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Lawn care is just mowing the grass and raking the leaves, right? Who needs a company for that?

Lawn maintenance is more than just shortening the grass when it needs it, and mowing alone can be hard to keep up with during the growing season. So the question is when do you know you need a company for that?

Right away it is easy to determine those whose lawns are “getting out of hand.” If you simply can’t keep up, a lawn care professional may be able to help. It can be difficult to work long hours at your job and racing home to mow the lawn for the second time in the same week is the last thing on your mind. Even with newer riding lawnmowers, a decent sized lawn can still take an hour or more to mow and trim. There is a value to your time.

Of course, lawn mowing is only a small portion of lawn care. The overall condition of the grass is important too. You may require a professionals help in determining the cause(s) of spotty lawns, moss and weed control, lighting, irrigation, and overall health and beauty of your yard. If you don’t know, or care to know, the difference between Kentucky Blue Grass and Annual Ryegrass or the differences in cool season grasses and warm season grasses, you may want to get a professional to come help you select the proper grass for your locale. They will have the experience and knowledge to know what type of grass is best suited for your soil content and shade level.

Water management

Landscapers can also help you determine your lawns water needs. They may be able to help you design and set up irrigation zones that will improve the lawn. Good water management can help keep a lawn hydrated, even during those sweltering summer months while reducing water waste. I have seen more than one homeowner drown his lawn. A professional can help establish a good watering schedule.

Plant selection

While many lawn maintenance professionals do not specialize in landscaping, that is they do not install hardscapes or yards, they may be able to offer valuable insight in the selection and placement of plants and flowers based on the other yards they work with everyday. They may be able to offer guidance on what particular plants will work well with the current structure of the lawn. Some lawn care specialists will be able to work with you to enhance the overall look and feel of the yard by the addition of strategically placed plants and structures. They may even be able to tell you which plants will improve, or hurt, the pH of the soil you are working with, thereby preserving the beauty of the lawn.

Damage control

Lawn care professionals are also very helpful when dealing with weed infestations. They have many resources available to establish weed control. Landscapers can often stop the infestation quickly before it gets out of hand. Some weeds have adapted parasitic ways and can thrive even in dense otherwise healthy lawns. A good lawn care company can come in and take the lawn back.

Unwanted vegetation are not the only dangerous infestations that may occur. Animals and insects can destroy a lawn. Preventing this from occurring, or stopping it quickly when it does, can save you and your lawn a lot of stress. Many times these critters go undiagnosed until it is too late. It then takes some serious interventions to drive them out and reclaim the lawn. This is where the knowledge and experience of a lawn care professional really becomes valuable. They usually have the knowledge, and equipment, necessary to get the job done.

Enjoying the fruit of someone else’s labor

Lastly, there is the matter of convenience. Sometimes it is nice to just relax and admire the grass. Or, if you are going to be gone for an extended period of time, or if you have multiple properties, you don’t have to worry about the condition of the lawn. A lawn care professional will be there to take care of it and keep it green and lush. You can simply enjoy the benefits of a beautiful lawn without the labor.

Take a look at your yard. If you have a lush, green lawn that would rival most Major Leauge Baseball stadiums, and you enjoy spending hours mowing, then you probably do not need the assistance of a professional. If, however, you are like most people and struggle to find the time to keep the grass cut, let alone lush and green, then you might want to consult with a lawn care company. If the only thing green in your yard are the dandelions, then it may be time to get some bids. They will taylor their work to meet your needs. A lawn care professional can be the difference in short brown grass and stadium striping in your yard.