Question about Landscaping and Pesticides?

[annasmom]

So, let's just say we don't have the best communication with our landscpaper. He actually mowed our lawn for about 4 months after we moved in last year without ever introducing himself to us (even though we called him repeatedly).

So we came home from being away this weekend to find those little flags posted on our property that say pesticide treated area. We never told him to spray our property, he never sprayed our property last year. In fact my dh just went out a few weeks ago and spent a small fortune on products that are not harmful so we could avoid using pesticides.

SOOO, very long story short. Our lanscaper is not calling us back. It has not rained lately. How long do I need to wait until my dc can go back on the grass. FYI, I have no idea what was used on our grass.

Thank you!!

[writermama]

Ugh! That's annoying, to put it mildly. Well, it depends on what he sprayed and where.

If it was Round-up, the traditional wisdom is to wait 24 hours ... I was about to post some links, but I don't want to alarm you. Let's just say, Round-up is bad. Very, very bad. I can't find anything that says how long it really takes to break down, but if it were me, I'd get a sprinkler on the lawn for a few days and still be wary of it for a while. But then, I'm paranoid about these things anyway. (So far, the documented risks seem to be more of a problem for people who apply the stuff, but I still would be cautious.)

If it was something else, like the pesticide Diazinon or another herbicide used on weeds Round-up can't kill, or a long-lasting pre-emergent ... well, the only way to know is to find out what it was. If it were me, I'd find out what the manufacturer suggests, then double it for good measure.

Hope you get some answers soon,

[annasmom]

Karen - not what I wanted to hear, but thanks for the heads up! We have almost an acre of property and my dh is out of town until tomorrow night and I cannot do the sprinklers by myself (without my dc tagging along) so I guess it will be a few more days until we can get out there again. Too bad, it is so darn hot, my dc would love to run through the sprinklers all day long!!

We have to have a talk with this landscaper. The kicker is he doesn't return *my* phone calls at all, he will only speak to my dh. I know, ridiculous.

[icunurse]

I think it matters whether the treatment was a liquid or granules. When we used to get our lawn treated with a liquid-based fertilizer/pesticide, they said give it an hour to dry and then you were good to go (but we always felt better after a rain). We have a service that uses granules now and while they say 24 hours, we always try to water if rain isn't near. I don't see what 24 hours has to do wth granules, they're still right there if they aren't hit with water?

If you can get a hold of your landscaper, I would also ask what kind of pesticides they applied, so you know what bugs/lawn diseases they are treating and what chemicals they are using.

Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting (and waiting) for another baby!

[miki]

It really depends on the chemical. In our state, licensed lawn treatment people can use more potent stuff than what you get at Lowes/Home Depot. My DH just uses stuff from Home Depot and the longest he tells me to keep DD and the dogs off the lawn is 4 days and then run the sprinklers. There are some granules that only start working after you give a little bit of a watering. Those you would water and then stay off for another 3-4 days.

[searchdog]

Ironically I was talking to a chemist about a month ago and he said Round Up is one of the safest products on the market. So I would love to see the links to info regarding it being bad. He was talking about how the chemicals specifically target plant protein and that it is not harmful to humans.

[o_mom]

OK, if it was a pesticide it is not Round-up - that is an herbicide. If was on the lawn, it is also not round-up because that would kill the whole lawn. Diazinon is no longer on the market and hasn't been for several years.

If it is on the lawn, it is probably a fertilizer with either weed killer or grub control (unless you are in the south an then it might be fire ants). Most say stay off for 24-48 hours, or water in and then wait until it dries. I would call the landscaper again and see if you can find out exactly what it was.

[jayali]

Eileen,

Your landscaper is a jerk - I guess that is no news bulletin. By law in our great state of NJ, if he treats your lawn with a pesticide he has to provide you with written notice of the actual pesticide and the warnings, or he could lose his license. This is what our landscaper told us years ago when I asked him to stop leaving us the little flyers in our front door. We only used this home on weekends back then and I hated having flyers in the door announcing no one was home. You should call him and threaten to report him to the state and then maybe he will call you back. Of course you could always deepen your voice and see if he returns your call then.

Good luck.

[writermama]

One of the things I've heard, is that it's not the active ingredient that is the problem ... it's other stuff in it.

If you want to read more, google "organic gardening round-up."