Which Lawn Care Program is Best for Me? | Tomlinson Bomberger

Which Lawn Care Program is Best for Me?

Category: Lawn Care

shady lawnNot only do lawns come in all shapes, sizes, and features, but approaches to lawn care programs do as well. Depending upon the condition and needs of your lawn, and your expectations, you may be looking at a vast variety of recommendations. As a professional lawn care company, we know there are a lot of choices out there. It can be tough to decipher which option may be best for you. So the question becomes this: how choose a lawn care program?

What do I get with a Lawn Care Program?

When comparing lawn care programs it is extremely important to understand what exactly you are comparing. This is the first step in deciding how to choose a lawn care program. One “Six-Visit” program may be very different than another “Six-Visit” program. In fact, you could even find a better lawn program in a 5-visit than an 8-visit.

To determine the best program for you, it is necessary to look at the program elements themselves, not the number of “Visits” a provider is packaging in the program. For instance, Company A may perform their first visit as strictly a fertilizer application in the late winter (which isn’t of much value to your lawn) and Company B may be applying crabgrass control to your lawn. Likewise, Company A may only spray broadleaf weed control in their early summer visit, and Company B may be applying insect control, broadleaf weed control, and nutsedge control. A “visit” isn’t always the same. Take the programs you are comparing and list out every application side by side in columns to compare them.

What kind of materials are used with a Lawn Care program?

IMG_0107 A “weed control” isn’t always the same. Likewise, “fertilizing” your lawn isn’t always the same. There are lots of cost and result variables when comparing lawn care materials. One company may include hard-to-control weeds in their program such as violets and oxalis, and another may not. Likewise, one company may include the usage of organic-based fertilizers for the better long-term health of your lawn, and another may only use synthetic-based materials to keep the cost of the lawn care program lower.

Just because a different approach is used doesn’t make it inherently bad, it just makes it different. Make sure you are comparing lawn treatments fairly when deciding how to choose a lawn care program.

Are the lawn care applications guaranteed?

What happens if your lawn was sprayed for weeds and a freak thunderstorm downpours on it minutes later? Will your lawn care company re-treat your lawn for no additional charge? And how willing will they be to do so? Most providers will do so, but make sure you ask around to other people that have used their service. Some companies may even have technicians working in conditions that aren’t suitable and taking their chances at service calls. Others will be more cautious and not risk your dissatisfaction. Ask your prospective service providers what their weather policy is for their team members. If possible, talk to some of their customers. It won’t take long after reading some online reviews to see if a company delivers on their guarantees and promises.

How do I know the materials are being applied correctly?

landscape_ict_lgThis depends on the company’s dedication to their standards, and the compliance of the quality personnel they have treating your lawn. A good lawn care company will be focused on making their staff lawn care experts, not someone who can just push a spreader or spray a lawn. Ask the prospective company’s representative to tell you about some of their staff. See if they can name their technicians, and tell you approximately how long they have been with the company. If you can find a lawn care company that has long-term, quality technicians treating lawns they will most likely be focused on training those technicians regularly to make sure they keep delivering quality service. Ask them how they calibrate and maintain their equipment to make sure the delivery of materials onto your lawn is consistent. If you can’t get a good answer, keep looking for another provider.

Most lawn care programs will need to have a technician on your property approximately 6 times per year to give you the necessary items in a lawn care program. If less, you may be missing key treatments for issues that may damage your lawn. For instance, even our company has 2 different 6-visit lawn care programs that vary significantly. We love creating and maintaining beautiful lawns. We spend countless hours planning, training, and evaluating our programs, treatments, and people. Things constantly change in our industry and we are always looking for the best ways to give you a beautiful lawn and a trustworthy experience.