lawn care service VS do it yourself lawn care.....
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Worth every dollar especially in the summer months when it’s 90 plus....
Do it yourself with a push mower. Don't bag, but mulch the grass clippings. It releases the minerals back into the soil, builds up topsoil, and retains water. Weed and feed with Scott's in the fall and spring, and your lawn will look great. Don't fertilize in the hot summer months or you'll burn out your lawn unless you water like a maniac.
Depends
I hire the guy putting down chemicals seed etc. I screwed it up one time, besides what I paid for the stuff I could get the guy to do it
I cut my own. Gives me something to do. As mentioned I have a mulcher so no bagging etc. takes at most an hour
I hire the guy putting down chemicals seed etc. I screwed it up one time, besides what I paid for the stuff I could get the guy to do it
I cut my own. Gives me something to do. As mentioned I have a mulcher so no bagging etc. takes at most an hour
It depends on your situation, desire to do it and understanding of the process. Most homeowners don't know enough about turf to do a good job yet due to the size of their yards, postage stamp examples, it doesn't matter very much. Larger lot sizes and frontage that can increase the property value calls for health turf and ornamental plantings to enhance your home. You should want to have the nicest turf and ornamental plants you can afford but the desire to have those benefits varies.
A strong second consideration is the professionalism of your lawn service, their expertise and equipment available to do the job. There are always some pickup truck lawn experts who get into the business to make a few bucks. That's fine yet the home owner is taking a big chance on them unless they have a background in the business.
Mowing services are different imo. You can run a pick up truck, low scale operation and do a professional job if you are detail oriented, diligent and provide a good value to the clients. Confused yet? Every situation is different, varied goals, desires and acceptable conditions. If you want the bar set high, seeking a great lawn, better hire a professional. A very small lawn, low expectations? Do it yourself may be fine.
I advised our son, lives in NJ, on his mess of a lawn when he bought his home in May 2020. He worked hard all summer and has it looking nice. He made a dormant fertilizer application around Thanksgiving and I expect he will be very pleased come April when his turf is green and ready for the season ahead of his neighbors. It can be done "in house" if a good plan is in place and followed in a timely manner.
A strong second consideration is the professionalism of your lawn service, their expertise and equipment available to do the job. There are always some pickup truck lawn experts who get into the business to make a few bucks. That's fine yet the home owner is taking a big chance on them unless they have a background in the business.
Mowing services are different imo. You can run a pick up truck, low scale operation and do a professional job if you are detail oriented, diligent and provide a good value to the clients. Confused yet? Every situation is different, varied goals, desires and acceptable conditions. If you want the bar set high, seeking a great lawn, better hire a professional. A very small lawn, low expectations? Do it yourself may be fine.
I advised our son, lives in NJ, on his mess of a lawn when he bought his home in May 2020. He worked hard all summer and has it looking nice. He made a dormant fertilizer application around Thanksgiving and I expect he will be very pleased come April when his turf is green and ready for the season ahead of his neighbors. It can be done "in house" if a good plan is in place and followed in a timely manner.
You're making a lot of assumptions with this post. I guess you don't mow much acreage and are on a level lot? I mow my own with a riding mower and it takes an hour+. It's on a grade and would take 4 hours and kill a healthy man on a hot summer day with a push mower. The mulch comes when my neighbor's cows break loose and shit next to my fruit trees that are a pain in the ass to mow around. 🙂
The push mower is a running board joke from when posters used to argue about types of mowers.
It really comes down to the value of your time and if you enjoy maintaining/cutting your lawn vs. the cost to pay someone. I have 1.5 acres, so to mow/trim it’s a 2 hour job. With treating, to use the spreader probably an hour each treatment.
Personally, I don’t get great enjoyment from these activities, so when I had a lawn service quote me $35 a mow, it was a no brainer to save the 2 hours a week. Same thing for lawn treatments, the service does a better job than I would and saves me the time, so the $$ is worth it for me.
Personally, I don’t get great enjoyment from these activities, so when I had a lawn service quote me $35 a mow, it was a no brainer to save the 2 hours a week. Same thing for lawn treatments, the service does a better job than I would and saves me the time, so the $$ is worth it for me.
I only have .9 acres, but I can mow it in less than an hour. The way I have my edging set up, I trim once a month max. Never need to rake grass clippings. I treat with a pre-emergent in the spring, weed and feed in early summer along with grub control at some point. That's it other than spot spaying weeds when I feel like it.
I have almost zero weeds, no annual grass problems. It's really pretty easy and I find it relaxing to ride around on a mower for 45 minutes listening to some music.
I pay a company to fertilize and treat my lawn most of the year. I mow it and trim myself. My wife and I fight over who gets to mow each week because we both want the exercise. Now that I have a dog and walk it twice a day plus ride my bike, I’ll let her mow all summer.
I used to pay a person to cut my lawn so that I could go work out at the gym. then I realized that I was paying someone to work out for me. So I went back to cutting my lawn and never looked back. Today, I cut three lawns and just bought a EGO Electric Mower after my honda turned 20+ years old. Its a great workout and takes me a half hour to cut each lawn.
I pay a company to fertilize and treat my lawn most of the year. I mow it and trim myself. My wife and I fight over who gets to mow each week because we both want the exercise. Now that I have a dog and walk it twice a day plus ride my bike, I’ll let her mow all summer.
This. Pay a company to treat and mow myself. Wife wants nothing to do with cutting grass. Never ever bag.
Cut your lawn yourself.
I have over and acre and it takes me about 75 minutes. It’s good to get outside. Some of you act like you’re curing cancer in that hour every Saturday morning. I worked for Trugreen in the summers in college so I treat myself as well, but never but supplies from a big box store. I have a local commercial supplier that sells fertilizer and the like to individuals at commercial rates so it works for me. Agree that hiring someone to treat is usually cheaper vs. buying at a big box store.
I have over and acre and it takes me about 75 minutes. It’s good to get outside. Some of you act like you’re curing cancer in that hour every Saturday morning. I worked for Trugreen in the summers in college so I treat myself as well, but never but supplies from a big box store. I have a local commercial supplier that sells fertilizer and the like to individuals at commercial rates so it works for me. Agree that hiring someone to treat is usually cheaper vs. buying at a big box store.
100% pay someone for me. I like having a nice lawn but have zero interest in cutting, trimming, weeding, fertilizing etc. Especially in the Georgia heat. My time and convenience is more valuable than my money at this point in my life.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Lot of unknowns here... Do you like landscaping (mowing, edging, pruning, mulching, etc)? How much land are you talking about? Where do you live Florida vs Maine is a big difference for paying for landscaping and how many months? I live in FL and worth every penny since growing season is year round down here so having guys prune, mow, edge, mulch is worth it in my eyes. I still do some things as well to keep myself busy but the main things and weekly mowings, etc I pay to have a landscaping company do plus they haul away all the clippings afterwards...
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I used to have someone cut my lawn but he got more and more expensive and I got fatter and fatter sitting on the couch watching him cut my lawn and now cut it myself - so a little slimmer now with more beer money to spend having a cold one after cutting the lawn - might not help the slimmer part as much though.
Used to do it myself, found a guy who will cut and trim for $35 (shop around some as you can always find a hungry, new landscaper that wants the work). Worth it when you take into account the little bit of gas and the depreciation on a lawn mower, weed whacker, etc...Also really frees up some time in not having to worry about it every week. I do my own fertilizing as that cost a little too much when you hire it out and only needs to be done about 3 or 4 times so not too bad.
Like shoveling snow I consider mowing the lawn exercise so I do it myself. Sometimes I'm not very motivated but I enjoy it more than running on a treadmill or lifting weights.
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Same here. I paid for about 2 years but I’m back to doing it all again. I also downsized my yard so it’s only about 1 hour to mow, edge, and blow off my clippings. I actually enjoy it any son is about 2 years from taking over the mowing part.
A neighbor of mine had Lawn Doctor last year. This guy is a fanatic when t comes to the appearance of his home and yard.
By the end of the summer, he had the worst yard in the neighborhood. He told me he was “ a victim of the lawn care industry “.
We had a horrible drought from July to the end of October. We had a brief respite in late August, which is when I believe his service loaded up his lawn with various chemicals. Then it stopped raining again.
The problem most of the lawns have in our neighborhood is that there is very little topsoil on most of them. This makes droughts a lot worse. Sprays and bagged products don’t fix this problem.
By the end of the summer, he had the worst yard in the neighborhood. He told me he was “ a victim of the lawn care industry “.
We had a horrible drought from July to the end of October. We had a brief respite in late August, which is when I believe his service loaded up his lawn with various chemicals. Then it stopped raining again.
The problem most of the lawns have in our neighborhood is that there is very little topsoil on most of them. This makes droughts a lot worse. Sprays and bagged products don’t fix this problem.
I fertilize. 3 boys (16,14,13) alternate mowing/trimming. I usually do the first mow and when back to school/sports in the fall.
yeah, that is an issue with the fertilizer guys. had a great independent guy who was reasonable (his cost to me was only $5 more than what it cost me to buy the fertilizer from Home Depot, so a great deal) and my lawn looked great. after his bulk fertilizer he would spend 5 minutes walking the lawn and spot spraying for weeds. He sold out to one of the chains, price went up $15 per fertilizer session, no walking the lawn for weeds, and my lawn looked like garbage by end of year as I do believe they use inferior product.
I have a Black Lab pup(12mths now) who has torn up my yard, looks like cows back there, not sure how to repair, any suggestions? reseed, roll, hire someone etc..???
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Even if you repair it won't the dog just tear it up again or have you trained the dog to not tear up the lawn? Seems like it might be wasting money.
DIY
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This thread is actually perfect timing for me.
Builder just broke ground on a new home for my family outside of Pittsburgh, looking at closing by the end of June. One thing that has me a bit concerned is the application and growth of the lawn, being one of the major reasons of finding a big lot/yard. The builder provides seed towards the end of the building process + a turf service for the first full year of living in the house. I've been told to keep up with watering, and reseed again the first fall - but outside of that, I'm really starting from scratch. Any tips from the more experienced friends on the board?
Builder just broke ground on a new home for my family outside of Pittsburgh, looking at closing by the end of June. One thing that has me a bit concerned is the application and growth of the lawn, being one of the major reasons of finding a big lot/yard. The builder provides seed towards the end of the building process + a turf service for the first full year of living in the house. I've been told to keep up with watering, and reseed again the first fall - but outside of that, I'm really starting from scratch. Any tips from the more experienced friends on the board?
yeah...I've done this a dozen times. Seed, don't use sod. Sod is grown to look good early so people will buy it. But by the end of the first summer, it looks like crap. Seed and heavily water. When you've watered enough, water it again. It needs to look almost like a Vietnamese rice paddy: No standing water but saturate the ground. Get a sprinkler system put in as it is the best time to do it. Fertilize it at least four times a year better yet, get a service that does a better job of killing weeds and grubs.
The key is water, water and water. The worst time of year to plant is middle summer. The best time to plant is right before the last frost (April) and just after the first frost (October). Actually, the best time is Oct because plants grow roots when the ground is warmer than the air. When the air is warmer, like spring, it grows up but doesn't use that energy to build roots. Then, when it gets hot, it won't have the root system to sustain. So if you plant in June or July, you are two strikes behind. You've got to water every single day until Oct. If you are in an area that does drought rules, like you can't water more than three times a week or every other day, etc. you need to go ask the community for consideration on your new lawn. After the lawn is a year old, its not a problem and every other day watering is recommended. The new systems can be controlled by an app and/or by sensors that just go on when the ground it too dry. These are ideal.
It sounds like you have a better situation then most with the builder assisting the first year. Once the turf is established (germinated, filled in and growing nicely) water deeply and infrequently (no more than 2 to 3 times a week). Take a screw driver and poke into the soil, if enters relatively easily you probably do not need to water but if it requires more pressure to insert than after a nice rain, you may need to irrigate. Don't water less than 0.3 to 0.4"'s of water at one time. An inch a week, incl. rainfall is adequate depending on the turf species, see below.
Don't over fertilize, yet provide enough nitrogen to keep it growing evenly. Consider a balanced fertilizer (15-15-15 or similar ratio) applied around Thanksgiving to early December at the rate of 0.75 to 1# or Nitrogen / 1000 tf2 as this will feed the roots after your turf goes dormant for the season and provide enough nitrogen to bring it out of winter in a healthy state, growing nicely. Otherwise, find a local supplier and ask for a controlled release nitorgen product that will provide a release curve of two to three months. That would allow a mid ot late May and a Sep. application schedule. Depending on the size of your lot you may default to a professional service but choose them wisely.
How you do it is up to your taste, desire and enjoyment of mowing or fertilizing. A weed & feed product is a good choice in the early season if weeds are an issue, say mid May time frame.
Some developers remove the topsoil from your site, sell it to another site then remove their topsoil and sell it back to you OR worse, remove your topsoil and leave you with a hard packed subsoil. IF your new lawn is spotty, has few weeds and is difficult to press a screw driver into, it is likely subsoil or poor soil. A soil test is a good way to determine the fertility of the soil and can provide recommendations for management (some do) .
I'd consider asking the developer for a seed bag tag so you know what was seeded into your lawn. In the Pittsburgh area the seasonal changes provide challenges to maintenance. If you can negotiate with the developer to provide the turf seed vs. having a "contractor's mix" type seeding it would be preferred. Consider using turf type Tall Fescue (never KY-31, NEVER!!!!) and some Kentucky Bluegrass seed. Do not allow more than 5% of Perennial Ryegrass in the mix or your lawn will be dominated by that species. I specified a mix for my wife's friend/coworker and he loves the finished product, best lawn in the neighborhood using the Fescue/Bluegrass mix in the Orville Ohio area so it will work in Pittsburgh. I managed golf courses in that area and know a good Fescue/Bluegrass lawn can be accomplished. A small amount of Creeping Red Fescue for any shaded areas is advisable. If the lawn is completely sunny, no trees, the Tall Fescue/Bluegrass mix is fine.
Do some research on it if you are a do it yourselfer type or look for a professional lawn care firm that is local in scope, not a national chain, and ask to see some sites they manage to see the performance of their work this summer and fall.
Best wishes for a successful lawn installation, new home and enjoyable property for a long time.
Cutting my now for the next 6 years then hiring someone once I retire and hopefully will be traveling a lot all year long. Hopefully they will offer a plowing service also for the snow.
The problem with sprinklers during a summer like 2020 is that it got so bad our local water authority did not allow lawn watering. If you have a well or a really big rainwater system, I suppose you are OK.
Lawns can usually recover from drought in our area. Having decent soil quality and depth is probably the best way to help that happen.
Indeed Pete is great, buy all my products from him and Allyn Hane(thelawncarenut.com). Great youtube channels as wellDIY
Follow this guy and his suggestions.
GCI Turf Academy
GCI Turf Academy is bringing you a “how to” solution for “How To Grow Turf”. Not just training! All the products and equipment that GCI uses every day. Pete is offering you his knowledge of 18 years of test and true treatments for a picture-perfect lawn.
Mostly
It does take about 2/3 years for a lawn to come in fully, so expect that. Otherwise weed and feed, with some over seeding as needed will keep it looking quite nice. You can test the soil and put down lime and aerate if you want to get fancy, but most people do very little to their lawns and they are fine.
Mostly don’t stress about. It’s grass, it will grow and generally look decent.
It does take about 2/3 years for a lawn to come in fully, so expect that. Otherwise weed and feed, with some over seeding as needed will keep it looking quite nice. You can test the soil and put down lime and aerate if you want to get fancy, but most people do very little to their lawns and they are fine.
One other thing...a key to a good lawn is keeping it consistently cut. I like my grass to be about three inches long which is one of the higher settings on my mower. If you let it get too high and then cut it, you burn it and it browns up until the next spring. My lawn needs cutting twice a week until June, depending upon the growing season. After that, I cut it once a week. And, as some others have said, I always mulch. The mulched grass re-fertilizes the lawn and provides a "cover" that keeps moisture in.
We do everything ourselves except mulch. We have a lot of flower beds and trees so we have a company that comes every year and cleans out the beds, edge and mulch.
Lifelong self cutter who is pricing services now. My Cub Cadet tractor is 20 years old and repairs have been aplenty last few years. On 2.5 acres the basic math is ~$300-500 for annual service (assuming no major issues) and ~$750-1,000 for gas plus my time.
A lawn service has all 4 properties that adjoin my lot. $73 per cut (going rate is $90 but discounting us for proximity) plus they weedwack walkways and all blow clippings. April-Oct weekly cut would be $2,044. I can cancel at my discretion during droughts with 1 day notice- so there will be some savings.
Math is $2044- ~1,250= $794 for my time which would be $28 per hour (2 hours per week). I love cutting my grass- listen to tunes, drink beer, has been my escape since high school. The numbers just don't favor continuing. Using Biden Stimulus for a 1 year trial. We'll see.
A lawn service has all 4 properties that adjoin my lot. $73 per cut (going rate is $90 but discounting us for proximity) plus they weedwack walkways and all blow clippings. April-Oct weekly cut would be $2,044. I can cancel at my discretion during droughts with 1 day notice- so there will be some savings.
Math is $2044- ~1,250= $794 for my time which would be $28 per hour (2 hours per week). I love cutting my grass- listen to tunes, drink beer, has been my escape since high school. The numbers just don't favor continuing. Using Biden Stimulus for a 1 year trial. We'll see.
I disagree with your comment about fertilizing at least four times/yr, especially if you have a cool season grass like bluegrass or tall fescue. Here in the metro Cincinnati area, which is in the transition zone like Pittsburgh, we put down something like an 8-0-0 with .15% Dimension in the spring. Dimension is good to use as it will kill crab grass up to the first or second tiller. We will come back and apply another application of Dimension only in June if the we are concerned about crab grass in late Aug/early Sept. We never fertilize in the summer unless you are talking about a warm season grass like Zoysia.
For cool season grass, the next fertilizer application should be made in September. We apply 30-3-4, and then again in November closer to Thanksgiving with a 35 -0-3 here in the metro area. We are not concerned about snow mold as we only average 18 inches of snow/year. Some competitors actually apply straight urea 46-0-0 in November.
