Editor's Pick: TruGreen
- Offers three levels of service plans
- Provides a Healthy Lawn Guarantee to ensure complete lawn satisfaction
- Has a mobile app for customer convenience
When you just don’t have the time, energy, or desire to maintain good lawn care, you’re likely doing some research into comprehensive lawn care services that will provide your yard with what it needs at a reasonable price. In this article, we compile the best values on lawn care programs in the market today, so you can choose the best lawn care company for you. We consider important factors like availability in your area, BBB ratings, offers and packages, and reputation.
Our top recommendation is TruGreen, a leading company in the lawn care industry. To get a free quote for their services, fill out a form online or call 1-866-817-2172.
Consider this: You may be missing out on using one of the best parts of your home because you haven’t gotten to fixing up your lawn. What’s more, if you’re trying to sell your home, a healthy lawn can heavily impact potential buyers’ impression of your home. So what is your lawn saying about you? Let the professionals put that worry out of your mind.
You may think all your yard needs is a grass-cutting service and someone to pull the weeds, but oftentimes, the problems start with the soil. Pests eat healthy grass, and weeds absorb nutrients from the soil. If soil is not properly aerated, grass and trees can wither and die. Calling in a local professional who knows climate conditions in the area and how they affect the soil will go a long way if you have been dealing with a chronically patchy or overgrown lawn.
Within the landscaping and lawn care industry, what factors are important to take into account?
Who they are: TruGreen is the biggest lawn care provider in the US. Their size allows them to have flexibility in resources that’s not offered by smaller companies. They have a team of PhD agronomists that work in conjunction with a local specialist in your area who knows the climate and soil conditions, so you get expert, tailored-to-you service. TruGreen merged with Scotts LawnService, another leader in the lawn care industry, in 2015.
What makes them stand out: TruGreen operates as a subscription service. There is no binding contract, and you can cancel your subscription anytime. You can prepay and sign up for lawn care service and maintenance for the year. However, keep in mind that the subscription automatically renews, so mark your calendar to cancel if you don’t want them to charge you for another year.
The plans listed below are perfect for homeowners who want a healthy lawn without the hassle.
TruMaintenance℠ Lawn Plan | TruHealth℠ Lawn Plan | TruComplete℠ Lawn Plan | TruSignature℠ Lawn Plan |
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Who they are: Lawn Doctor has grown through franchising across the US. It is now a national chain with independent owners. They provide a wide range of year-round lawn and landscaping services.
What makes them stand out: Customizable services as well as an all-or-nothing guarantee: If you’re not satisfied with their services, they will return and try again, or refund the full cost of an application back to your account. Franchisees are locally owned and backed by Lawn Doctor’s headquarters.
Who they are: Founded in Canada, Weed Man has grown exponentially through franchising. They now serve Canada, North America, and the United Kingdom.
What makes them stand out: They are the #1 lawn care and landscaping provider in the world. In partnership with the EPA, Weed Man participates in the EPA Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, which promotes responsible pest management practices. Weed Man promotes environmentally friendly solutions. They also focus on weed prevention.
Who they are: Davey has been around since 1880. While they offer mostly tree-related services, many of their services involve lawn care. They employ International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborists.
What makes them stand out: Davey focuses on holistic landscaping, so their services include trees, lawns, utilities, and environmental consulting. However, they pride themselves on being tree experts, and they provide lawn services with tree health in mind. Davey was founded by John Davey, a pioneering tree expert in the 19th century.
Out of the top lawn care companies, we pick TruGreen because of the variety of available annual plans. If you are looking for the best value on this list, you will find it with one of the plans they outlined. We like that TruGreen is the most accessible in the US with services and offices throughout the nation. They have the widespread reputation along with the local expertise to help with your landscaping needs.
In addition, their Healthy Lawn Guarantee can help give you peace of mind when it comes to your yard. Their certified specialists visit your property throughout the year to treat your yard, and they also provide extra tips on how to maintain the health of your grass in between visits and long term.
With over two million customers across the nation, their lawn care specialists are experts in treating grass, soil, and landscapes of all types. With about 45 years in the industry, TruGreen has developed new, cutting-edge formulas and tools for lawn maintenance by enlisting the help of PhD researchers. Other lawn care companies may offer similar services, but their network of skilled specialists, innovative products and readily available resources separate TruGreen from other competitors.
Only the companies that have the widest market in the US were included in this list. The people that will come to inspect and work on your lawn are likely a franchisee of one of these major lawn care providers.
Local is always better because a local representative will know what diseases and pests frequent lawns in the area. They also know climate and soil conditions. And, they’ve likely provided their services to someone in your neighborhood or down the block.
In addition, since they’re local, they can come check in on your lawn over the course of the year. They will also be available to you if you have concerns.
Some companies give you the option to get only the services you need or want at one time, while also having optional annual packages that will save you money if you want long-term lawn care.
Does the lawn care company offer these services that are essential to almost every lawn?
Nitrogen is key in building a dense green turf. Different types of grass need different levels to flourish. Introducing nitrogen-rich fertilizer is a basic service that lawn care companies should offer. But nitrogen isn’t the only important nutrient, and there are several factors that contribute to the composition of your soil (grass type, climate, foot traffic, season, etc.). It can be overwhelming to choose a fertilizer on your own. A professional lawn care company should do that for you and maximize the effect of the best fertilizer for your lawn.
Like any living thing, your grass needs to breathe, too. Over time, your yard may develop thick thatches and compacted soil beneath the surface of your lawn. This dense material makes it difficult for necessary nutrients to penetrate the soil. If your turf is suffering from these problems, aeration is the solution.
Soil is the base of healthy grass, and a well maintained pH level will promote new growth and root development in your yard. Even with fertilizer, your grass may need lime treatment. Ground limestone rock has magnesium and calcium, which reduce the acidity in your soil. Less acid and more alkaline soil equals more nutrients for your lawn. Keeping a proper balance between alkalinity and acidity lays the groundwork for your turf to gain the most benefits from other lawn treatments like aeration, fertilization, and weed prevention. The optimal soil condition for most grass types has a pH level that is minorly acidic, falling between 5.5 and 6.5 on the pH scale. A professional should test and tend to your soil by using lime, sulfur or other micronutrients to reach the perfect pH balance for your lawn.
Like hair, grass gets thin over time. Overseeding is the process of sowing grass seeds over an existing lawn to keep it lush and green. When your lawn is in its primary growing season, overseeding is a proven method that allows new grass to develop once the seeds are planted into nutrient-rich soil. With this lawn treatment service, your yard will produce thicker grass that will help fight off damaging insects and diseases. In order for your lawn to benefit from this added protection, you’ll need to know exactly when, how, and where to apply seed for your grass type and climate conditions. For the best results, a professional should do this service for you.
A healthy lawn can’t happen if pests—moles, voles, chinch bugs, grubs, beetles, grass-devouring creatures—feast on your grass. Your lawn care provider should provide solutions for pests, along with treatments for pests that bite, sting, and make your yard unenjoyable, such as mosquitoes, fire ants, and chiggers
No matter where you live, weeds are a common nuisance for most lawns that can be difficult to contain, diminish the appearance of your lawn, and steal valuable nutrients from your grass roots. With numerous species of weeds, it’s difficult to completely remove them from your yard without knowing how to treat each strain. Mowing your lawn may reduce weeds, but it does not prevent them from competing with your grass for water, air, and minerals. An expert will know how how handle this issue, so make sure this service is offered.
Trees and shrubs are easy to forget about if you aren’t paying attention to the bigger picture of a healthy lawn. To better care for the trees and shrubs on your property, root zone fertilization, targeted trunk injection, and horticultural oil applications can help fight disease and keep your entire yard looking its best.
If your kids or pets are often in the lawn, or if you prefer more eco-friendly lawn treatments, ask the provider if they offer a plan that uses natural fertilizer and other organic solutions.
There are a few rules of thumb when you’re in the process of narrowing down between lawn care companies:
All of TruGreen specialists are qualified TruExperts® that receive annual PhD-certified training to stay up-to-date on the identification and treatment of insects and diseases, weed control practices, and healthy grass growth.
With a typical TruGreen lawn plan, you’ll be entitled to eight lawn visits over the year. Higher level plans also one aeration service and four lawn and shrub visits.
With TruGreen, the applications are tailored to fit the needs of your lawn, so you’re getting the best value for treatments.
With the Healthy Lawn Guarantee®◆, TruGreen specialists will make sure you’re satisfied by adjusting any treatments, even in between scheduled visits.
Yes. The TruGreen specialists will work with you to decide what date and time best fit your schedule before we visit your property. With their app, you can track when the technician is arriving, as well as reschedule your appointment.
With all TruGreen lawn plans, the first application is only $29.95★. Your regular service cost will depend on the plan, services needed, the size of your yard, and other factors.
There are also discounts for the first application of mosquito control services and the tree and shrub plan.
Yes, you can use the app or go to the TruGreen website to pay bills, update your plan, schedule treatments, and talk to one of their representatives.
Yes. TruGreen offers PrePay options that can save you up to 10%.
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