Instructions & FAQs

You can pay your bill online at: https://www.lawngateway.com/mrwlawns/

We accept all major credit cards, checks, or cash. Payments are on a service-by-service basis or paid in full annually.

Our regular work week is Monday-Friday, but sometimes the weather does not always cooperate, and we may need to visit your property on the weekend. Our standard timing for an application “round” ranges around 6–10 weeks. The first two lawn care rounds are more time-sensitive because we are applying your crabgrass pre-emergent, and should be applied before the weather warms up enough for crabgrass germination. We are always keeping an eye on the forecast, and try to schedule around the worst of the weather.  

The safety of your family and pets is of the utmost importance to us. By sending a trained technician to perform your services, we eliminate the misuse or overuse of any of our products. We do ask that pets and children are not in the treatment area while services are performed and that you allow approximately 1 – 2 hours for products to dry and settle before you go about your normal routine.  

If the application is granular, it is preferred to water in the application before re-entry. If the application is liquid, it is safe to re-enter when dry, which usually occurs within 1-2 hours after the application. 

We recommend watering in the application, if possible (rain works too). From there, it would be fine to mow after it dries. If you are unable to water in the application (or wait for rain), it should be fine to mow at any time after the application if you leave the grass clippings to avoid losing the product from the application. This is very important because bagging your clippings will remove the product from the lawn. We recommend leaving the clippings whether it has been treated recently or not. 70% of the nutrients are in the tip of the blade, so leaving your clippings down enhances the lawn’s ecosystem and acts as a form of free, natural compost. This will save you time and effort and give you your money’s worth from our treatments! 

We can generally reschedule your service within a few days. It’s impossible to guarantee a specific date because we schedule services based on when/where technicians will be in an area. Of course, the weather and other factors can cause scheduling issues. We will certainly try to work with your schedule, and we will do our best to accommodate your request! 

We recommend mowing the lawn at 3-3.5 inches during the cooler part of the year (spring and fall), and 3.5-4 inches during the hotter part of the year (summer). Remember, that if the lawn is in drought conditions it is not growing. If the weather is hot and the grass is brown, mowing can damage the lawn, and you may want to wait to mow until there has been some rain. To have a lawn that you can walk on, play in, and use during the summer, you must water the lawn to avoid damage. 

When we choose the products we use for lawn care services, four criteria are considered:

• The safety of our products to our customers and their families 
• The effectiveness of the product 
• The cost and the value of the product to the customer for the money they have spent. 
• The potential effects of the applications on the environment. 

There are very few organic products that meet all these criteria for lawn care services. If an all-organic program is preferred, we will be happy to provide you with a cost estimate and program for your property. You can expect the program to cost more and be less effective than conventional lawn care programs. 

We do offer effective Organic Pest Control services, such as Flea & Tick, Perimeter Pest, and Mosquito Control!  

Depending on the application received, some results can be seen as soon as a few days, especially if watered in. Long-lasting change, however, requires 3-5 years of persistent service. Following instructions for proper cultural practices and additional recommendations, the lawn should be well established and able to recover from harsh summer weather with a minimum of additional input. Regular core aeration with overseeding is recommended each fall for cool-season lawns to maintain a thick, healthy-standing turf. For warm-season lawns, aeration in May without seed is recommended for appropriate maintenance. 

We use a combination as some products are better applied in a granular form, and some are better applied in liquid form. All our products are professional, quality products. 

Typically, your lawn should not have to be mowed before a lawn care application, unless otherwise instructed during preparation for renovations and some seeding services. 

We will place a yellow pesticide flag on the lawn or landscape. We will also send you an after-service summary with notes about the services performed, recommendations for maintenance, and the price of the application. Unless you choose to have invoices mailed to you, the invoice will be emailed to the email address we have on file. 

While pH can be a factor that creates a good environment for moss, the physical properties of the soil, as well as a thin lawn, are more important factors. Compacted, poor drainage, saturated soil conditions, low fertility, and shade are physical factors that encourage moss. Reducing shade and regular lawn aeration would be a big help. Also, adding organic enhancers such as Mirimichi Green, and heavily seeding in the fall to thicken the lawn are all ways that can help reduce the moss in your lawn, over time. 

This question depends almost entirely on the weather. Lawns do best when they receive 1”- 2” per week. With frequent rainfall during spring, the lawn may get enough water from precipitation alone. Depending on your sprinkler, you can accomplish this amount of water by watering 15-30 minutes, per zone, twice a week. It is generally better to water deeply a few times per week rather than watering every day. During the hottest part of the summer or after seeding, your lawn may require more frequent or longer watering intervals. An alternative to watering during a prolonged drought is to let your lawn go dormant. This will cause your lawn to take on a brown, dry appearance, but it should bounce back in the cooler, wetter months. If you let your lawn go dormant, we recommend avoiding foot traffic or pets on the lawn because it is less resilient and recovers from damage more slowly. Be cautioned that the damage from heavy traffic on a dormant lawn in the summer may cause lasting, irreversible damage.  

We recommend watering in the morning, after sunrise. Early morning (at dawn) is best because the water will not evaporate before it gets a chance to be absorbed by the soil. Watering when it is dark leaves the lawn wet overnight which will encourage lawn diseases and weeds. Watering in the afternoon can prove to be a futile effort due to increased evaporation. If you must water in the afternoon, wait until the sun is not shining directly on the lawn. Also, if you are using a garden hose, be sure to let it run for a few moments before beginning watering. Water that has been sitting in a hose in the hot sun is un-oxygenated and can scorch the turf if applied to the lawn. Be sure that only cool water is being emitted from your sprinkler before you begin watering. 

Usually, in March, April, and May, we experience changing weather conditions. First, after several days without natural rainfall, the soil water bank begins to dry out. At the same time, drying winds increase Evapotranspiration. The result is the grass begins to wilt and go into drought stress. To combat drought stress, follow these summer lawn care tips, and deeply water the lawn until you see a return of green. 

For most lawns, the first lawn care application is a granular potassium fertilizer that is coated with a pre-emergent herbicide to target summer annual weeds like crabgrass. This application is not meant to kill broadleaf weeds such as chickweed or dandelions unless otherwise noted by the technician.

Broadleaf weeds are targeted with the 2nd and 6th applications of the lawn care program. Complimentary inspections and sprays may occur but are not guaranteed with the 3rd and 4th rounds of the program. Please note that removing herbicide from these applications does not reduce the cost, as the focus of the services is fertilization. 

Pre-emergents applied in the spring will affect new seed that has not had time to mature. We do not recommend seeding in the spring for a variety of reasons, the main reason being that the seedlings do not have enough time to establish a secondary root system before damage is caused by heat, drought, and disease issues of the summer. It is recommended that all seeding be done in the fall. If you plan to seed in the spring, it’s important to notify us immediately. You will not be able to seed for 4-5 months after the pre-emergent is applied. If you are adamant about seeding in the spring, you must skip the first applications of the year that contain pre-emergent. This will increase your crabgrass problems later in the year. If possible, avoid seeding in the spring, as it is more important that the lawn receives the crabgrass control over the seed. 

This application should be watered in for the best results. A precipitation event of less than 2” occurring within a few hours before or after your application will not affect the efficacy of your application and may be beneficial, saving you the trouble of watering in the application. Our technicians are trained to make good decisions about soil saturation. If the weather is too severe during working hours on the day we have scheduled, we will reschedule for the earliest available date and will keep you informed. 

Some leaf coverage is not a problem because the first application of the season is granular and will “roll” off the leaf and into the lawn. With that said, we must get a thorough application of the crabgrass pre-emergent on the lawn, because any untreated areas will struggle with crabgrass in the summer months. If you are not sure about the leaf coverage on the lawn, let us know and we will add a note for the technician to assess the lawn and make that call. In some cases, the technician may blow leaves off to apply and then back on the lawn afterward. If we need to reschedule, please let us know as soon as the lawn is clear. MRW Lawns does not provide leaf removal services.  

For the best results, we recommend watering in this application within a few days. Usually, early spring precipitation is sufficient to activate the product. If there is no rain in the forecast for more than a week after your service, you should take steps to water.