Are Your  Lawn Care Services Kid and Pet-Friendly?

This is a question of concern that we receive from our customers. This question has increased over the last few years since many companies are now marketing that their services are Pet Safe, Kid & Pet Friendly, Family Friendly, or offer Safe Organic Lawn Care while not really disclosing that they are still using pesticides. At The Lawn Techs, we feel this is somewhat misleading to the public.

Lawn Care Facts:

All lawn fertilizers are for the most part safe. Kids and dogs do not eat fertilizers, even if the pellets tasted like candy it would be very difficult to impossible to locate the pellets and then pick them up and ingest them.

All lawn pesticides are registered and labeled by the state and the EPA. No product label will indicate "safe" and they all have risks if not used properly. Most of these risks are to protect the applicator and the environment. This is why lawn care companies and employees are licensed and regulated.

Instructions about each treatment are left on your door on each service visit. They include what product was applied and safety instructions. Also, a consumer information sheet is given to you every year with instructions and a master list of pesticides that may be used.

Types of Lawn Care Treatments that we make:

Granular lawn treatments of fertilizer at times also include a pesticide such as pre-emergent crabgrass control or grub control. The pellets (commercial prills) drop down into the lawns thatch area. Therefore it is very difficult to get any type of exposure and you can go on the lawn right after applying. However, at The Lawn Techs, we recommend that to be 100% safe adults, kids and pets limit the use of the lawn until the following day. If you have irrigation and depending on the time you year water it in the following morning.

Liquid pesticide treatments such as spraying of weeds in the lawn, mosquito or tick spray, or tree & shrub spray. With each treatment stay off or away until dry (about 30min) Then you can use the lawn or consider limited use until the following day.

Most lawn care visits are both Granular and spot treated with Liquid. So again to be 100% safe stay off 30 min. Then limit use until the following day.

Most pesticides dissipate quickly while other common treatments like pre-emergent crabgrass control set up a barrier that stays down near the soil surface. Again very difficult to get exposure but if you had a dog that was kept in the backyard every day for the entire day there would be the potential for minor exposure. 

Custom treatments are always an option. We have many clients that just apply fertilizers to the backyard and opt-out of any pesticide use. Then do a one-time pesticide treatment every year or two to keep weeds or insects from overtaking the lawn. As a smaller company we can execute a safe solution to any situation, just ask and we will get it done.

We also offer a text ahead option the day before we come for service so that you can plan accordingly or reschedule with us if there is a problem on your end.

Bottom Line After each service - to be 100% safe adults, kids, and pets

Stay off the lawn 15 min. to 1-hour after service - then consider limited use of the lawn until the following day.

If you have irrigation and depending on the time of year water it in the following morning.

So are Lawn Treatments Kid & Pet-friendly?

At The Lawn Techs, we can not give you a definitive answer on that and ask that you make that decision based on the information that we have given you.

With The Lawn Techs you can relax, we are the area's top local lawn care specialists since 1987. 

If you're located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Summit, or surrounding NJ towns visit us at www.thelawntechs.com or just give us a call at 1.888.529 6832.

Where your Happiness is Guaranteed!

Bryan Monty. The Lawn Techs. All rights reserved.