Questions the Colonial office answers every week

We start with an in-person visit with the homeowner to gather information, give an estimate, talk through any concerns and set expectations for the service. The visit also gives our technicians accurate service notes, so the right material is on the truck and you get the best result. Lawn care is calculated in 1,000 sq ft increments: the base rate for the first 1,000 sq ft is $62, increasing by $8.25 for each additional 1,000. Rough estimates can be given from satellite imagery, but that imagery can be outdated and may not show the issues your lawn is having.

We want every Colonial lawn to look the best it can, for your sake and ours. Sometimes an issue shows up between visits. When it does, please reach out so we can send a technician to address it in a timely manner. We want your lawn at its best, and if it is not, call us.

Yes. We notify you 2 business days before the scheduled date by your preferred contact method: text, email or phone call. We can also customize communication if you have greater needs. Texting is two-way communication with our office, so please save our phone number to your contact list for quick reference.

No. We do offer a prepay discount over the winter months, which arrives in your email inbox, typically between November and January. For those without email, a paper letter is sent out in January. The prepay offer expires in mid-February, so keep a close eye on your email or mailbox. Our preferred payment method is Autopay: your encrypted credit card or bank information is added to your account file and charged at the time of service. You can update your account information online at coloniallawn.com or call the office to update it.

Yes, you can. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for professional advice. We provide a service that takes the work out of your free time. We do the heavy lifting by applying materials under commercial license regulations and managing applications on a timed schedule for the best results. Most of the products we use have the same active ingredients you might find at your local hardware or landscape retailer. However, what we as state licensed technicians can apply is often 100% greater strength than federally labeled homeowner use. The benefit of our service is professional expertise in taking care of your landscape, while you use your free time as you wish.

Lawn care packages typically cover fundamentals like mowing, trimming, edging and fertilization. Colonial's lawn care program adds weed control and grub control.

It depends on the needs of each yard and the weather in your area. Typically you should mow your lawn once every 7 to 10 days during the growing period. Other maintenance, such as fertilization, aeration and overseeding, can be done at regular intervals or whenever your lawn calls for it.

Consider experience, reputation, available services, pricing and customer reviews. Request quotes from quality lawn care providers and choose the one that best fits your budget and your lawn. We suggest getting a quote from Colonial Lawn & Garden.

Reputable lawn care providers carry proper licensing and insurance coverage to protect themselves and their clients, and you should always ask to see proof of licensing and insurance before hiring a lawn care service. Colonial holds Washington L&I contractor license COLONLG022LA, and our technicians hold Washington State Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator licenses.

A professional lawn care service should improve the overall health, appearance and vitality of your lawn. Expect fewer weeds, better grass growth, improved color and thickness, and a more uniform appearance over time. Also expect your neighbors to ask how your lawn got so green and healthy.

Yes. Colonial offers eco-friendly and organic lawn care options, using environmentally responsible practices and products. These services promote soil health and use natural alternatives in place of the chemical treatments often used in traditional lawn care.

Yes. Many lawn care providers, Colonial included, offer pest control and weed management as part of their packages or as add-on services. These services control unwanted insects and weeds and promote a healthier lawn. Colonial's pest control application program is pet-friendly and safe for your fur family.

Before the first visit, clear your lawn of any debris, toys or furniture that may obstruct the work. If you have pets, make sure they are secured indoors or in a separate area. Provide any necessary access to your yard and tell us about any specific concerns or areas that need special attention.

Yes. All the materials we use are EPA approved, with Federal label requirements stating that children and pets are safe after the application has dried. If you are concerned about exposure, keep kids and pets inside until you have watered the lawn again. Please refer to the after-service summary in your email for any special instructions.

Refer to the emailed after-service summary for instructions, because the timeline changes with the seasonal temperature progression. Cooler temperatures mean plants need a longer on-leaf exposure time, and warmer temperatures mean the on-leaf exposure can be shortened. A general rule of thumb is spring and fall: 6 to 24 hours. Summer: 2 to 12 hours. Do NOT allow any LIQUID application to remain on the leaf more than 12 hours during the summer, to avoid tip burn.

When you follow the watering instructions in your emailed after-service summary, you can expect some weeds to die within 72 hours, and others can take as long as 2 weeks to show full results. If you do not see the results you want after the 2-week mark, call or text us. Keep in mind this varies by season: warm temperatures speed up the effect in irrigated areas. In rare cases, a lack of water will render the weed killer inert.

Our goal is ALWAYS 7 to 14 business days after the accepted bid. This can vary during the season, with mid-April through May being our busiest.

The best way to stop crabgrass is to apply pre-emergent before germination can take place, which begins when soil temperatures reach 50° to 55°. Adult crabgrass plants can drop 10,000 seeds a season, so prevention is key. All service trucks carry post-germination materials, but the results are not immediate, and during the longer wait for the adult plant to die it can still drop seeds. Both the Economy and Premium lawn programs include pre-emergent for crabgrass in the spring applications.

Pre-emergent is a chemical applied to the soil that suppresses seed germination. Seeds from some weeds, like puncture vine (also known as goatheads), can last in the soil for up to 7 years and then germinate into a whole new plant if given the opportunity. We apply pre-emergent in both our Economy and Premium lawn care programs and in our shrub bed weed control program to head off troublesome weeds.

The best time to fertilize was 2 weeks ago, but the next best time is now with our Premium lawn care program. Premium consists of 6 applications designed to maintain a beautiful, healthy lawn all year round. Our target start is mid-February to mid-March, as Mother Nature allows, finishing up in mid-November. Applications can fluctuate in timing by approximately 2 weeks, and the average goal is 6 weeks.

Spring and fall both have benefits and drawbacks. Spring overseeding means skipping pre-emergent applications, because pre-emergent inhibits the germination of lawn seed, and skipping it leaves your lawn open to weeds and foreign grasses at the pivotal control period. Summer has its own issues: you need to water in several short intervals, 3 to 4 times daily, to support germination, and weeds also germinate and need a bit more weed control. We prefer fall, because the Kentucky bluegrass blend likes the cooler fall season to germinate and most weeds are past their germination cycle, which leaves the lawn less exposed to the weeds seen in spring and summer. With cooler temperatures, newly reseeded areas may not be as full or lush as they would be from a spring or summer seeding.

Applications are often rain fast within 4 hours. Should substantial rain of 1 inch or more fall within that 4-hour window, we may need to revisit the property 2 weeks after the rained-out application to avoid overdoing the fertilizer. Otherwise, rain after the 4-hour window will not hurt the application. We have often seen applications become more effective with light drizzly rain.

The Premium program consists of 6 applications starting mid-February to mid-March, depending on Mother Nature, and finishing with a late fall slow-release material in mid-November, for a healthy, lush lawn all year long. Premium also includes lawn-damaging insecticide components and our full warranty. The Economy program consists of the first 4 applications of the Premium program, with the same start timeline and application schedule, but ending in August. If your lawn is struggling with lawn-damaging insects, Premium is the best option: the one-time cost of a stand-alone insecticide treatment is more than one lawn application.

Watering depends heavily on your soil type, and not all soils are the same. Water retention, saturation levels and nutrients all play an important role in lawn health. The easiest way to inspect your soil is to dig down at least 4 to 5 inches with a spade or shovel and pull back the turf layer. If you are noticing dry spots, you may need to do this in several areas of the lawn, because soil texture can vary. Sandy soil drains quickly and does not hold moisture well, so it needs more frequent watering in short intervals throughout the day, and it may benefit from a top dress service to improve water retention. Dark loam soil retains moisture very well, and longer water cycles a couple of times a week are enough to encourage deep root growth. Many other variables affect your water cycles: slopes, rocky soil, average daytime temperatures, clay that inhibits proper drainage, shady areas, and sprinkler types and coverage. Our service technicians can help you make the best adjustments and recommend ways to improve your water cycle.

Again, soil type and condition play a part. Without any information about your soil, we recommend watering in the morning, before sunrise. With evening watering you risk moisture build-up and excess humidity, which can lead to fungal issues in the lawn, and a fungal application can be a costly add-on you do not need.

As lawn care professionals, your lawn is our product, and we pursue performance for your perennial cool grass lawn so it looks its best year-round. Regular, high-quality fertilizing helps your perennial cool grass lawn bounce back from extreme weather, fungal issues, insect attacks and the higher traffic it takes during the season. If you are OK with your lawn looking good SOME of the time, with reduced mowing requirements, then a couple of fertilizer applications a year will be adequate.

With time, yes, we can kill the Bermudagrass in your lawn. It is not easy, simple or cheap. The timeline ranges from 1 to 4 years, depending on how extensively the Bermuda has invaded your cool-season turf grass. We recommend reseeding in the fall, which is hugely beneficial in fighting Bermudagrass out of your lawn. Please reach out to schedule an inspection for specific advice on treatment and expectations.

Our spray program includes control of most pests on your trees, shrubs, perennials and annual plantings. The most common are aphids, scale, mites, elm beetle and similar pests. We also offer a systemic soil injection service for more invasive or excessive pest damage, for year-round protection from the inside out. Injected plants do not need topical sprays, because they are already protected internally. Disease control is not comprehensive, since millions of diseases affect millions of plant species. We do treat all your valuable trees, shrubs and plantings for the fungal spores and bacteria that propagate all winter long in the increased moisture season. In early spring our bactericide and fungicide is applied to reduce their effect.

No, because not all trees and shrubs benefit from or can absorb foliar fertilizer from a spray application. The most effective fertilizer is a granular application watered in at the soil level, applied approximately 90 days apart. Fertilizer service is separate from the insect and disease care program.

No. Certain species of trees and shrubs are naturally resistant to insects and common diseases, so always do your research before installing plants in your landscape. Cedars, for example, are naturally resistant.

State law prohibits application to a plant in full bloom when bees are present. This can make the application tricky when the plants are affected by damaging pests. We can navigate this if the situation presents itself.

This program is comprehensive for the pests the average homeowner deals with: spiders, ants and hornets*. Pest control applications are exterior only, because we find this solves 90% of homeowners' issues. We treat around your home's foundation, first floor eaves and windows, doors, vents, fixtures, fittings, hose bibs, and cracks or crevices, and we also sweep away webbing from windows, eaves and corners of your home. *Wasps and hornets are included in the Foundation/Spider Barrier, but flying insects present a unique challenge, because they can build nests above the barrier. We cannot fully prevent wasps from ever building nests on your house, but we will proactively knock down nests with each visit.

Our pest control is offered on a quarterly schedule. Typically we do not spray during the winter, unless it is an unusually warm one. The season starts in mid-March to early April, depending on weather conditions, and the following applications are scheduled on average 60 days apart until the end of the season in late October or early November. If you are in an area of increased pest pressure, riverbank properties for example, we can offer more frequent visits at an additional charge.

Our pre-emergent materials are federally labeled safe around hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of plants that have been tested. Pre-emergent is applied in all the areas where you need weed control, to inhibit germination. Technicians also carefully apply post-emergent to any actively growing weeds that have broken through the prior pre-emergent application.

Because of the many environmental and local factors involved, we cannot guarantee the materials themselves. What we guarantee is SERVICE. If you are a full pre-emergent program client, we will warranty our work for any breakthrough that happens between scheduled applications. Please reach out if you see any breakthrough so we can schedule a technician. We strive to keep weeds killed and our clients happy.

“Sterilant” is a bit of a misnomer, because there are NO legal sterilant materials. What most people think of as sterilant is restricted to use ONLY at airports, railyards and heavy industrial sites. Washington State law prohibits the use of any material that lasts longer than 1 year on residential properties, whether it is applied by a commercial applicator or the homeowner. Our approach to every client's weed control need is more environmentally friendly: we use high-grade pre-emergent herbicides instead of a state-prohibited sterilant at residential properties. A highly effective pre-emergent herbicide protects against broadleaf and grassy weeds all season long, and should you decide down the road to landscape the previously treated areas, there will be no long-term effects.