Frequently Asked Questions & Customer Care Notes

Per your Service Agreement CareFree will return each Spring automatically unless you notify us in writing or by phone of your desire to discontinue services. Please refer to your Service Agreement for the "Continued Yearly Service" policy. This explains that your agreement with Carefree remains in effect from year to year until it is canceled by you or CareFree by phone or in writing. We will send you a letter in December and again in March to remind you of the continued yearly service.

Deep Root Feeding is a tree service, not a lawn service. Proper feeding of your ornamentals offers many benefits, including improved flowering, increased resistance to disease, and increased ability to ward off insect attacks. Root feeding injects the proper plant foods directly into the root zone of the plants, which allows the fertilizer to be easily absorbed and quickly put to work. Feeding treatment is a "once per season" service that takes place in the fall.

While we hate to see you go, we do understand that sometimes customers may need to discontinue their lawn care treatments for various reasons. Your account may be cancelled at any time by phone or by written notice. If your account has an outstanding balance, it will need to be paid at the time of your cancellation. 

Please Note: Prepaying is an OPTION. Choosing to not prepay is not a valid indication that you would like to discontinue service. To discontinue your service, you must contact our office by phone or by written notice. This is explained on the back of your service agreement and we send you two reminders every winter (one is December and one in March) of this policy. Treatments that take place will result in a balance being owed by you.

If you would like to get a free estimate please click here. 

Already have one? The estimate you received is also our Service Agreement. This must be signed and returned to us before we can begin treatments. This is a regulation strictly enforced by NYS DEC. We cannot accept "okay to treat" emails, voicemails, faxed or photos/copies of your paper agreement. Once signed, you can mail to PO Box 361, Marcy, NY 13403 or you can leave it in our dropbox. Please make sure you have read and understand all policies on the back side including dates of application, NYS prenotification law AND CONTINUED SERVICE, keep the yellow form for your records. Once we receive your signed agreement we will get your account set up in our system and will schedule your first treatment. 

We now offer you the ability to "eSign" service agreements. Email us at carefreelawninfo@gmail.com and we will send you the service agreement link via email. Please follow the prompts to submit your electronically signed document.

Once we receive your properly signed agreement we can set up your account and will schedule your first treatment.

NYS DEC determines our "start" date, which is April 1st every year. Early Spring Treatments (or "Round 1")  take place between April 1- April 21. However, weather conditions (such as snow and cold temperatures) can also impact the first application dates as well and can push your first application out further. For alternate dates of applications please refer to your Service Agreement for a complete list of "Dates Of Applications".

** NEW CUSTOMERS who signed up "late" (after April 1st) every effort will be made to fit your first treatment into our schedule as soon as possible. We do our best to plan treatments so they are inline with the rest of your neighborhood.

All brown spots in your lawn should be inspected for turf damaging insects by a licensed technician. Don't wait for your next visit, call our office for a free evaluation right away.

Product labels state waiting for products to dry before allowing children or pets back out onto the lawn. However, to be safe, we recommend waiting 24 hours.

Lawn care program applications include a dry, slow-release fertilizer. Plus:

• Round 1 will also have crabgrass control. 
• Rounds 2-4 will all have weed control.
• Round 5 will be fertilizer to help give the grass plant some extra nutrients over the winter.

Grub Control, Insect Control, Flea and Tick Treatments are all Additional Services and are not part of lawn applications. If included on your program, they will be listed on your Service Agreement and winter letters. If they are not listed or you are uncertain, contact the office to verify your services with us.

A big misconception is that Moles only feed on Grubs, when their diet actually consists of mainly earth worms. Neither Grub Control nor Insect Control will help get rid of Moles. There is a product that you can purchase called TALPIRID that can help with the moles. You can also purchase online Gopherhawk Traps. Unfortunately Carefree Lawn does not  perform this service.

HEIGHT: We recommend no shorter than 3 1/2 inches. But the hotter the weather, the HIGHER you should mow. Higher mowing promotes deeper roots, prevents water loss by shading the soil, and reduces weeds by preventing sunlight from warming weed seeds. Taller grass also shades and cools the soil and reduces heat stress. Mowing too short will remove too much of the green part of the plant, leaving stalk-looking crowns and stems. This gives the lawn a brown, scalped look and weakens the grass. Recovering from even a single "scalping" sets the lawn's growth back many weeks.

WHEN: We recommend waiting at least 24 hours before mowing after an application. During HOT summer months, mow less to protect the root system which will help your lawn bounce back from heat stress all lawns experience.

MOWER BLADES: Keep them sharp. Dull mower blades can rip and shred the tips of your grass blades, turning them a bleached, tan color and leaving the whole lawn looking brown. For best results, sharpen mower blades several times per year. if you have a large lawn, sharpen them once a month during the mowing season.

Over the winter we will send you two letters (one in December and one in March) to remind you that your service is continuous and we will be out in the spring automatically, this is also your prepay letter which is optional. You do not need to prepay in order to receive treatments.

Did you misplace your letter? Not a problem, call or email and we can send you a new one.

Please Note: Prepaying is an OPTION. If you do not want the service, you must notify Carefree by phone or by written notice before your treatment takes place. Choosing to not prepay is not a valid indication that you would like to discontinue service. Treatments that take place before you notify Carefree of your wish to discontinue will result in a balance being owed by you.

Your lawn will need watering if any one of the following occur:

• When footprints do not "bounce" back up.
• When lawn starts to change colors in areas.
• When discoloration occurs along driveways and/or sidewalks first.

Nature's rainfall schedule is not dependable. Some additional watering is almost always necessary, at least during the hotter and drier parts of the year, to avoid turf stress. Lawns turn brown, thin out, and run into more disease and insect problems when under stress. A thin, stressed lawn also creates room for weeds to invade. So whether you use underground or portable sprinklers, there are a few basic guidelines to follow to avoid these problems and maintain good lawn health.

TIPS:

• Water before 10am in hot, dry weather. Timing Makes A Difference! One basic rule is: Water your lawn when it will be most effective.
• Avoid watering in the heat of the day to make sure your water goes down to the roots instead of going up as vapor. 
• Also avoid watering when windy conditions will affect even coverage or cause you to water your neighbor's lawn instead of your own.
• Soak Those Roots! When you water, saturate the soil to a depth of 4" to 6". Shallow watering causes the grass to send roots to the surface for water, where they suffer more quickly during dry, hot spells. Watering for just 20 minutes can do your lawn more harm than good. Water deeply, but less frequently.
• Also be sure to put down extra water along curbs and pavement, because these areas heat up faster and dry out quickly.