Choosing The Right Company

You are looking for a company to provide your lawn care, and we thank you for considering DREAM LAWN

Here are key things to consider when looking for a new company:

Is the provider certified and insured?
Many maintenance (mowing) companies are now offering fertilization; however, they may not be certified. DREAM LAWN applicators have gone through rigorous training and received certification as Chemical Applicators by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. We are also fully insured against any unanticipated problems. Be sure to ask for IL Department of Ag certification numbers and insurance information from companies you are considering.

What type of services are included in the estimate?
Fertilization and weed control are the core of all lawn care programs. Many companies try to sell you applications that you just don’t need! Over-fertilization can cause more problems than benefits. Too much nitrogen (the key component in fertlizer) brings on heavy top growth at the detriment of building strong roots. Be careful of companies that want to sell you more than 5 fertilization applications per year. In Northern IL, most lawns will flourish with 4-5 applications, especially when they are applied at the correct times.

What type of fertilizer do they use?
We use only the highest quality dry-granular fertilizers. The benefit of dry-granular is that you see the coverage. With sprayed liquid fertilizers, it is impossible to confirm that the correct amount has been applied. Most of our applications are made with slow release fertilizers, which break down over time, giving a more uniform supply of nutrients rather than a fast flush.

Do you follow IPM- Integrated Pest Management Practices?
We believe in and follow IPM practices when caring for your lawn. Integrated pest management is a system that employs the best practices aimed at lowering pest levels far enough to prevent plant injury while minimizing the impact on the environment.

Who uses IPM practices? All agricultural Universities and Colleges, Extension Services, many public schools, and city parks and recreational facilities.

IPM Steps

• Scouting for pests (finding, identifying, and counting pests)
• Developing and maintaining healthy plants
• Treating only pests that are present
• Applying treatments or pesticides at the right time
• Follow up evaluations and record keeping

A pest is any weed, insect, fungus, disease, or rodent that can cause harm to plants, people, pets, or your home. We first scout for the presence and measure levels of any pests, then decide if a pesticide application is necessary. Often, the use of chemical pesticides is not necessary, and other means of control can be made.

Do they offer Organic or Environmental Friendly alternatives?

At DREAM LAWN, we offer an environmentally friendly program that combines organic fertilizers with spot herbicide spraying. It is important to know that the cost of this program is more than our standard chemical applications, as much more fertilizer is required for each application, about 5 times more.
What does the company guarantee? (bold please)

DREAM LAWN guarantees all our work. Because grass quality is highly dependent upon variations in weather and soil conditions, we cannot guarantee that no problems will occur. We can guarantee that if a problem occurs as a result of our applications, we will provide free corrections until you are satis