I'm wanting to have a lawn service such as ChemLawn come in and treat my lawn for bugs,weeds,etc... There will be 5-6 treatments a year. The lawn service states that they will treat the lawn up to about 10 feet from shoreline of my 6 acre pond. They also state I should have no concerns about the effects that the treatments will have on the fish or any wildlife that live in or around my pond. I'm still feeling a little uncomfortable about this and have not made a decision on the service. Does anyone have any advise or experience with this issue.

Thanks,
Jerry Mo

I deal with chemicals and enviromental issues on a daily basis. One of these is potential runoff and the consequences...

Just make sure they understand that treatments will have to wait in the event rain is forecast for the next 24-48 hours or so. Talk to them about what (EXACTLY) chemicals they are applying and get MSDS's for each. Review these doc's for environmental concerns.

Actually, MSDS's aren't legally required for pesticides/herbicides, but they should have some documents of a similar nature that will discuss the issue of water contamination.

Perhaps you might consider leaving a wider "buffer" strip of untreated grass around the pond. Just my first thoughts...

Jerry

5-6 applications? 10ft? I'm not liking those numbers. Pure marketing in my humble opinion.

You WILL receive comments from more qualified people but.....

Mulch your grass. This is natural fertilizer. If weeds REALLY bother you, a spring application of weed/feed and most importantly a fall application of fertilizer only. Cut your grass 3+ inches tall. Healthy turf will out compete weeds. I would think 25' would be the absolute minimum from waters edge. 50' or more would be better. The grade/slope around your pond will help dictate a "correct" number. Are there any grasses(not turf) at the pond perimeter to absorb the excess chemical runoff??

PLEASE do some more research at this site and other websites before you give your hard earned money away!!! Plus, there's already plenty of chemicals in the environment. Alot of which is totally unnecessary.

Chuck

Find out about their protocol and materials. I agree with MSDS sheets. Become informed. The more you know, the better decisions you can make. Learn the chemicals, then choose. My best pond management clients are the ones who know the most. That way, they are involved in the decision making process and I have to answer fewer questions, because they understand the process, the materials and the timing. Bottom line? Educate yourself. Ronald Reagan said it best in the 80's, about the U.S.S.R..."trust, but verify."