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Weed Control in the Transition Zone
Using the right products, in the right way, is critical to controlling weeds anywhere – but especially in the transition zone. Learn how Virgina-based NuLeaf Lawn Care is keeping their customers happy and weed-free.
Stretching like a rubber band across the lower middle of the United States, the transition zone — that no-man’s-land between warm- and cool-season hardiness zones — doesn’t just make life difficult for homeowners planting landscape beds. Turf-care companies whose livelihoods depend on their ability to deliver clean, emerald-green lawns can find themselves chasing weeds throughout the summer, all while fielding phone calls from anxious customers.
“The number one problem customers call us about is weeds,” says Pete Haakon, co-founder of NuLeaf Lawn Care, Lorton, Virginia. “So weed control is a huge issue.”
NuLeaf operates just outside Washington, D.C., serving customers primarily in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties — customers who own some of the more expensive residential real estate on the East Coast and who expect clean, weed-free lawns.
“We’re right in the transition zone,” Haakon says. “We have a little bit of warm-season turf like zoysia, but we’re primarily growing cool-season turf here. It can get pretty challenging, growing and maintaining cool-season turf in a hotter climate like this. Any time you have drought or heat, anything that creates stress or causes thin spots in a lawn, weeds will come in.”
To help manage encroaching weeds, Haakon and NuLeaf count on a portfolio of products, including proven performers such as Dimension® specialty herbicide. Haakon has found split applications give him weed control that lasts throughout the heat of summer.
“All the university studies show that’s the most effective application method,” Haakon says. “So that’s what we do. Basically, we want to get to August with a preemergent in the ground. So our first application goes out around the end of February, and we’re on about a six-week cycle, so that first application takes us through the middle of April, then we start the second application. And because we’re using the higher end of the rate range, that’s giving us good crabgrass control.”
Friendlier Weed Control
Beyond the ability of Dimension to provide exceptional control of anxiety weeds like crabgrass, Haakon, his customers and NuLeaf technicians all appreciate the lower toxicity profile.
“People want the most environmentally responsible products available, so any time we can promote an environmental benefit, we do. That’s one of the reasons we love Dimension — it doesn’t have any staining effect, it only has a ‘Caution’ signal word. And yet it has given us the best crabgrass control of anything we used.”
Pete Haakon, co-founder of NuLeaf Lawn Care, Lorton, Virginia
Dimension isn’t the only Corteva product Haakon counts on. With a complete portfolio of preemergent specialty herbicides, Corteva offers a product for virtually every weed challenge a turf-care professional might face.
“We’re big fans of Dimension,” he says, “but we’ve used Defendor® herbicide in some commercial applications, too. And we’ve been working up a bed preemergent program using Crew®; we don’t offer that yet, but we’re tinkering with it and fine-tuning it.”
Meanwhile, Gallery® specialty herbicide gives the NuLeaf team valuable long-lasting control of broadleaf weeds like dandelion, clover, chickweed and henbit.
“We use Gallery as our broadleaf preemergent, and it works wonderfully,” Haakon says. “I use it on an area around a community pool, so instead of spraying during the summer when all the kids are out there, we can put Gallery out early and not have to worry about weeds the rest of the summer. And it just works really well on those lawns that, year after year, just cause us problems.”
“In the People Business.”
But the heart of the NuLeaf program isn’t an herbicide or fungicide. It’s the recognition of their customers as homeowners and human beings along with a focus on the small touches that can make the difference between an uncomfortable phone call and a five-star review.
“At the end of the day, people expect a green, weed-free lawn,” Haakon says. “So it’s the things you can do over and above that they’ll remember. Little things — just like knocking on doors before the technician starts the service, answer any questions, chat with the customer for a minute — those can go a long way. Plus, it reduces the number of service calls coming into the office; we can answer a customer’s questions right then and there.
“Customers can be demanding, but they’re paying for a service,” he says. “And we’re in the people business. So whether it’s our employees or our customers, it’s people first.”
State restrictions on the sale and use of Dimension® specialty herbicide and Defendor® apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Crew® is not registered for sale, distribution or use in New York. Other state restrictions on the sale and use of Crew may apply. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.
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