Lawn care cost

Full-service lawn care costs $1,200 to $4,500 a year for a typical 5,000 square foot lawn, typically around $2,400. That buys a season of mowing, five or six fertilizer and weed control treatments, one core aeration and a spring and fall clean-up. A homeowner in Ohio paying $50 a mow for 30 weeks, $80 a treatment for five rounds and $160 for aeration spends $2,060 before the clean-ups, and about $2,500 with them.

Mowing is roughly two thirds of that bill. Everything else put together costs less than the mowing, so the length of your growing season and how often the grass is cut decide the annual price far more than which company you choose.

What it costs

A small lawn in a short northern season sits at the bottom of the range. A large lot in the South, where the grass grows ten months of the year, sits at the top or above it.

Three ways to have a lawn looked after

Doing it yourself. A decent push mower is $300 to $700 and a riding mower $1,500 to $4,000, and after that a year of fertilizer, seed, fuel and blade sharpening is $150 to $400. The real cost is time: an hour or more a week for 30 weeks, plus hiring or renting an aerator once a year. It is the cheapest option by a wide margin and it works well for people who enjoy it.

Mowing yourself, treatments by a pro. This is the best value split for most households. Mowing is simple, frequent and expensive to outsource. Treatments are infrequent, need a licensed applicator for the weed control, and are where amateurs do the most damage. Expect $400 to $1,100 a year for a treatment program plus aeration.

Full service from one company. One contract, one bill, one crew that sees the lawn every week and notices problems early. You pay for the convenience, typically $2,000 to $3,000 on a normal suburban lawn, and you get the best result when mowing height and treatment timing are coordinated by the same people.

The detail of each service sits on its own page: mowing, fertilizer programs and aeration.

What a year actually looks like

For a cool-season lawn in the northern two thirds of the country:

• March to April: spring clean-up, then the first treatment with pre-emergent crabgrass control
• April to October: mowing, weekly through spring and early summer, sometimes every other week in a dry August
• May to June: fertilizer with broadleaf weed control, and grub prevention if the lawn has had grubs
• July to August: a light feed or a skipped round, since fertilizing stressed grass in heat does harm
• September: core aeration and overseeding, the most useful single visit of the year
• October to November: fall fertilizer, winterizer and the leaf clean-up

Warm-season lawns in the South run the calendar differently. Bermuda, zoysia and St Augustine are fed through summer rather than fall, aerated in late spring, and mowed 40 to 45 times a year rather than 30. The per-visit prices are similar and the annual total is higher.

In the arid Southwest the lawn is really an irrigation problem, and water often costs more than the lawn service.

Contracts, and the clauses that cost money

Automatic renewal. Treatment programs almost always renew each spring and charge the card on file. If you do not want next year, cancel in writing before the renewal date and keep the email.

Flat monthly billing. Many companies spread the season over 12 equal payments. That is fine if the annual total is right, but check what you owe if you cancel in August, because by then you have paid for fewer visits than you received, or the reverse.

Skipped mows. In a drought the grass stops growing and a good crew skips visits. On per-visit billing you pay nothing for a skipped week. On a flat fee you pay regardless.

Prepayment discounts of 5 to 10% are common and worth taking from an established company. They are not worth taking from a one-truck operation you found last week.

Free re-treatment. A proper program sends someone back between rounds at no charge if weeds survive. If the contract does not say so, ask.

How to compare quotes

Quotes arrive in different shapes on purpose. Put them on the same basis before choosing:

• Price per visit multiplied by the number of visits. A $45 mow on a 32 week contract costs more than a $50 mow on 28 weeks.
• Number of treatment rounds and what is in each. Eight cheap rounds is not better than five good ones.
• Core or spike aeration. Only core is worth paying for.
• Whether clean-ups, edging and clippings removal are included or billed as extras.
• The square footage they measured. Most companies quote from satellite images, and a lawn measured at 7,000 square feet instead of 5,000 is billed accordingly on every visit.
• A state pesticide applicator license for whoever applies weed control, which is required for hire in most states.

Frequently asked questions

Is one company for mowing and treatments cheaper than two?

Usually by 5 to 15% through a bundle discount, and not always. National treatment companies are often cheaper for the treatments alone, and local mowing crews are often cheaper for the mowing. Get both a bundled quote and two separate ones.

The real advantage of one company is coordination: the crew that mows knows when the lawn was treated and does not cut the day after a weed control spray.

Why is my lawn care bill the same in December as in July?

Because the company has spread the annual price over 12 payments. You are not paying for December mowing, you are paying off July. Add up the 12 payments and compare that figure with other quotes, not the monthly number.

If I mow myself, which lawn services are still worth paying for?

The treatment program and core aeration, at $400 to $1,100 a year together. Weed control and fertilizer timing are where most DIY lawns go wrong, and an aerator is a heavy machine to rent for one afternoon a year.

Does a lawn care plan include watering or sprinkler work?

Almost never. Crews will tell you when the lawn is dry and may adjust a controller if asked. Repairs, spring start-up and winterization are a separate trade, covered in sprinkler system costs.

Can I cancel a lawn treatment plan partway through the year?

Usually yes, with written notice, and most plans have no cancellation fee. The catch is prepayment: if you paid upfront for six rounds and cancel after three, read the refund terms before paying, not after.