Not everyone has the time or inclination to take care of a lawn. Fortunately, both local and national professional lawn services are available to take care of your lawn for you.
Typical Services Offered
Lawn services typically provide both an initial lawn analysis and routine lawn treatments.
- Lawn analysis: This inspection is usually free and results in a printed plan of action. The lawn service will test your soil, note problem areas, and recommend a regimen to improve your lawn. Most companies focus on fertilizing your lawn while reducing weeds and eliminating pests. Tree and shrub care is usually optional (available at extra cost), and some local providers may also offer mowing and trimming services as well.
- Routine: A basic lawn-service program includes a standard number of treatments, either monthly or bimonthly, in the spring, summer, and fall. The truck rolls up to your house, the lawn care specialist applies the treatment, and the truck leaves. You don’t have to be home, and you don’t have to pay the driver. During these trips, the treatment is spread on the lawn in dry form or in liquid form by a firehose-like nozzle. The mix contains fertilizer (mostly nitrogen, though phosphorous and potassium are sometimes included if the soil test calls for it), weed control, and insecticide for battling common surface-feeding insects. Disease control is sometimes part of the basic package but more often is an optional service tailored to any specific problems.
Cost of Professional Lawn Services
Basic costs for lawn services are usually $40–50 per visit, which in the central and northern parts of the United States means about $150–400 per year. This investment delivers a dark green, healthy-looking lawn, as long as you mow and water it and fix any damaged areas. The costs go up, of course, with each additional service you order.
Drawbacks of Professional Lawn Services
Questions about the environmental impact of commercial lawn service applications have remained persistent. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that it has no data showing that commercial lawn service pesticides cause harm to humans when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Nonetheless, the EPA produces a booklet called Green Scaping that explains ways to achieve a healthy, green lawn using fewer pesticides and less fertilizer. For more information on lawn care and garden pesticides and to purchase the EPA’s Green Scaping booklet, visit www.epa.gov.