DIY vs Professional Lawn Care - Which is Better?
Some people may prefer handling lawn care on their own. For those times when you want a little more assistance, you can go with a subscription company, or employ one of the full-service lawn care companies in Lebanon. If you elect to handle everything on your own, you will save some money up front. However, you miss out on expert guidance and advice that might help avoid expensive mistakes.
Companies like Sunday Lawn Care were created to help with DIY lawn care. They offer subscription packages of lawn care chemicals and equipment that they send to you as needed. The packages are curated based on the time of year and your location in Tennessee. These companies take the guesswork out of lawn care; however, you're still doing most of the manual work yourself.
If your goal is 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 costly, but for good reason: they provide both custom solutions to all your lawn care headaches and the people-power to take care of all the work.
Types of Lawn Care Services in Lebanon, TN
There are a number of different services that the lawn care companies around Lebanon can provide, including:
- Weed Control: Weed control services help remove and keep away weeds and other bothersome plants. These types of services involve processes like manually pulling unwanted foliage and spraying chemicals that kill weeds and keep them gone. Both full-service and subscription lawn care companies essentially always offer weed control services.
- Fertilization: Fertilization promotes the growth of grasses and plants using the application of certain compounds and chemicals at various intervals throughout the year. As with weed control, the vast majority of — if not all — full-service and subscription lawn care companies offer fertilization services.
- Soil Care: Soil care improves the growth of your lawn by balancing the pH and chemistry of the soil to increase nutrient availability. 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. The aeration process involves making small holes in the soil to let air, nutrients, and water in more easily. Most full-service lawn companies offer aeration services.
- Seeding/Overseeding: Seeding and overseeding are offered by most full-service lawn care companies and by many subscription companies. The seeding process involves putting down seed in bare or patchy spots, while overseeding involves adding additional seed to thin spots. Both seeding and overseeding help improve the color and appearance of your lawn.
- Pest Control: Many full-service lawn care companies can also help eliminate insects or other pests that are damaging your lawn. Your lawn professional might apply pesticides or trap animals. Always confirm that the technician you hire is properly licensed to apply pesticides through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
- Mowing/Edging: Mowing and edging help improve the look of your lawn and help prevent overgrowth. Some full-service lawn care companies provide these services, and there are also many companies that specialize in edging and mowing.
- Tree and Shrub Care: Many full-service lawn companies can do tree and shrub care. These companies will help clean up and provide care for trees and shrubs on your lawn to help keep your property beautiful.
- Leaf/Snow Removal: You may rarely need snow removal services in Lebanon, and you might sometimes be in the market for leaf removal. No matter what, it is a wise idea to know which companies near you offer these services. This can help you get everything taken care of faster, preventing damage to your lawn.
No matter your need, there is a lawn care services company in the Lebanon area that can fill it. It is in your best interest to get in touch with one or two of the companies from our above list to ensure that you find the right one for you.
Lebanon Quick Facts
- Lebanon gets a good mix of clouds and sun. It sits around the 63.1% percentile when it comes to average daily sunlight.
- The average high temperature in Lebanon is approximately 68° F.
- On average, lot sizes in Tennessee are around 34,000 square feet.
- Lebanon sits in the Mixed-Humid climate zone.
- Normally, Lebanon sees approximately 3.0 inches of snow annually.
Choosing a Lebanon Lawn Care Company
It is probably important to you to choose a lawn care services company that is reliable. A technician who is going to apply chemicals like pesticides to your lawn must be licensed through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. If you're in need of landscaping services (such as tree and shrub care), they'll have to meet all of the landscaper licensing requirements for Tennessee. A company might also belong to an organization like the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). Lawn care companies are not required to be members of NALP, but the association lets companies collaborate and share information on best practices. Finally, you can look at a company's website to learn about the guarantees they offer, and read online reviews. "As a professional, you're never done learning and growing your skills. Our educational partnerships can help you continue to refine your abilities."
Next, you'll want to determine which companies around the Lebanon area offer the specific services you need. A company may have both plans and "a la carte" options where you can pick and choose from a list of services.
After narrowing down your list even further, you can start to contact companies to ask about free inspections and getting a service quote. You often won't need to wait long for an inspection — some companies are even able to quickly estimate the size of your yard with GPS before they visit your home. The company should then be able to provide an estimate based on the size of your lawn and the specific services you need.
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Homeowner Responsibilities
There are a handful of things for a Lebanon homeowner to keep in mind before, during, and after lawn care services. Some of those things are:
- Before Treatments: A full-service company will ask you to ensure that pets stay in the house when they come to work on your lawn. They will also want you to make sure that your lawn is accessible, for example by opening any gates. You should not need to water or otherwise prepare your lawn in advance unless the company asks you to. If you've chosen a subscription company, you will want to make sure you provide your information and submit 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 sent to you by the company. If you go with a full-service company like TruGreen instead, a technician will come to your property to perform the treatment. Normally you will not need to be home during treatments. However, the technician may prefer that you are home the first time they visit. Your company will communicate with you (electronically or in writing) what services were performed and when.
- After and Between Treatments: Don't forget that it could be a while before you see the effects of treatments such as fertilization and weed control. In the meantime, your lawn care services company may recommend that you water your lawn 24 hours after some treatments. They will also inform you when pets and family can safely be on your lawn. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong with your lawn care, many full-service and subscription companies have a guarantee to back their products and services. As a general rule, any lawn care service will continue regularly unless you cancel.
Selecting a reliable Lebanon lawn care company goes a long way towards helping you feel more confident and comfortable with the process. All of the providers from our list of the best lawn care companies in Lebanon can explain all steps of the process and help you know exactly what to expect.
