DIY vs Professional Lawn Care - Which is Better?
Sometimes, you might feel comfortable handling lawn care on your own. For the times when you want professional assistance, you can go with a subscription company, or pay one of Montclair's full-service lawn care companies. Doing your lawn care on your own might help you save money at first. However, without the expert guidance of a lawn care professional, you could make mistakes that prove costly in the future.
Some companies, such as Sunday Lawn Care, can help you with your DIY lawn care. This is usually in the form of subscription packages which will deliver all the chemicals and equipment you need for your lawn, depending on the time of year and your location in California. These companies provide a lot of guidance with lawn care, but you will still be the one outside pulling weeds.
If you would like to be completely hands-off, a full-service company like TruGreen is going to be the best avenue for you. This option may be the most expensive, but for good reason: they provide both custom solutions to all your lawn care problems and the people-power to take care of the manual labor.
Types of Lawn Care Services in Montclair, CA
The lawn care companies in Montclair offer a number of services, including:
- Weed Control: Your lawn care technician can help you kill and prevent unwanted plants like weeds. This involves using chemicals to kill and keep away weeds; they also may manually pull up the unwanted plants. In the majority of cases, both full-service and subscription lawn care companies offer weed control services.
- Fertilization: The process of fertilization involves the use of chemicals and other compounds to help facilitate the growth of grass and other plants. Similar to weed control, most if not all full-service and subscription lawn care companies offer fertilization services.
- Soil Care: Soil care improves your lawn growth by balancing the chemistry and pH of the soil to increase nutrient availability. Most full-service and subscription lawn care companies provide this service.
- Aeration: Aeration involves loosening over-compacted soil, which allows roots to grow deeper, strengthening your lawn. Aeration involves creating small holes in the soil to allow nutrients, air, and water in more easily. Aeration is offered by most full-service lawn care companies.
- Seeding/Overseeding: Seeding and overseeding improve the appearance and color of your lawn and fill in bare spots. Seeding is the process of planting grass in an area where there is none. Overseeding involves putting down more seed over existing grass, without tearing up any turf. These processes are offered by the majority of full-service lawn companies and many subscription companies.
- Leaf/Snow Removal: Your lawn can be damaged by debris piling up on it. Knowing which companies provide removal services can be a big help if you ever need them in the future.
- Tree and Shrub Care: Many full-service lawn companies can do tree and shrub care. These companies can help clean up and care for trees and shrubs on your property to help keep your lawn looking its best.
- Mowing/Edging: Mowing and edging are two ways to quickly improve your lawn's appearance. Many full-service lawn care companies perform these services, or you could find a company specializing in edging and mowing.
- Pest Control: Many full-service lawn care companies will also eliminate insects or other pests that are damaging your lawn. The lawn expert may trap animals or apply pesticides. Always verify that the technician you hire is properly licensed to apply pesticides through the California Department of Agriculture.
There is a Montclair lawn care company for every need and budget. We strongly suggest contacting one or two from our list above to discover the one that will be best for you.
Montclair Quick Facts
- Montclair sees around 0.0 inches of snow every year.
- Montclair is in the Hot-Dry climate zone.
- In California, the average lot size is about 6,400 square feet.
- Montclair is one of the sunnier places in the country. It sits around the 98.3% percentile for average daily sunlight.
- Montclair's average high temperature of 77° F is higher than 93.7% of the United States.
Choosing a Montclair Lawn Care Company
When you need to choose a company, you should first verify that you are choosing a reliable one. If a technician will need to apply chemicals like pesticides as part of their services, they'll have to be licensed through the California Department of Agriculture. If you're hiring a technician for landscaping services, such as tree care or edging, you can check if they meet all of the landscaper licensing requirements for California. Once you've confirmed a company's licensure, you can check to see if they belong to an organization such as the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), an optional association that lets its members collaborate and provides information about best practices in the industry. You can also look up reviews online and explore the company's website to see what kind of guarantees they offer. "NALP members have access to industry-leading tools and training to keep you on the cutting edge."
Next you will want to figure out which companies provide the specific services that you need. Many lawn care service companies in Montclair can offer you both fixed plans and "a la carte" options, where you can pick and choose exactly which services you need.
After you've determined which companies you want to contact, you can see about getting a free inspection and estimate. Via GPS technology, some companies are able to estimate how big your lawn is and provide a quote over the phone. The estimate will be based mainly on the size of your lawn and the specific services you need.
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Homeowner Responsibilities
When you hire a Montclair lawn care company, there are certain things you can expect before, during, and after services. Some of those things are:
- Before Treatments: If you have chosen a full-service company, you should ensure that, on the day they visit, they can access your property (by opening gates, for example). You should also make sure that all pets are inside. You will not have to water or otherwise otherwise prepare your lawn in advance unless asked to do so by the company. If you've opted for a subscription company, you will want to make sure you provide all your info and place your order in advance.
- During Treatments: When you sign up with a subscription company, you will be the one doing the treatment based on the instructions that the company provides. Should you opt for a full-service company like TruGreen, a technician will come to your house to take care of everything. Normally you will not need to be home on service days. However, the company may ask you to be home the first time they come out. Your technicians will communicate with you (in writing or electronically) what services were performed and when.
- After and Between Treatments: Your lawn care company might instruct you to water your lawn 24 hours after some treatments. They will also tell you when it is going to be safe for pets and family to be on the lawn again. Remember that the effects of some treatments, such as overseeding and fertilization, may not be evident right away. If you have issues with your lawn care treatment, most full-service and subscription companies back up their products and services with guarantees. Whichever type of company you decide to use, services will likely continue on a regular basis unless you cancel.
Choosing a good lawn care company in Montclair will help you feel confident and knowledgeable when it comes to all of the work being done on your lawn. It is in your best interest to speak with one of the companies on our list of the best lawn care providers in Montclair to learn about their services and decide if they are right for you.
