately 30 days depending on moisture. Surface insects will be controlled within three to five days after application.

You should notice a decrease in insect activity around the outside and inside your home within a few days after the application. Cobwebs were removed to help eliminate unsightly webs and minimize the food source for spiders. Areas of ant activity were baited or treated to minimize further activity.

In the spring and fall, you can expect to see the remains of some insects around the areas they normally enter your home. It is possible that you will find some insects that made it into the home, but have died. This shows the treatment is working.

Immediately after this application, please refrain from washing the exterior of your windows or watering any plants near the foundation of the home. Rain is not typically a concern, but excessive water can reduce the effectiveness of perimeter pest applications.

The treated exterior areas will be ready for use by your family and pets as soon as the product dries, which is about 1 hour after application.

Insect and Disease Control

In early spring, we apply premium dormant oil to the proper trees and shrubs under 20 feet in height. This application will control overwintering egg clusters and insects. This is the best time of the year to control scale.

During the second and third visits, we apply a disease control to minimize the risk of disease later in the season.

We treat trees and shrubs that are susceptible to insect damage with foliar insect control. During four summertime visits, we inspect and treat for insects and mites to help protect your trees and shrubs from caterpillars and mites, Japanese Beetles and young bagworms.

Fertilization

The best defense to disease and insect damage is having healthy plants and trees. In the fall, deciduous trees under 20 feet in height and shrubs received deep root fertilization with micro- and macro-nutrients. This application will help correct yellowing foliage due to iron and manganese deficiencies, reduce summer stress and promote the strength and vigor of your plants. Proper plant nutrition will help reduce future insect and disease issues.

Customer Experience

Every visit, a full inspection of your landscape plants is being performed to evaluate results and look for any future potential challenges that may rise. Be aware of the notes from your technician in the after-service email; they will help provide as much information as possible to enhance the results on your landscape.

The Tree and Shrub program will cover any tree up to 20 feet tall.

Yes, we offer insect applications with this program from Summer to Fall to stop bugs from feeding on your plants, shrubs, and trees.

Yes, this program includes disease suppression treatments during the Spring to stop diseases from spreading. This may not reverse the disease, but it should stop it from growing and spreading.

There are 7 applications starting in February or March and ending in October or November.

We use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, which means that we target only insects on specific plants that would benefit from treatment. This reduces unnecessary overuse of products, while maintaining effectiveness.

The fertilizer and weed control does not get impacted by rain and will work as intended. We use premium weed controls that have rapid rain fast times. As always, if there are no signs of your weeds being controlled in 7 to 14 days, please give us a call, and we will schedule a free service call to come and take care of them immediately.

We recommend waiting 24 hours after an application to mow the lawn.

During the spring, please remove dead perennials, leaf debris and any broken limbs in trees or bushes. Also apply landscape bed pre-emergent to help prevent weeds and weed-like grasses from taking over your beds. Just like your lawn, landscape plants need water too. As the temperatures increase and the ground begins to dry out, it is important that your landscape plants receive water. Deep and infrequent watering is highly recommended. For larger trees and bushes, try turning the hose on to a trickle and then setting the hose at the base of the plant for thirty to sixty minutes per plant. The soil should be kept moist, but not soupy. In the fall, be sure to remove fallen leaves from under trees susceptible to disease such as crabapples.

Typically, we start visiting our customers the end of February to early March, depending on the weather. It’s a great time to apply pre-emergent onto the lawn to control crabgrass later in the season. Visits are then scheduled approximately 4-6 weeks from the previous visit. We will contact you the day before your scheduled service.

Starting a new lawn care program can begin any time during the growing season when you are ready. Here are a few key times customers decide to start lawn care programs with Ziehler in season:

• Customers are no longer happy with the results, communication or overall experience they are receiving from their current lawn care provider.
• The summer has been tough on the lawn and you do not want to waste the prime recuperative fall season to get things in shape before the next spring arrives.
• If you have preferred the DIY method in the past:
  • You may not be getting the results you want to achieve
  • Maybe things have changed in life and you no longer have the time or ability to do the work
  • You may be tired of having to go to the store to buy products and store them if you have leftovers

If you signed up any time in the winter and through March, we typically start servicing properties once the weather breaks, typically at the end of February to early March. Our target to provide the best results is to complete all customers that come on board by early March by April 15th.

If you signed up with us April 15 or later, we will be out to your property within 5 business days.

Each lawn program visit is scheduled 4 to 6 weeks from the previous application. Please contact us if you are seeing something unusual in your lawn or are having a weed or insect outbreak at least two weeks after your last application.

Although we love chatting with you, the simple answer is no. Before beginning treatment, your technician will knock on the door to let you know we’re there. Don’t be afraid to ask your technician any questions you might have about your lawn application. If you are not home, we will still deliver our services, place a sign in your yard to let you know we were there, and leave a note on your door detailing the services completed that day. We’ll also follow up with a personalized Service Summary email to give you more tips and information.

We use both liquid and granular custom blended fertilizer formulations that take into account the unique needs of our local soils and grass types. Our formulas change throughout the season based the current time of the year, current weather conditions, the size of the lawn and many other unique agronomic factors.

Our fertilizer will allow the lawn to keep a deep green color, minimize flush growth and be resistant to heat and drought stress.

Yes, our business is committed to safety and the natural environment. We use only EPA-approved products that meet high safety standards, ensuring they’re safe for your lawn, the environment, and your loved ones—including pets and children. All treatments are applied by trained and certified professionals who follow strict guidelines to ensure safe application. After a brief drying period, your lawn will be safe for children and pets to enjoy, giving you peace of mind along with a healthy, green lawn.