Jun 9 • General discussion
Choosing the Right Lawn Care Services
When most people think of lawn care, they think of mowing. But mowing is just maintenance — the grass grows, and it needs to be cut. The real money is in the care and rehabilitation of the lawn itself.
When I brought on a customer, I didn’t just offer maintenance like everyone else. I sold them a vision of what their lawn could become if they worked with me long-term. I guaranteed a certain result, but I also explained that achieving a thick, green, healthy lawn takes time. In many cases, it can take three to four seasons or more of proper care and rehabilitation to fully transform a lawn.
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What this did was create a partnership between me and the homeowner. Once they started seeing visible improvements, they became loyal customers instead of constantly jumping to the next company offering a cheaper price.
I told customers that if they followed my instructions, I would guarantee them a thick, healthy lawn. (I’ll go into more detail on this in the “Customers for Life” training.)
To do this properly, you need to understand how lawns actually grow.
First, know the different types of grass. Most lawns — especially in the Pacific Northwest — are made up of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine or tall fescue. Most seed blends contain all three because they balance one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Instead of relying on a single grass type, these blends create a more resilient and adaptable lawn that can handle different levels of sunlight, traffic, moisture, and soil conditions.
It’s also important to understand that a thick, healthy lawn is not natural — weeds and moss are. If a lawn is left alone long enough, it will eventually revert back to what nature intended. That’s why lawns need maintenance and care. They need fertilization, aeration, overseeding, proper watering, and pH balancing.
Rainfall and certain evergreen trees, especially pine trees, increase soil acidity and lower the soil’s pH level. Weeds and moss thrive in acidic soil, while healthy grass performs better in balanced or slightly higher pH conditions.
Correct Watering Habits
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is watering too often and too lightly.
The best time to water is early in the morning, usually between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., before the sun rises high enough to evaporate most of the moisture.
I also recommend watering deeply once per week for about an hour instead of watering lightly every day. I would tell homeowners to place a tuna can underneath the sprinkler. Once the can filled up, that was enough water. Anything more was simply wasteful.
The reason deep watering works so well is because it forces the grass roots to grow deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Shallow daily watering keeps roots near the surface, making the lawn weaker and more vulnerable to drought and heat stress.
Deep watering, combined with one or two aerations per season, creates a much more drought-resistant lawn that stays greener longer during the summer months.
Types of Services
I recommend looking at your local market to determine which services are in demand in your area. Some services will vary by region, but others — like aeration — are nearly universal.
Here are the services I built my business around. I’ll also include some of the services I tried that weren’t particularly successful.
Aeration
I mention aeration frequently because it’s easy to perform, highly profitable, and something most homeowners either don’t understand or don’t want to do themselves. It was the bread and butter of my business for a large portion of the season.
Depending on the condition of the lawn, you can perform between two and four aerations per year.
Overseeding
Overseeding is the process of spreading grass seed over an existing lawn. Its purpose is to replenish thinning grass and create a thicker, healthier lawn, which is one of the best defenses against weed germination.
Grass naturally produces seed during its early years before slowing down over time. Overseeding helps continue that renewal process by introducing fresh growth into the lawn.
I only overseeded after aeration because the seeds would fall directly into the plug holes, giving them the best possible chance at germination.
Fertilization
Fertilization is a simple add-on service that takes very little time to apply. While the profit margins aren’t as high as some other services, it’s an easy upsell when you’re already on-site.
I also found that homeowners were much more likely to trust my recommendations once I explained why fertilization mattered instead of simply trying to sell it to them.
Power Raking (Dethatching)
If you live in an area where lawns develop moss, this service can be extremely profitable.
As grass dies off over time, it decomposes and creates a layer known as thatch. A small amount of thatch is beneficial because it protects the lawn from soil compaction and summer heat. However, excessive thatch prevents water, nutrients, and oxygen from reaching the soil, which slowly chokes out healthy grass.
Lime Application
A lawn is generally considered healthy when its pH level falls between 5 and 7. You can usually tell when a lawn needs lime because it will contain excessive weeds, moss, or generally unhealthy-looking grass.
Dolopril lime is the product I recommend. It resembles stale chocolate or used coffee grounds.
Dolopril lime is a fast-acting, granulated form of dolomitic limestone used to balance acidic soil pH and provide essential calcium and magnesium to lawns and gardens. It is highly effective in rainy regions like the Pacific Northwest to prevent soil nutrients from becoming locked out.
One of the great things about lime application is that you can perform multiple treatments throughout the season, especially on lawns that are heavily affected by weeds and moss.
Hedge Trimming
Hedge trimming was another excellent add-on service because, if you’re already at the property, it becomes an easy upsell and increases your average ticket value.
Why I Avoided Lawn Mowing
The main service I stayed away from was lawn mowing because the market is extremely competitive, and I didn’t want to get caught in a race to the bottom on pricing.
That said, I know several successful companies that focus heavily on mowing, so don’t let my opinion discourage you from offering it.
Another reason I avoided mowing was because my strategy was based around selling an entire neighborhood, completing the work the next day, and then moving on to the next area. Mowing creates recurring routes that require significantly more driving between properties, which increases fuel costs, labor hours, maintenance, and wear and tear on equipment.
I also experimented with services like edging, pest control, and blackberry bush removal. I never sold much of those services, but I kept them on my service list in case demand came up.
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, your service offerings will likely look very similar to mine. If you live elsewhere, research which lawn care services are most popular and profitable in your local market.
In closing, the more knowledge you have, the more professional and trustworthy you’ll appear to customers. Most homeowners know very little about lawn care, so the person who can confidently educate them will usually win the business.
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Choosing the Right Lawn Care Services
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