8 Things to Know Before Hiring a Lawncare Company

Hiring a lawn care company can be easy.  Hiring the right one...not always so easy. 

Who do you trust? Reviews offer simple, relevant guidance and show the truth of what a company is all about. Search Engines and Social Media such as Google, Facebook and Yelp reviews are controlled by the customer and once posted, share the customers experience to the world.  Asking neighbors and friends what lawn services they use and what they think of them, is a great way to find a company that might be right for you.

Experience:

The longer a company is in business, the more knowledgeable they become and the more they develop strategies to effectively deal with your problems. Make sure the lawn service is licensed according to state laws.  A lawn care company in Connecticut must have a Supervisory License to treat lawns.

1. Franchise or National Company: The benefit of a franchise is that there are plenty of reviews to evaluate from. A few things that are concerning about franchises are that they don’t usually have community ties and you might be "just another" yard to them as they rapidly grow their company.  You may not work with the same people each time and their program may not be tailored to how you need it due to corporate guidelines.
2. b. Locally Owned and Operated:  Local lawn care companies have a tie to the community and know the area well, including which grass types are appropriate and which problems to look out for. Local companies can’t rely on online sales to stay in business.  For that reason, they are often deeply invested in the community.  The well-being of the local economy directly influences the health of the business.  Local owners rely on repeat customers, referrals and their local reputation to stay in business.  When reputation matters, a missed appointment, hostile confrontation, or a commitment not kept, can cause a customer to negatively affect the business.  The down side of a local company may be they have a limited scope of services and have less brand recognition.

Do They Offer What You Need? 

Before considering a lawn care professional, consider your goals.  Do you want to have someone strictly take care of your lawn or have a company that provides multiple and flexible services such as Tree & Shrub Care, Landscape Bed Weed Control, Mosquito Management, Tick Control and Core Aeration?  When all services are supplied by 1 company vs multiple, you will yield better results. 

Beware of “The Guaranteed” Problem-Free lawn:

This is common sense.  Nothing is perfect or problem-free.  There are many factors that go into a healthy lawn, including the weather.  If there’s a lot of rain in spring or if there’s a drought in the summer, your lawns performance will be challenged.  No lawn care company can claim to predict the perfect lawn care season to anyone.

What’s Excluded vs. Included? 

What are the add on charges?  A Fertilization program from one company could be completely different from another.  You should really look into what you are getting and what is a-la-carte.  When looking into a program, what you want to look for is:

1. Crabgrass Pre-Emergents:  How many are you getting?  One application is good but sometimes you may have a bad outbreak due to the pre-emergent control fading while crabgrass is still coming up and two applications has much better coverage for longer control. 
2. Insect control:   This is important to prevent insects such as Sod-Webworm, Chinch Bug and Bluegrass Billbug from damaging or even killing your lawn. Some companies include insect control and part of their program, some ala-carte it, and others will leave you in the dark trying to control the damage once it’s already too late. 
3. Weed control:  Check to see if this is an ongoing service. Check to see if control for the "difficult" weeds is included.  In our area, we have a bed Nutsedge problem and control methods are sometimes an additional treatment and charge. 
4. Nutrient Enhanced: There are also lawn programs that are nutrient enhanced with Soil Conditioners, Micro-Nutrients, Bio-Stimulants, Bio-Root Enhancers, Humeric Acid, Iron, Etc. These added enhancements improve the root structure and deepen the color of your lawn.

Are They Problem Solvers?

Did they visit your property for an estimate to know what they are dealing with?  There are a lot of lawn care companies you can call, get a price over the phone and they can come out to do the first service as discussed within a few days.  In my 13 years in the lawn care industry, I have noticed that not every lawn is the same and you definitely can’t see the grass or problems by looking at it from a satellite.  A company that comes out to your lawn to analyze your lawn, diagnose problems and physically look at your lawn before starting a program will set you on the path to success for a healthy lawn and nip problems in the bud.

Price:

The price of lawn care can fluctuate significantly from one company to another but ultimately you want to compare apples to apples.  What is the value that you are looking for?  Getting a cheap price may result in unsatisfactory results, constant upselling and not the warm fuzzies you are looking for. 

Bottom Line:

Not all lawn care companies are created equal.  Do your homework and find a company that fits your needs,  not theirs.  Here at Green Meadow we realize we may or may not be a good fit for you but will do every thing we can to help you find what you are looking for. 

If this article was useful to you, read some others similar to it:

• 6 Steps To Build A Complete Lawn Care Program 
• How To Care For a Newly Seeded Lawn 
• How To Get Rid of Ticks vs Mosquitos in My Yard 

Since 2007, Green Meadow Lawn Care has provided homeowners throughout the greater Tolland, Connecticut area with premium fertilization programs, tick control, mosquito management, seeding & aeration and tree & shrub care. 

Visit our Learning Center to find out more about how our services can help you or visit our Youtube Channel to view more in our Learning Center Series.

To speak to our Customer Service Manager, please call Dave (view Dave's video bio here) with any questions. Dave has been in the industry for 30 years and is always happy to help with his expert advice.  

860-870-5700