If you are a pet owner, your pet's safety is always on your mind. Scheduling lawn care treatments in Iowa may be nerve-wracking if your pets regularly use the lawn. To ensure the safety of your pets during lawn care season, you should always consult with your lawn care provider because they know the products they use like the back of their hands and will be able to advise you on the steps you need to take to keep your pets safe. It is also important to know that not all treatments are the same in a lawn care program, so make sure that you are in the know about the different types of treatments used on your lawn throughout the year. It is always best to keep your pets off of the lawn until the treatment dries. With these tips, you can ensure the safety of your pets during all lawn care treatments.

Always Talk With Your Lawn Care Provider

Professional applying pet-safe product to lawn in Ankeny, IA.

When you're hiring a company to perform any type of lawn care service for your property, you'll want to consult with them to see what steps you should take to ensure the safety of your pets. Your lawn care provider likely had to go through extensive training or a certification process before they were allowed to use products on your lawn. They will know the ingredients in all kinds of lawn care products, such as fertilizers and weed control, and will know which ones are harmful to your pets. They will also know how to keep your pets safe during these lawn care treatments. By speaking with your lawn care provider, you can ensure you take the appropriate steps to keep your pets as safe as possible.

Don't assume every treatment is the same in a lawn care program.

While some professional lawn care programs use the same products every single time they treat your lawn, it is common for the products to vary depending on the time of the year and what is best for your grass. For example, some professional companies switch between using granular and liquid treatments throughout the year. Each type of lawn care product should be treated differently when it comes to pet safety, so be sure you know what type is being used on your lawn during each visit.

Wait Until Your Lawn Treatment Has Dried Before Letting Your Pets Out

Homeowner's dog waiting by the door for lawn products to dry in Bondurant, IA.

As a general rule, it is always best to keep your pets off your lawn and away from areas that have recently been treated until the application is fully dried. By waiting for the application to dry before use, the lawn care treatment will not transfer onto your pet or be ingested by them.

Pets need to stay off of freshly treated lawns for different amounts of time depending on both the weather and the type of treatment used.

  • For liquid treatments, the time your pet must stay off the lawn depends largely on cloud coverage. On sunny days, your liquid treatment may be dry in as little as 20 minutes. The sun will be able to speed up the drying process much faster than on cloudy days. On days with full cloud coverage, your treatment will take longer to dry.
  • For granular treatments, pets should stay off the lawn for 24 hours. However, this is not always possible for pet owners. If you need to let your pet out in the yard before the 24-hour mark after the lawn treatment service, make sure you keep a close eye on them while they are on the lawn. Be sure your pet is not licking or eating anything on the ground while they are out so that they do not accidentally ingest the treatment.

Ask your lawn care provider for yard signs so your neighbors know to keep their pets off of your grass!

Give us a call today to sign up for any of our lawn care services.

At ETCH Outdoor Living, we take your pet's safety seriously while performing our lawn care services. We'll always walk you through the important steps to keep your furry loved ones safe. We offer our lawn care services to property owners in Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, and the surrounding areas in Iowa. Call us at (515) 654-5447 to schedule any of our lawn care services today.