What does the completion checklist actually block?
An application can't be marked Completed until every record-keeping field federal pesticide law (FIFRA) requires is present: applicator name and license, start and end time, area treated, target pest, full weather, an EPA-registered product, the site address, and, for restricted-use products, how the customer was notified. Planned jobs still save freely; the gate only fires at completion. The point is that you find a missing field the day of the application, not three months later when a regulator asks for the record.
How does disease-risk scoring work?
RootControl turns local temperature and humidity into a low / moderate / high risk card for the turf diseases that drive callbacks. Dollar spot uses the published Smith-Kerns risk model; brown patch, pythium blight, large patch, snow mold, and red thread are scored on threshold bands. Every card shows the weather drivers behind the score, so you can see why the risk is rising, not just a color, and treat ahead of an outbreak instead of after it.
What is a growing-degree-day window, in plain terms?
Growing-degree-days (GDD) measure accumulated heat over the season, the clock that turf and weeds actually run on, instead of the calendar date. You give a treatment round a target GDD window, and RootControl tells you when you're approaching it, inside it, or past it. That's how you time a crabgrass pre-emergent before germination, re-apply a plant growth regulator on schedule, and catch seedhead-suppression windows before they close.
How does nitrogen tracking keep me compliant?
You log soil-lab results per property, and RootControl tracks pounds of nitrogen applied per 1,000 square feet against the season cap. When a watershed rule or a state agency asks you to prove you stayed inside nitrogen limits, the accounting is already built from your real application records, no spreadsheet reconstruction.
Does the heat-index advisory replace my own judgment?
No. It's an advisory built on the same heat-index math the National Weather Service publishes (the WBGT-style worker-safety calculation). On hot, humid days it surfaces a clear warning so you can reschedule or adjust before sending a crew into dangerous heat. The call is still yours; the warning just makes sure no one is making it blind.
Which states require post-application notification for pesticides or fertilizer?
Post-application notice and record-keeping rules vary state by state. Examples include California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland, plus federal Worker Protection Standard (WPS) requirements for certain commercial settings. Triggers depend on application type, customer category, and sometimes proximity to sensitive sites. RootControl generates the records and notices most state programs ask for: product name and EPA registration number, signal word, re-entry interval (REI), applicator name and license number, date/time, and weather at time of application. We don't replace your state pesticide-use reporting, but we make the disclosure side mechanical instead of living in spreadsheets.
Can RootControl track applicator licenses and certifications?
Yes. Each user with applicator status can have their certified-applicator license number, license class (e.g., 3A turf and ornamental, 3B), issuing state, and expiration date stored on their profile. The license number is auto-stamped onto every chemical or fertilizer application record and every customer notice, so the paper trail tying a specific licensed applicator to each job is built automatically. Expiration reminders fire to office admins 60 and 30 days before each license lapses, so nobody sprays under a lapsed credential. License records are also surfaced in the audit-trail export when you need to demonstrate coverage to an HOA, commercial property manager, or state inspector.
Does RootControl capture re-entry intervals (REI) for chemical applications?
Yes. When an applicator logs a chemical application, the product's re-entry interval is pulled in alongside the EPA registration number and signal word, and it's embedded in the post-application notice sent to the customer (email, SMS, and Client Hub). Crews see the REI on their phone the moment the application is logged, so they don't accidentally schedule turf work, mowing, or property walks back into a treated zone before the interval has cleared. Properties with active REIs are flagged on the Whiteboard and Dispatch board until the interval expires.
What records does RootControl keep for chemical and fertilizer applications?
Every regulated application creates a full record with product name, EPA registration number, manufacturer, active ingredient(s), signal word, re-entry interval, application rate, square footage or area treated, applicator name and certified-applicator license number, GPS-stamped completion, weather at time of application (temperature, wind speed, conditions), and the timestamped customer disclosure receipts (email, SMS, Hub). Records are searchable by property, date range, applicator, and product, and they export cleanly for state pesticide-use reporting (where required), HOA or commercial-property audits, and your own license-renewal documentation. The same audit trail is what protects you when a neighbor or regulator asks what was sprayed, when, and by whom.
Which plan is this on?
The compliance, agronomy, applicator-safety, and customer-value capabilities on this page are part of the RootControl Professional plan. Talk to us about which mix of properties and crews makes Professional the right fit for your shop.