The Grass Doctor

Have you ever used a lawn care service like TruGreen? Does it work?

And is it safe? For pets and children?

Public Comments

1. Yes, I have used one. No, it is not safe for pets and kids, or for the environment. The chemicals they use are dangerous, and even if you keep kids and pets off the lawn long enough after they are sprayed or spread, when it rains, the chemicals run off into storm drains, and eventually pollute our streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes.
2. I used organic fertilizers I applied myself and the neighbors to mow.
3. Good question, I somewhat agree with previous poster also very well. I've seen it eliminate a ton of dandelions. Usually they say you need to stay off the lawn for a couple days til it rains once they put the chemicals down. I personally don't know whats in the chemicals and only seen it used once and very effective on dandelions. I'd call them and ask what they are putting in there chemicals, see if they can convince you. Whats funny to me is I bet the front lawn of the white house uses chemicals but wont admit considering how liberal they are. Maybe you would only want to use it once for a year? I don't know specifically, maybe they could put down half as much as they normally do for a reduced price?
4. I used Tru-Green last year and it worked beautifully. I mean my grass was so green and no weeds. I have 3 dogs and 2 children, and all you have to do is wait for the treatment to dry, and it's safe. I even have a backyard pond with Koi and I had no problem. I renewed for this year also!!!!
5. I've used it and it does work. But you really only start to see good results after two years, after the turf has had time to get stronger and healthier. Although the chemicals they use are not natural, they have a good understanding that a lawn is a natural, living thing that needs to be nourished as such and come along in its own time. Ideally, you would get the same or better results by providing the right amount of water, adding plenty of compost, trimming the grass at the right time and at the right length, pulling out weeds by hand, and digging up grub colonies before they caused too much damage. But that's more than most of us can handle. The alternative a lot of people use is to buy and apply fertilizer and weed killer from their local big box store. That's unhealthy because us amateurs rarely calculate the proper amounts to apply and are too eager to see results so we apply way too much, which can expose our children and pets to excessive levels, washes excess into our waterways, and forces too rapid growth or burns the grass and that is not healthy for the turf in the long run. The chemicals are all supposed to be safe at the proper (low) levels of exposure, and are almost undectable if you wait for the lawn to dry before using it.