If you’re starting the process of hiring a lawn care company, then you might be wondering how to start your research.
If you’ve never used professional lawn care before, then you might not even know what sorts of questions to ask as you narrow down your choices in lawn care providers.
To help you get started, we asked our Director of Lawn Care, Grant Osvalds, to share some of his thoughts about hiring a lawn care company. We’ll include some of the best questions to ask a lawn care company that will get you important information before making this choice.
Grant has been part of numerous lawn care consultations and understands what kind of information homeowners are seeking as well as what they should be asking about to be highly informed.
First and foremost, it’s important to know what lawn care means. We know that people sometimes take this as a general term encompassing all things related to the lawn. But in the lawn care industry, it’s much more defined.
A lawn care program includes services like fertilization, weed control, lawn pest control, and aeration and overseeding.
People often mistakenly assume that lawn care also includes services like mowing and grading. Those types of services generally fall under a more general “lawn maintenance/installation” umbrella and not all lawn care companies are going to offer them.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we do aim to be a full-service provider for all your property needs, but those types of services would be separate from our lawn care program.
In this article, we’re focusing on questions to ask before hiring a lawn care company, so they’re tailored to those services. However, it's beneficial to seek out companies that offer a comprehensive range of services, ensuring all your property needs are met.
The best way to choose a lawn care company is to put in time to research your options. An excellent place to start is lawn care companies’ websites. You can find a lot of helpful information and get a good sense of what the companies that you are considering are all about.
It’s also advised to look at lawn care reviews. Customer testimonials are always helpful as are third-party review sites like Google Reviews. You can see what other people have to say about the company that you are considering before you hire them.
Finally, as you’ve narrowed down your list to top contenders, we recommend reaching out and asking any questions that you weren’t able to answer on your own (by looking at the website).
Below, Grant has shared some of the commonly asked questions that people have.
We understand that knowing what questions to ask before hiring a lawn care company might feel daunting by itself. You want to be an educated consumer but you’re not sure what you should be asking about.
We’ve got you covered with these lawn care FAQs.
There’s an entire section of the hardware store dedicated to lawn care products, so why do you need to hire a pro? Well, for one, there’s a whole host of reasons why professional lawn care is going to get you better results, including the fact that understanding what products to use and how to use them is a big deal. This level of understanding comes from being professionally trained.
But it’s also the fact that lawn care pros are using commercial-grade products that deliver the best results.
Usually, homeowners ask about products because they’re also concerned about safety. That’s very valid.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we use lawn care products that are closely regulated and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. All of our products are not only EPA-certified but also certified by the Virginia Department of Agriculture.
We also take great care to ensure that any of the lawn care products that we use are applied properly. Proper application is key to lawn care product safety. This includes taking a selective approach to weed control.
Unfortunately, many lawn care companies simply blanket-spray everything because it’s the fastest way to get the job done. This is why you want to pay attention to hiring a company that follows best practices. Grant says to keep in mind it’s not just about the products but about how they’re used.
While this is one of the most frequently asked questions (and cost is always a valid concern), we must caution you that it can be a slippery slope to get too caught up on this. When people choose a lawn care company based solely on cost (the cheapest option), they risk being unhappy with the service.
After all, as with most things in life, you tend to get what you pay for. If you choose the cheapest lawn care company out there, it might be that they skimp on things like training, products, equipment, or support.
Instead, when you compare lawn care contracts, pay attention to what you’re getting for your investment.
Sometimes, when you look at what one package offers compared to another, you’ll see that some companies leave services out to try and charge you more later, since it’s something that you need.
This is also why you should choose a company that is transparent about what is included in their lawn care packages.
This question often accompanies inquiries about products. The key is to choose a company that uses lawn care products that are closely regulated and approved.
And, as we’ve stated, you want to work with a company that is practicing responsible usage of those products. A significant aspect of safety is selecting a company that exceeds expectations in training its personnel in best practices.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, not everything that we do involves the use of products. We also use natural lawn care methods, such as mechanical lawn aeration, which helps the lawn grow thicker and healthier without any products. Lawn aeration helps break up compaction, allowing your lawn to “breathe.”
Our goal is to use the best practices to get your lawn in optimal shape, over time using less products to achieve this goal.
We understand that because a lot of lawn care companies use the number of visits as a selling point, that people tend to get caught up on this.
But it’s important to recognize that it’s not just the number of visits that matters but what individual treatments are performed during each visit. The number of visits is only relevant if the lawn care company performs the necessary treatments at the required times.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we offer 10 treatments that are performed over eight visits. It’s important to recognize that visits and treatments are not the same thing, as more than one treatment can be performed during the same visit. This is another thing that can confuse people if they’re new to lawn care.
Ultimately, what’s most important is that your lawn care company is performing the services your lawn needs, when it needs them.
When you choose a reputable company, this shouldn’t be a concern. Unfortunately, there are disreputable companies out there that are not keeping their licensure up-to-date. So, don’t be afraid to come right out and ask if the company you’re considering is licensed.
You might also want to ask who will be applying the products and whether they are trained. You can also look at a company’s website for proof of how seriously they take training.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, training our lawn care technicians is a top priority and we are transparent in how we do this.
We know that many homeowners in Northern Virginia care deeply about the environment, so you may also want to ask your lawn care company about their level of commitment to being environmentally friendly with their program?
Some companies are more serious about this than others.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we take multiple steps to be as eco-friendly as possible. We take a selective weed control approach, avoiding overapplication of fertilizer, using walk-behind spreaders, and investing in electric equipment. We are also careful to meet or exceed the standards of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Choosing lawn care services might feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. By performing some due diligence on the front end, you can feel confident that you’re making a wise choice and will be happy with your decision.
Ultimately, that will boil down to peace of mind that you’ve chosen a lawn care company near Alexandria, Arlington, or Springfield, VA that will help you to get the best results with an overall great experience, too.
When you take some time to do your research and ask questions, you can ultimately feel comfort that you’re in good hands.
If you want to be able to feel confident your lawn is getting everything that it needs from a company that you can count on, request your quote, choose from 3 lawn care program options, and relax as you get the royal treatment.