Working with a Lawn Care Contractor

There are benefits that come from working with a licensed and insured lawn care contractor. A bonded contractor gives the owner a financial recourse if the job is left incomplete or if they are not happy with the quality of the job.

General liability insurance protects the homeowner from damage to their property. Public liability provides the homeowner protection from other personal damages.

A licensed contractor is a stable contractor with a registered business. Homeowners have a guarantee that they are not a fly-by-night company, and if future problems arise, they have someone they can go to in order to get a solution. Working with a licensed, bonded and insured contractor will be more expensive, but it will provide the homeowner with peace of mind.

How Fertilizer Choices Affect Contractors Pricing

Fertilizers are divided into two categories. Organic fertilizers are made of plants, manure, seaweed, worm castings, blood meal and other organic compounds. Synthetic fertilizers are man-made compounds and are based on byproducts from the petroleum industry.

Organic and synthetic fertilizers supply plants with the 13 nutrients they need to flourish. These nutrients are potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, copper, boron, zinc, chloride, iron, manganese and molybdenum. Plants cannot distinguish between organic and synthetic fertilizers.

Synthetic fertilizers provide the soil with nutrients but nothing more. They can be formulated to provide higher levels of certain nutrients in order to promote the growth of a particular type of plant, but also may harm microorganisms in the soil that can promote plant growth. Being man-made, synthetic fertilizers are less expensive than organic ones and when used can greatly reduce the price homeowners pay for lawn care.

Organic fertilizers are more expensive than synthetic fertilizers, and they have fewer nutrients per pound. Contractors need to use multiple pounds of organic fertilizer to provide the same amount of nutrients that one pound of synthetic fertilizer provides. Homeowners who request the use of organic fertilizers should expect to pay contractors 15 to 25 percent more for lawn fertilization.

Other Pricing Factors

Location: Professional lawn fertilization will vary in price from one city to another. Homeowners living in Beverly Hills, New York City and Las Vegas should expect to pay considerably more than individuals living in other parts of the country.

Treatable Area: The size of a homeowner?s lawn is the primary way that a professional lawn service will determine their pricing. Many lawn professionals use satellite imagery to measure their customer's lawn. Using these precise measurements, they set the price for the fertilization. It is recommended that homeowners know the size of the treatable area prior to negotiating with lawn care professionals. Google Earth has a program that homeowners can use to measure their lawn.

Number of Applications: It is recommended that in areas with changing climates, customers fertilize their lawn every 35 to 45 days. This is up to eight to 10 applications annually. Many contractors will adjust their price based on the amount of applications needed.

Additional Treatments: Additions to the lawn fertilizer such as grub, aerations and lime increase the expense of lawn fertilization. Many of these applications are essential for maintaining the health of the lawn. If these tasks are not performed, any good done by fertilization can be undone.

The Pros

Timesaver: The biggest benefit a homeowner gets from hiring a contractor is that it saves time. Homeowners can enjoy their lawn and allow someone else to worry about its health.

Less Expensive than Most Think: Often, homeowners feel that lawn care services are too expensive. They feel that they can do the work cheaper on their own. However, when the price of purchasing the tools and materials is factored in, this is rarely the case.

Professional Results: Professionals bring a level of quality to lawn care that homeowners cannot. Their experience allows them to get results that cannot be attained through a do-it-yourself project.

Safety: Fertilizers can be dangerous. If not handled properly, serious illness and property damage can occur. Professionals have been trained on how to apply fertilizer in a safe way and in harmony with local and federal guidelines.

The Cons

Choosing What Company to Use: Selecting the right contractor can be a difficult and time-consuming task.

Additional Lawn Care: In addition to fertilization, lawns need other types of care such as mowing and proper watering. Contracting professionals to do this work can be expensive.