There was a time when a well-maintained lawn was considered to be a sign of a person’s socioeconomic and community status, an indicator of success, and the perfect illustration of the American homeowner’s dream. A home with a neat lawn meant you cared for what you owned and loved showering your time and wealth on it.

The industry built around the maintenance of these bits of greenery we can still enjoy is vast. From landscaping services and from equipment to seeds, every type of lawn care service is available for you to get your money’s worth. So, how do you know which services your lawn needs? Or which program or provider you should be using? And do you even need a lawn service? Well, to answer all your questions and more, read on ahead.

What care does your lawn need?

• Mowing: One of the most basic tasks of lawn care is to keep the grass at a particular length. The lengths of the grass vary on the kind that is being grown.
• Watering: Watering is another essential to maintain a lively lawn, especially during summers. One of the best things to do is to install a sprinkler system with advanced controls so that no water is wasted.
• Aeration: Aeration is basically the process of loosening the soil so that it allows water to move through it properly, resulting in the roots growing deeper and stronger. This is a must-do at least once a year.
• Overseeding: This is the process of adding seeds and growth-aiding materials on a bare patch of the lawn. Mixing different kinds of seeds will allow healthy growth.
• Dethatching: Thatching is when a layer of dead leaves and plants accumulate below the fresh layer of grass and just above the soil. Dethatching is removing this layer and the process usually occurs naturally. But, if the natural process does not happen, a rake or vertical mower is needed to tackle the issue.
• Compost topdressing and mulching: An organic lawn care method — this requires you to make compost at home and add that to the soil, giving it a good boost.
• Fertilizing: Fertilizing is essential to having a healthy lawn. Not all soils have all the required ingredients, so it is important to add fertilizer according to its needs.
• Leaf removal: Fall is an amazing season, well at least until there’s an unsightly bunch of dead leaves on your lawn. These definitely need to be removed as quickly as possible.
• Hedge trimming: Trimming allows your hedges to look like perfectly manicured fingernails and is only needed once or twice a year.
• Weed removal: If you do not want weeds in your lawn, first you need to identify the weed and then tackle it judiciously at frequent intervals.
• Lawn pest control: Lawns have entire ecosystems in them but with the good, you’ll also find some pests who could destroy the landscape, so ensure that implement a pest control system.

Now, that you know what needs to be done to have a prim and perfect lawn, you need to decide if you need a lawn care service provider or not.

Do you need a lawn care service provider?

Before diving into the depths of choosing the best choice of lawn care service providers, you need to have a proper sit-down and understand if you are capable of doing the work yourself. This is a great exercise as it will help you weed out extra costs and will come in handy when choosing the provider and the plans as you’ll know exactly where you’ll need help.

Jot down what you need: Do you want someone who will simply trim the shrubs while you do the heavy -lifting? Or are you looking for a provider who will do everything, while you just stare at the breathtaking view? Know your needs before you start looking, this will make the entire process a whole lot easier.

Check if you have all the resources: Even if you have decided to take up some of the tasks yourself, do you have the right equipment and materials that will be required? And if you don’t, are you willing to spend to buy them? Do you have enough storage? Is the cost of the equipment comparable to the cost of the service provider? These are important questions and concerns that need answers.

Calculate the time and effort this will take: If you are planning to take on lawn work, do you think you have the time to do it? Do you think you’ll like the results of what you’re doing? At this stage, you need to account for the amount of time and effort that will be going into the project and if it will be appreciated!

Once you’ve cleared out what you need, you can then get into the zone to choose the perfect lawn care service.

So, how do you choose the perfect lawn care service?

Based on your needs, you could either be looking for a professional lawn care service company or maybe looking to hire a gardener on a temporary basis. If it is the former you need, you must ensure that you ask these important questions before making a choice.

• Always check the company has insurance: Ensure that your service provider has insurance. Many smaller companies would say they do but it’s not always true. Always double-check or ask them to provide a copy of the insurance that they have.
• Check all the services they provide: Some lawn care companies provide only a few services like mowing the grass or trimming the hedges. Imagine the amount of scheduling required if you had someone to cut your grass and someone else to make the flowerbed.
• Ask them if they do employee background checks: Many companies tend to hire employees straight off Craigslist, so ensure whichever company you choose does full background checks.
• They should have customer service: If you ever want to reschedule an appointment or there is an emergency, you need to be able to get in touch with the company. Ensure that the company you choose has a good customer service system.