As someone who cares about their lawn and is looking for great results (and may even be considering hiring a pro to achieve them), it can be frustrating when a neighbor doesn’t take care of their yard.
Not only do you have to look at your neighbor’s weeds creating an eyesore, but you might be worried whether their neglect will impact your results. If you’re going to hire a professional lawn care service in Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton, PA, the last thing that you want is to be stuck fighting an unwinnable battle against your neighbor’s weeds.
You might be wondering whether lawn spraying will even work if your neighbor has weeds?
We completely understand these frustrations and it’s actually a question that we hear from potential clients quite often.
Nobody wants to invest their money into a service that isn’t going to work. We always believe in providing homeowners with the full picture and setting them up with realistic expectations, which is why we want to explore this important topic.
Do I have to Be Worried About My Neighbor’s Weeds?
If your neighbor’s weeds are out of control, you might be wondering whether they are going to start impacting your lawn. It’s also possible they already have. Unfortunately, weeds do spread, particularly those that are aggressive in nature.
Different weeds spread in different ways. Sometimes seeds blow around and spread by the wind. Weeds that drop seeds can also be spread by foot traffic or lawn equipment. If you walk across your neighbor’s property to your own, you could be tracking weed seeds on the bottom of your shoes.
Some species of weeds will actually shoot seeds as far as 10 feet! Of course, weeds have no sense of property boundaries and those that “creep” underground can easily spread across a property line, even working their way under a fence!
For all of these reasons, your neighbor’s weeds really can become a problem for you and are a legitimate concern. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to defend against weeds which will prevent them from spreading onto your property.
How to Defend Against Weeds
When it comes to preventing your neighbor’s weeds from ending up on your property, you must take action. Doing nothing will almost automatically ensure that the weeds next door will soon be your problem, too.
Promoting Healthy Turf with a Full Lawn Care Program
The most important step that you can take is to get your own lawn in good health. A lawn care program that promotes a thick and healthy turf is going to give your lawn the ability to defend itself against any weeds that try to pop up in your lawn. While you can’t do much to limit the weed seeds or root systems that end up on your property, you absolutely can do something about preventing many of them from growing.
Why does having a thick lawn prevent weed growth?
Think about how easily weeds grow in thin grass areas. Now consider some of the thickest areas of your lawn. There aren’t as many weeds there, are there? This is why thickening your lawn and getting it to grow as intended is so important.
That means that filling in any bare spots that you may have (where opportunistic weeds will try to grow) should be one of your most important steps. This can be achieved with a full program that includes annual aeration and overseeding to promote a strong and healthy turf.
Choosing a Program that Includes Comprehensive Weed Control
Of course, weed control should also be part of a complete lawn care program. A thick lawn will do a good job of choking out many weeds but it can take a couple of seasons to achieve that carpet-like lawn that you want (and need).
On top of that, many weeds are highly aggressive and will still try their best to grow, even in a healthy lawn. Certain grassy weeds, such as nutsedge, for instance, are highly persistent and won’t give up easily. This is why a well-rounded weed control program is so important.
For one, not all weeds can be treated the same way. It’s important that you’re using a weed control program in which products and approaches are varied throughout the year in order to have the best impact.
Some weeds even require specialty controls and some need to be sprayed multiple times before they take over. Two or three visits isn’t going to cut it if you’re in a battle against aggressive weeds that are trying to creep over from your neighbor’s. A lawn care professional should develop a plan of attack that is customized to your property. This could even mean treating the lawn for weeds almost every time they come.
Talk to a Lawn Care Pro About Border Solutions
When dealing with a neighbor’s weeds that are out of control, you might even need to consider border solutions where a professional can treat non-selectively for aggressive, creeping weeds.
For instance, if someone has a fence and the neighbor’s ground ivy keeps coming through, installing a bed with mulch or stone where you can also spray with non-selective products in the bed could be effective. It will provide a buffer of a 18-24” in which the weeds are addressed before they make it to the lawn (and spread rapidly).
The most important thing is to take a customized approach. Every property is different but a pro will take into account what might be your best approach to protecting its border.
Consider Talking to your Neighbor
One final suggestion that we might offer in the defense against weeds is talking to your neighbor. We recognize that a topic like this can be difficult to broach and feel awkward. But if you have a good relationship with your neighbor, you might possibly be able to tackle the topic in a positive way, showing them that you want to help.
A possible script could go something like this: I’ve noticed you’re struggling with some weed issues. We’ve decided to hire a professional to handle our lawn care for similar reasons and could refer you if you’re interested.
Keeping it helpful and positive might make it an approachable subject. After all, the last thing that you want to do is start a neighbor war, as that certainly will not help your situation. As annoyed as you may be, it never really helps to start throwing around blame for your weed problem (even if you know they’re at fault). They do have the right to have weeds on their property as frustrating and ugly as it may be.
What NOT to Do
It’s worth noting that taking matters into your own hands and spraying your neighbor’s lawn for weeds is not a viable solution. It’s actually illegal because of trespassing and laws about applying control materials. It really does make the most sense to try and have a civil conversation if you’re hoping that your neighbor will take action. There are times where people don’t realize just how bad their problem is or how it’s impacting the neighborhood.
Only you know your particular situation well enough to decide whether this approach might work for you. Some homeowners we’ve worked with have successfully gotten their neighbors to also get started on our lawn care program—and then everyone really does benefit when side-by-side lawns start looking great. It’s obviously a big value boost for your property.
We Promise, It Really Can Work
If you have the type of neighbor who is never going to budge on getting their weed problem under control, you shouldn’t feel in total despair. We promise that you can defend your Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton, PA home against weeds, even if you have a neglectful neighbor.
Of course, we don’t want to set you up with unrealistic expectations matter. Your concerns are legitimate and it will be more difficult to control weeds on your property than one where the neighbor also takes great care of their lawn.
But it’s not impossible.
You just have to be a bit more aggressive and proactive in your approach. If you don’t do anything, you can be sure that those weeds will soon become your problem (or already have), so don’t be complacent. Instead, hiring a lawn care company in Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton, PA that will take your concerns seriously and develop a game plan will be your best strategy in winning the war against weeds. Highly effective weed control requires a detailed and customized approach.
Along with that, make sure that the lawn care service that you hire focuses on good year-round lawn health and promotes a thick and thriving lawn.
All of this will come down to hiring the right company. While there are a lot of lawn care companies in Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, PA, they certainly do not all handle weeds the same way.
The best lawn care companies are focused on weed control tips and tricks that others won’t bother to follow through on. This includes creating a customized plan of attack that takes your neighbor’s weeds into account. With the right approach and the right professional on your side, you’ll be able to have the lawn you desire despite your neighbor’s neglect.
If you’d like to find out more about our three lawn care program options, contact us for a free consultation or give us a call at 610-365-2200 so that we can answer any questions.
