Calendar based sprays are killing everything. One of the most disturbing things about working in the landscape industry is how we can reconcile calendar spraying for landscape pests with "environmental care". Automatically spraying someone's lawn for cranefly and weeds is a knee-jerk way to resolve landscape problems. Unfortunately, that's just what many of the local lawn care companies are doing. Putting your property on an automatic spray program may seem like a good idea, but it really doesn't consider what is really going on in the lawn and bed areas. Pests like cranefly can be indicators of a wet or shady soil condition while many weeds are a result of soil compaction, high acidity or low nutrient. If you think about it, one of the reasons you may live here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest is in consideration of the natural beauty of the region. It's a complex eco-system out there, even in the microcosm of your yard. It was a wake up call to learn that recent USGS studies found significant chemical imbalances in local waterways due to unneeded chemical and fertilizer applications. Why is landscape care sold this way? It's easy and fast. But like many things in life, the easy way becomes the hardest way - for beneficial insects, fish, birds…and eventually for people. It would be a more difficult thing to offer a comprehensive service, but that wouldn't result in a truck that comes through and sprays the neighborhood. It's better to think in terms of Integrated Pest Management, a more rational system based upon an understanding of the nature of your specific site, the sun aspect, microclimate, soil conditions, vegetation and drainage patterns. These don't reveal themselves in a one-size-fits-all spray regimen, no matter what the Chemyard/Falsegreen people would have you believe.
