weeds

Started by LisaC13 • 6 replies • 1859 views

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LisaC13 (Georgia)
Posts: 1

Posted:

We pay monthly dues for complete landscaping,shrubbery and tree trimming. Unfortunately the board decided to bid out our landscaping. Bid $20,000 less than previous landscapers. Great! Well you get what you pay for. I am retired and considered( so they tell me) a green thumb. We have a creeping style(st. Augustine) weeds(barnyard grass) is really taking hold. Our 10 year old lawns and gardens are looking rough. Grass can't repair with the weeds choking them out. Of 240 townhomes I enjoy a little light weeding,(never gonna happen w/landscapers.)i have gone into 4 of the 5 common areas and removed by had these tenacious weed mats. Already spreaders are starting to fill this.I pick up clumps and discard at landfill. The problem..every owner I meet while out is thrilled with my work...keep operating expenses down.One neighbor last week came out onto his porch on other side of street from me,begins yelling at me to stop what I'm doing,knock it off. I am going to report you to the board for defacing the lawn. I asked him if I could come talk or come here. He just kept yelling,very nasty and threatening.said we have a service for that..just stop. Some say keep on,great work the defacing of the lawn is happening cause of the weeds.Any thoughts on how to proceed? Note: No area larger than pallet, ground ready for desirable grass. Grass requires 3 things to look best. Preemergent,close mowing,and finally the really tough weeds,hand pulling.
Thanks how tall for any input.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

Since it is common area, it's best that you go to the board with your concerns, telling them that you've pulled some of the weeds. You meant no harm, but are concerned that the community gets its money's worth. You may even want to take a few photos of your handiwork - that should nip the neighbor's complaint in the bud (some people are just dweebs or perhaps he has some other issue with you or someone/something else.) In any case, ignore him.

Personally, I would appreciate your efforts. I live in a townhouse community too and it seems to me if everyone would do a little bit (like use the dumpsters properly!) the community would look much nicer and there wouldn't be a lot of unnecessary expense.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

We paid a separate weed company to come in a few times a year to treat our lawns in addition to lawncare. Our HOAs real responsibilty is to just provide lawncare. Some people complained about the chemicals. They also trackec it into their house when it was still wet. A few had pets and did not like us spraying. They could opt out if they wanted but we have shared areas the size of postage stamps. So weed control continued but with many complaints. Eliminating it was an option or finding a new contractor. You may want to find some contractors and get some prices for the board to consider.

Remember a HOA is ONLY funded by its members for its members... It is a non profit too. Saving money in a HOA does not mean the same as your personal budget. It means reducing its costs so it can afford its bills. A proper HOA collects as much as it spends. If your HOA reduced the money for this contract, it could mean it could not afford the old contract.,. Sounds like bigger issues going on....

Former HOA President

JerryD5 (Colorado)
Posts: 218

Posted:

We are going through a similar issue. We have had the same landscaper for the last 5 years. However, because of their negliance weeds have inudated the mulch beds and some of the common grass areas. We pay them a separate amount for weeding but they do a poor job at it. Grass and weeds have invaded the mulch beds so much that it is intermingled with the ground cover. The only way to treat it is pull up all the plant material and replant with new plants.

Last summer, we got invaded by some kind of small stickers. I went around and spent an hour or two pulling them out. Our alternative would to pay our landscaping company for an extra broadleaf application. Now the crabgrass is invading some of the common grassy areas that requires a separate grass killer application. Because of their poor performance, we are terminating their contract and looking for another company. It looks like we found one that promises to be much more proactive in maintaining our common areas (plus at a lower cost). We have checked their refs out and they seem to live up to expectations.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

We recently negotiated a new landscaping contrac. The landscaping company we went with said it would be best for us to hire a weed/feed type company separately. He said they would know best how to handle it. We broke that out of the landscaping contract and did such. It was very little additional cost. The two companies do coordinate visits. We are only two applications in out of 5 for the year, but we are seeing improvements already.

AnnH5 (Florida)
Posts: 304

Posted:

I admire your desire to try to improve your community. However, your crabby neighbor has a point. The HOA should be managing the aspect of maintaining the lawn- whether it is by landscapers or a company that specializes in herbicide application (in my state, the laws have become very specific about commercial herbicide application and licensure- seems to be related to water quality issues). If your Association is paying for those services and it isn't working out then they need to find a new vendor.

In any case, if you are doing work that was unauthorized by the Board, that isn't a good thing to do (even though you mean well).

If it is a cost savings issue for you, remember that what you may be saving per owner by doing the work yourself ends up amounting to pennies on the dollar when you disburse the cost of hiring a professional maintenance company. I have seen this before- the phenomenon of "But I am saving the Association $1000 annually" but you divide the cost and it ends up being 20 CENTS per owner. In my honest opinion, that is not worth it.

My advice is to prepare a presentation for the Board about the problem, offer your suggestions, and let them decide what they want to do. I have to chuckle though, in Florida- "crabgrass" is a coveted lawn that is prone to cinch bugs and fungus. Those with St Augustine lawns pray for runners to fill in any bare spots.

BobD4 (up north)
Posts: 1,002

Posted:

LisaC13 (Georgia) :

Your good intentions are commendable about weeding the shared common areas. Good for you.

But if even one other owner has beefed, respectfully maybe better to back off.

Instead IF your HOA has - or is receptive to - a common lands landscape standards committee, Mr Big Mouth will be faced with due process rather than good intentions.

There is also an issue of exposing yourself accidentally to herbicides / pesticides.

In my former vires-empowered HOA, I & 2 others used to gratuitously cut dangerous growth on municipal roadside at our community's challenged entrance intersection on a rural but paved road. This entrance area sightline-control had not been done for years by the municipality. Adjacent curves & grade changes made the growth a genuine but controllable safety risk.

None of us was ever injured, nor did we impair road usage.

But in all that time the only thanks EVER were between the 3 of us !

One early evening after a 12 hour day of managing several leasing communities, I was out cutting with my John Deere & commercial weeder at 7:45 pm.

A likely boozy neighbour gave me a load of complaints about noise.

I had been doing gratuitous/ pro bono safety cutting number 32 ( over the 4 years ). I made that my FINAL time . . . No community thanks before nor afterwards either.

This wasn't an urban inner core area either . . Anyway, good for you.

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