Starting your search for lawn care near you often starts with looking at cost and the quality of service in addition to searching “lawn care near me.” Basic lawn care cost usually includes a base lawn mowing service. Most customers go for this minimum service in order to keep their lawn and their home’s exterior appearance clean. On average lawn mowing service runs anywhere from $25 to $150. Just remember when it comes to figuring out a fair price for lawn care, there’s several factors that determine prices; one is who you decide to work with. If you plan to hire the neighborhood’s budding entrepreneurial high school student, expect lower prices than hiring the fully insured specialist. Of course there are other items offered within lawn care then just cutting the grass, we’ll go into further detail on offerings and prices.
Common lawn care services and cost
In addition to making sure your grass is trim and not growing wild there’s several options and services you may be interested in to make your lawn stand out from the pack. Just like we need more than a haircut to stay healthy, your lawn requires quite a few things to stay green. Your lawn unfortunately has to endure dry seasons, extreme cold, and even pests. Outside of having your lawn cut you may be interested in additional services to get that picturesque lawn. On average expect to pay around $50-$250 on lawn maintenance. These additional services can include weeding, trimming, leaf removal, watering, dethatching and fertilizing. Unfortunately with so many services available it’s hard to nail down a price, obviously take into account frequency of how often you’ll want service and that some lawn specialists sometimes offer deals and savings to those who enter into contracts.
Lawn Mowing and trimming
As mentioned above expect to pay anywhere from $25-$150 weekly for this service. Lawn mowing and trimming is going to be the most basic service offered. Price on lawn mowing is going to have several factors that determine the price. Some of these factors include the type of grass, the height, terrain of the land, and of course the size of the land. Also don’t forget to factor in other things that might make mowing the lawn more difficult, take into account things that need to be avoided when mowing, trees, landscaping features (fountains, brickwork) and yes kids play with items, balls, swing sets, etc. There are several factors that can raise the cost of your lawn mowing service.
Lawn Edging
Lawn edging is a great way to tidy up your lawn and create a clean line break between your lawn and common features like a driveway, walkway, and other hardscape features. Prices vary on lawn edging as most people are just looking to have areas on their existing landscape cleaned up, in that case it’s commonly included with basic lawn mowing. Installing edging on a lawn with brick and other materials to create a divider between your grass can range from $600-$1,700 depending on the desired look. Commonly, edging is often favored for eye-catching landscapes that show off flowers and other hardscape features.
Watering lawn cost
First you might be asking why would I pay someone to water my lawn isn’t that pretty straight forward? With a newly laid lawn you’ll want to make sure the sod is cared for properly and the roots take into the soil. In this case paying to have your lawn professionally watered is worth the help in this case. Expect to pay anywhere from $40-$300 depending on the size of your lawn and need, considering the state of your lawn, green or thirsty looking makes a difference.
Fertilizing a lawn
Fertilizing a lawn can cost anywhere from $70-$400. Fertilizing a lawn is effective in keeping a full green and healthy lawn. In the northeast and in New Jersey the best time to fertilize your lawn is when the temperature is mild, averaging in the mid 50’s. Mid April in the Spring is a great time to fertilize your lawn as grass starts to grow again. Depending on how often you water your lawn will determine how often you should fertilize your lawn, this is where a specialist can guide you for your needs. But a rule of thumb is to fertilize your lawn in the spring and then in the fall to prepare for the winter, your grass will stay green and stay in hibernation.
Aerating your lawn
Aeration can be done in the spring alongside fertilization to increase its effectiveness. Aeration is a process where a specialist will poke holes onto the soil with a tool, this allows better growth by allowing air, water and other nutrients to reach the soil more easily. On average for aeration expect to pay in the range of $60-$200.
Seeding
Another common service you’ll pay for is seeding, prices vary on this service as well depending your needs. Seeding a new lawn will cost less than repairing specific spots. Repairing and seeding a lawn can cost on average – the process can involve more labor as the old sod will need to be removed and the soil itself needs to be attended to, this can include balancing soil pH levels. On average seeding will run anywhere from $80-$190 per 1000 square foot. Fall tends to be a great time to seed, spring showers can be overwhelming and actually wash the seeds away, and summer can be too hot making it difficult to keep the ground wet enough for the seeds to take root.
Weeding lawn costs
On average expect to pay anywhere between $30 and $200 to weed your lawn. There are obviously several different approaches to weeding your lawn. Common weed control involves herbicides. Sometimes a one time treatment will be enough to correct this issue. Herbicides tend to be best for a larger lawn that might be out of control with weeds. Smaller lawns benefit from hand removal of the weed and its root. Remember the other steps above can keep weeds from sprouting on your lawn to begin with.
Pest Control
In New Jersey common lawn pests are white grubs which are beetle larvae, and chinch bugs. These types of pests chew on the roots of the lawn, suck up sap, and destroy the grass stems. The common signs that your lawn has an infestation are patchy brown spots. Damaged lawns invite additional spread and damage to the lawn. Not every specialist is trained to deal with pest control so be sure to ask if your problem can be addressed as an all in one package. Average cost for lawn pest control can range from $125-$300.
Additional Factors to consider when pricing lawn care cost
Earlier we mentioned some common factors for pricing lawn care, like the size of your lawn and features that make it more difficult to cut the grass, below we’ve highlighted additional cost factors.
Time and Labor
Having a beautiful, well taken care of lawn offer requires a team of hard working, well trained professionals. Most companies factor in an hourly cost in addition to the price, a company should be able to visit your property and give you a complete estimate on the time and number of crew members needed to complete a job.
Grass length and lawn features
We mentioned items like swing sets, fences and other obstacles, they can add extra time and care to complete the job properly, this includes additional cleanup time. Tall grass will obviously make the process longer to complete and add a higher price to your bill.
Travel surcharges
One of the many reasons you’ll want to find a local lawn care company is to avoid travel surcharges, commonly seen is a fuel surcharge. Some service providers have several clients in your area, so an additional client will likely not incur a charge. Having a team travel far to your location if you are further away and somewhat more remote can incur a fee. Searching “lawn service near me” when looking for a service will likely help you avoid travel surcharges.
Equipment charges and overhead
Cost of equipment and upkeep will likely be included in your price but as we mentioned earlier a smaller contractor may cost less than a lawn care service company with a fleet of trucks, uniforms and liability insurance.
Save on lawn care packages
Yes, you can save money on lawn care besides DIY, most companies that rely on repeat customers will offer incentives for your loyalty. A repeat customer guarantees income, if you like the service provided don’t be afraid to ask about deals and packages including scheduled maintenance in exchange for better prices.