DIY vs Professional Lawn Care - Which is Better?
Sometimes, you might feel comfortable handling lawn care on your own. For times when you want some more help, you can use the services of a subscription company, or pay one of Tonawanda's full-service lawn care companies. When you make the choice to handle everything on your own, you eliminate labor costs, but you forgo any professional guidance. This opens the door to potentially expensive mistakes that you can't foresee.
If you want to take some of the guesswork out of lawn care, you may like a company like Sunday Lawn Care. They offer subscription packages of lawn tools and chemicals, which are periodically sent to you based on the season and where you live in New York. They take care of the research and planning, although you will still be the one pulling weeds.
If you would like to be completely hands-off, a full-service company like TruGreen is going to be your best bet. This option may be the most costly, but this is balanced by the benefits: they not only provide custom solutions to all your lawn care headaches, but they take care of the manual labor.
Types of Lawn Care Services in Tonawanda, NY
There are a number of services that you might contract a Tonawanda lawn care company for, such as:
- Weed Control: Your lawn care technician can provide services to kill and prevent weeds and other unwanted plants. This may involve spraying or applying chemicals, or they might manually pull up the unwanted plants. Most if not all full-service and subscription companies offer weed control services.
- Fertilization: Most (if not all) full-service and subscription lawn care companies provide fertilization services. They will use specific chemicals to facilitate the growth of grass and other plants in your yard.
- Seeding/Overseeding: Seeding and overseeding are both offered by the majority of full-service lawn care companies and by many subscription companies. The seeding process involves putting down seed in patchy spots. Overseeding involves laying down additional seed in thin spots. Both processes help improve the appearance and color of your lawn.
- Soil Care: Soil care helps improve your lawn growth by balancing the chemistry and pH of the soil to improve the availability of nutrients. Normally, most full-service and subscription lawn care companies provide this service.
- Aeration: Aeration helps loosen over-compacted soil, which allows roots to grow deeper, strengthening your lawn. Aeration involves creating small holes in the soil to let air, nutrients, and water in more easily. Aeration is provided by most full-service lawn care companies.
- Mowing/Edging: Mowing and edging are two ways to quickly improve the look of your lawn. Certain full-service lawn care companies can provide these services, or you may prefer to find a company specializing in edging and mowing.
- Pest Control: When you pay a company for pest control services, always confirm they are properly licensed to apply pesticides through the New York Department of Agriculture. The technician will apply pesticides or use methods like traps to eliminate pests. Getting rid of pesky insects and animals ensures that your lawn looks its best.
- Tree and Shrub Care: Many full-service lawn care companies can help you with shrubs and trees that are overgrowing, wilting, or simply need some extra love. These services will result in large improvements in your lawn's appearance.
- Leaf/Snow Removal: You may need snow removal services frequently in Tonawanda, and you might infrequently be in the market for leaf removal. No matter what, it is a smart idea to know which local companies offer these services. This can help you get the problem taken care of faster, preventing damage to your lawn.
No matter what services you are looking to hire for, there is a Tonawanda lawn care company that fits the bill. We strongly suggest looking into one or more of the companies listed above to determine which one is right for you.
Tonawanda Quick Facts
- Tonawanda sees more rain than about 57.7% of places in the U.S.
- Tonawanda is one of the cloudier places in the country. It sits around the 6.5% percentile in terms of average daily sunlight.
- The average high in Tonawanda is about 54° F.
- In an average year, Tonawanda gets approximately 75.7 inches of snow.
- On average, lot sizes in New York are approximately 6,800 square feet.
Choosing a Tonawanda Lawn Care Company
When you choose a lawn care services company, you want to know that they are reliable. If they are going to apply chemicals like pesticides to your lawn, a lawn care professional must be licensed through the New York Department of Agriculture. If you require landscaping services such as edging and mowing, you can look and see if a company meets all of New York's landscaper licensing requirements. You can also find out if a company is a member of an organization like the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). Lawn care professionals are not required to be members, but NALP helps landscaping professionals collaborate and share information about best practices. Last but not least, you can read online reviews of the company and learn about their guarantees on their website. "As a professional, you're never done learning and growing your skills. Our educational partnerships can help you continue to refine your abilities."
Once you've discovered the best companies near you, you'll need to figure out which ones can provide the specific combination of services that you need. Many lawn care companies in Tonawanda offer both pre-set plans and "a la carte" options that let you make your own lawn care package.
Once your list is down to three or so companies, you'll want to go about getting an inspection and quote. Utilizing GPS technology, some companies can make an estimate based on how big your yard is before ever stepping foot on your property. Your estimate will be based mainly on the specific services you need and the size of your lawn.
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Homeowner Responsibilities
When you employ a lawn care company in Tonawanda, there are certain things you can expect before, during, and after treatment. Some of these are:
- Before Treatments: When you choose a full-service company, you'll be asked to keep pets in the house when they visit. You should also ensure that your technician can access your lawn (for example, by keeping gates open). The technician will tell you if you need to water or do anything else to your lawn in advance. When using a subscription company, you'll need to be sure that you provide all your information and place your order ahead of time.
- During Treatments: When you sign up with a subscription company, you will perform the treatments yourself 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, your company may ask you to be home the first time they visit. Your company will communicate with you (in writing or electronically) what services were performed and when.
- After and Between Treatments: With any type of company you may use, lawn care services will normally continue on a regular basis unless you cancel. After each visit or subscription delivery, your company should inform you when it will be safe for pets and family to be on the lawn again. Your lawn care professionals may also recommend that you water your lawn 24 hours following certain treatments. Keep in mind that the results of some treatments, such as overseeding and fertilization, will take some time to be noticeable. In the unlikely event that there is an issue following your lawn care treatment, most companies have guarantees behind their products and services.
By choosing a provider from our list of the best lawn care companies in Tonawanda, you'll be in good hands. Your Tonawanda lawn care provider can outline all expectations and keep you well-informed throughout the process.
