TurfGator have been providing quality lawn care services and has earned an outstanding rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). We respect your decision in selecting a lawn care provider and would like the opportunity to earn your trust as well.
Guidelines for Selecting a Lawn Care Company
All Lawn Care companies are not the same. Lawn care programs offered by companies will vary not only in cost and quality of service, but also in the variety of programs and optional services offered. Before contracting a lawn care company, it is best to contact and compare 2 – 3 (or more) reputable companies. You can begin by asking friends, family or neighbors for recommendations. An excellent independent source is the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which we highly recommend using in selecting any type of service company.
The following series of questions and general information should serve as a guide during the process of selecting a lawn care company.
Select a lawn care company that is licensed and insured.
Required by Illinois state law, the company, their facility, as well as their lawn care technicians must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. This license will assure you that the service company is accountable to you, that the company is knowledgeable, operating legally, facility is environmentally responsible, and employs technicians that have passed examinations demonstrating experience, knowledge, and have a level of professionalism in proper lawn care turf management.
Additionally, if the unspeakable happens, it is important that the company has insurance to cover any damages to your property or injury to its workers. In some cases, you as the homeowner could be held liable if the service provider has no insurance.
What types of services are included in their standard lawn care program?
Fertilization is the key component of any lawn care program. Most companies will offer pre-emergent (for crabgrass and other grassy weeds) and post-emergent (for broadleaf weeds) weed control as part of their program, although these may be offered as options by some companies. Many lawn care programs will offer grub control at an additional cost which provides control of surface and sub-surface feeding insects such as grubs, chinch bug, bluegrass bill-bug, and sod web-worms. Disease control is generally not offered in a standard lawn care program, but is offered as an optional service by most lawn care companies.
How much fertilizer is applied during the year?
Turf grasses in our local area require a combination of 16 different nutrients for the optimal growth. Of all the nutrients required by your lawn, nitrogen (N) and potassium (potash, K) are usually not available in the soil at high enough quantities for good turf development and must be added through fertilization periodically. Reputable lawn care companies should be able to provide you with the quantity of nitrogen and potassium in pounds per 1000 square feet used in their program.
What types of fertilizer do they use?
Fertilizer can be categorized into two types; quick-release or slow-release. Quick-release promotes rapid grass growth and dark green turf color relatively soon after an application. The promotion of excessive growth and thatch through overuse of quickly-available nitrogen sources is undesirable from both the standpoint of increased mowing requirements and because grass hardiness and health may be reduced. Slow-release fertilizer provides a slower, more uniform growth and greening response from the turf. Reputable lawn care companies typically will use a combination of quick and slow release fertilizer and should be able to provide you with percentages of each type used during each of their applications.
What can a lawn care provider guarantee?
Lawn service quality may vary from year to year due to variations in weather and from one lawn to another due to soil conditions and cultural practices. It is IMPOSSIBLE for a lawn care company to guarantee that no issues will occur if you contract their services and you should be suspicious of one that does. Reputable lawn care companies, however, will make every effort to ensure customer satisfaction by offering evaluations, diagnosis, recommendations or corrective applications, many times at no charge.
What about educational service to the homeowner?
Established lawn care companies have long recognized that the most successful lawn care program is dependent upon some cooperation from, and education of, the homeowner. The homeowner generally performs several cultural practices, such as mowing and watering, which have a substantial effect on lawn service quality and the appearance and health of a lawn. Some companies will provide customers with seasonal information on proper lawn care. They may also provide special information and instructions on watering or mowing requirements at the time of their visit to your lawn.
For more information on selecting a lawn care company, please visit our blog, “Choosing a Lawn Care Company“.