Lawn Maintenance and Care

For the Green, Green Grass of Home

The verdant expanse of a well-manicured lawn is a welcome sight on a hot summer day. Lawns also protect land from erosion, cool the environment, and enrich the soil. And they can raise your property value. If maintaining a lush lawn is important to you, consider the benefits of a lawn maintenance company.

Lawns prosper when they are well cared for, but it takes time and expertise to maintain high-quality turf year-round. A lawn maintenance service can help with the burden of this time-consuming chore.

Organic Lawn Care

Many lawn maintenance companies will care for your lawn using proven, effective organic methods. An important part of organic care is a thorough analysis of your soil. Building up the quality of your soil with organic fertilizers and nutrients provides the necessary foundation for a naturally vibrant lawn. Some organic lawn maintenance companies use minimal chemical pesticides to control pest outbreaks, while others use natural pesticides exclusively.

Levels of Service

Lawn maintenance companies can provide a range of services from partial to total care. Partial service includes application of fertilizer and pesticides, leaving homeowners responsible for mowing, watering and general maintenance.

Total lawn care service is often a good choice for business owners or property managers. This service places the responsibility of all aspects of lawn care on the lawn maintenance company, including watering, mowing, edging, aerating, fertilizing and applying pesticides. In addition, total care may include maintenance of the irrigation system.

For shrubs, trees, or flowerbeds, additional landscape maintenance plans are available.

Tips for Selecting a Good Service

The following hints may help you select a service.

• Reputation Counts. When selecting a lawn care maintenance company to care for your property, ask for references, especially for clients the service may have in your area.
• Pesticides Kill. If the company will be using pesticides, verify that they carry the appropriate licensing and insurance. Check to see that the company’s personnel are trained in the use of pesticides. Because chemical pesticides are hazardous substances, they must be applied with care. Chemical pesticides can be harmful to people, pets, wildlife, and nontarget plants. If used at all, pesticides should be sparingly applied and should not be used preventively year-round. Continued use can kill predators that help to keep disease and insects in check.
• Contracts. Some companies sign year-long contracts; others have a maintenance agreement that allows you to stop it at any time. Be sure to choose the contract that you want. Ask for one month of service before you sign a contract. That way you can make sure that they are going to meet your expectations.