Introduction 

Whether you see your lawn as just another household chore or as a point of pride, you probably don’t want to spend all your leisure time maintaining it. A good lawn care service can help you keep up appearances while letting you go for a bike ride, go to the movies, read a book...or do absolutely anything other than yard work on the weekend. 

But you’ll still need to put in some effort up front. To choose the right firm and the right level of service for your needs, you need to know something about the range of services firms offer; the potential risks treatments might pose to your family, neighbors, and the environment; the tasks you may still have to do yourself; and the quality and cost of service offered by local firms. 

What Can Be Done 

Lawn care services use different products, tools, techniques, and schedules to do their work, but the results promised are similar from firm to firm. 

Usually, lawn care services offer customers a selection of different treatment “packages” that include specified treatment plans that will take place over the course of a year. Some lawn care services also offer one-time treatments. Some automatically renew the contract each year, but almost all allow you to cancel a contract at any time and pay only for the visits you have received. 

Aeration 

Most lawns get substantial benefit from core aeration. In this process, a device is rolled over your lawn with metal tubes about one-half inch in diameter penetrating several inches into the turf, removing plugs of turf and soil, and depositing these plugs on the surface. The resulting holes allow water, air, fertilizer, and humus-creating organic matter to reach root systems. The holes also make room for the soil to loosen, permitting easier root growth and better air and water circulation throughout the turf. In addition, the plugs of soil that are deposited on the surface contain microbes that will cause grass clippings, dead roots, and stems to decompose, preventing the buildup of thatch (see below) and returning nutrients to the soil. 

Compared to most other lawn care company treatments, core aeration is labor-intensive; having it done is likely to cost at least $30 or so per 1,000 square feet of lawn. But in heavily compacted areas, core aeration once a year may be advisable, and most lawns will benefit from core aeration about once every three years. 

Don’t confuse core aeration with an aeration process in which a lawn is simply penetrated with spikes. While a spiking treatment will give water, air, and fertilizer access to plant roots, it compacts the soil around each hole and it does not deposit microbe-bearing soil on the surface. 

Core aeration is a relatively simple job that you can do yourself. You can get an aeration unit—which looks like a cross between a lawn mower and a tiller—from a tool/equipment rental shop. If you’ve never operated a core aeration machine before, be sure to get some instruction before you leave the shop. 

Dethatching 

Lawns typically develop a layer of dead grass roots or stems at the base of the grass plants. This layer, referred to as “thatch,” is useful as a mulch, keeping moisture in the soil. 

But thatch can become too thick and will then prevent water, air, and nutrients from reaching grass plants’ roots. If grass is regularly allowed to grow excessively high before it is cut and if the clippings are allowed to remain on the lawn, a buildup of impenetrable organic matter is possible. 

Thatch becomes a problem if it gets more than a half-inch or so thick. For such organic matter to decompose, microbes from the soil must act on it. But a thick layer of thatch creates a barrier that the soil microbes won’t penetrate. The problem is most likely to occur if soil is allowed to become too acidic or if the population of microbes or worms is reduced by excessive application of pesticides or fertilizer. 

One solution is mechanical dethatching, which can be done in small areas by hand with a rigid garden rake or in large areas with a dethatching machine. In dethatching, piles of dead roots and stems may be removed, but in fact these generally represent just a small fraction of the total thatch layer. The main benefit of the process comes from the mixing of microbe-containing soil with the remaining thatch material. The microbes will cause the remaining material to decompose. For most lawn care companies, dethatching is an expensive add-on service. Also, dethatching hurts a lawn’s appearance for two or three weeks. 

In most cases, a better approach for eliminating a thatch problem is core aeration, since the aeration treatment, as we’ve noted, brings microbe-bearing soil (from the removed plugs) into contact with the thatch so that decomposition will occur. Another alternative is to apply a top dressing of microbe-bearing topsoil, or a natural fertilizer, such as compost or composted manure. 

Seeding 

Many lawns will benefit from seeding (or “over-seeding”). Seeds may be applied to replace grass that has died or been removed, to fill in thinned-out areas, or to add a desirable grass variety to an established lawn. For example, it may be desirable to plant fine fescue in an area with dense shade, where tall fescue doesn’t grow well. Seeding also helps discourage weeds and pests by creating a denser lawn. For these reasons, some companies recommend seeding every fall. Seeding can be expensive, however. Although some lawn care companies do limited seeding at no cost, most will charge for a major reseeding job. 

When applying seed to an existing lawn, you have to be sure that the seed comes into contact with the soil. This might be achieved by stirring up soil through a dethatching process—and possibly applying a light topcoat of soil after distributing the seed. Some companies use a process called slit seeding, in which a machine penetrates through the thatch layer and deposits seeds into the soil, and some follow seeding with aeration. 

Many recently developed grass varieties have better insect and disease resistance than older varieties, and considerable research currently is devoted to the development of turfgrasses that are even more resistant to insects and disease. As more and better pest-resistant grasses become available, they will provide an increasingly strong rationale for over-seeding older lawns. 

Fertilizing 

All lawn care firms apply fertilizer. Most recommend treatment three to six times per year, depending on the needs of the particular lawn. 

The three most important elements in a fertilization program are nitrogen, which is particularly important for green top growth, and phosphorus and potassium, which promote healthy root growth. Fertilizers are labeled according to the percentage of the weight accounted for by the source of each of these elements. For example, in fertilizer that is labeled 20-5-10, the nitrogen portion (always listed first) accounts for 20 percent of the weight, the phosphate portion (always listed second) accounts for five percent of the weight, and potash accounts for 10 percent. 

An important issue in lawn care is the type of fertilizer used. As a nitrogen source, there are three basic types—fast-release synthetic, slow-release synthetic, and slow-release natural (organic). 

Synthetic fertilizers may be applied in a liquid form or in a dry, granular form. Any granular fertilizer only becomes available to plants, of course, after rain or watering. If too much fertilizer—especially fast-release fertilizer—is applied, your grass can become “burned,” since the fertilizer is really just a form of salt. 

A fast-release nitrogen fertilizer, such as urea, will give grass a quick shot of nutrition, resulting in fast leaf growth and greening. When a lawn care firm applies one of these fertilizers, you’ll see dramatic effects. 

The burst of green leaf vitality from a fast-release fertilizer may divert energy from the formation of a strong root system. A lawn that gets fast-release fertilizer five or six times per year may look good when the weather is good but dry up because of its weak root system when the weather is dry. Because of these problems, many lawn care services do not even offer fast-release fertilizers. 

A slow-release fertilizer gives a lawn a more steady and gradual supply of nutrients. The synthetic varieties are made by chemical processes in factories. Some synthetic slow-release nitrogen fertilizers, such as urea formaldehyde, become available to plants only after they have been acted on by microbes in the soil. Such action occurs only under proper conditions of warmth and moisture. Another form of synthetic slow-release nitrogen fertilizer is really the same as the fast-release type except that the nitrogen components are enclosed in a porous sulfur coating, which allows the nitrogen to become available slowly. Depending on the specific type, a synthetic slow-release fertilizer might provide a steady (but diminishing) source of nitrogen for a few weeks or for several years. 

The disadvantage of synthetic slow-release fertilizers, which can be applied in either a liquid or a dry form, is that they don’t give you a quick burst of green vigor—and, in fact, some formulations may produce no effects at all for weeks if weather conditions aren’t right. But the steady, lower dose of nitrogen these fertilizers provide allows grass to build strong roots without sudden diversions of energy to leaf growth—and may also spare you from having to mow too often. 

The third broad category of fertilizer types—natural slow-release fertilizers—consists of all types that are not synthesized. Examples are dried blood, fish emulsion, manure, and processed sewage. These are sometimes referred to as “organic” fertilizers, but the word “organic” is used very loosely by lawn care companies eager to sell themselves. In the language of chemistry, any compound containing carbon is “organic,” and that includes many synthetic fertilizers. A more accurate term is “natural, nonsynthetic” fertilizers. 

All natural, nonsynthetic fertilizers, like some of the synthetic slow-release types, require action by soil microbes—under proper conditions of temperature and moisture—before the nitrogen becomes available for use by grass plants. The natural fertilizers have all the advantages of the synthetic slow-release types. In addition, the natural types provide various minor nutrients not found in synthetic formulations. And the bulk provided by natural fertilizers contributes modestly to the buildup of humus in the turf and fosters microbe activity near the surface of the turf. This helps control the buildup of thatch. Natural fertilizers made from wastes also have the virtue of assisting in the solution of an environmental problem—the disposal of solid wastes. 

But natural fertilizers tend to be expensive. A major contributor to cost is bulk: to get a pound of nitrogen from a good natural fertilizer you may need four times as much fertilizer as you’d need if you were using a good synthetic, slow-release fertilizer. Bulk contributes to costs of distribution and to the labor required to make a lawn application. 

In the past, there was significant concern that some natural fertilizers made from sewage contained heavy metals, such as cadmium and mercury, that could pose a health hazard if a lawn area were converted to use as a vegetable garden. But sewage processors seem to have eliminated the heavy metals problem in fertilizers they are now producing. 

Regardless of what type of fertilizer you use, timing is important. Most of the grasses grown in this area benefit most from late summer or early fall fertilizations. 

Maintaining Soil Acidity 

You can generously fertilize your lawn and have little effect if the acid balance—the pH reading—of the lawn is not right. Your grass simply won’t be able to use the nutrients if the soil is too acidic or too alkaline. Most grass varieties grow best when the pH reading is between 6.5 and 7.0 (just slightly acidic). 

Maintaining proper soil acidity may also help control weeds, as many weeds thrive at higher or lower pH levels compared to turf grasses. By keeping soil pH at ideal levels for turf grasses, you provide favorable conditions that help give an advantage to your grass in competing with weeds. 

You want a lawn care company to test the pH level of your soil and apply lime, which reduces the acidity, as needed. Some firms include the lime in the basic price of their service; others add an extra charge. 

Controlling Weeds 

There are several ways to control weeds— 

• Competition—The best way is to crowd out the weeds with turf grasses. Most weeds thrive in sunny, thinly planted areas. A thick, strong lawn will have few weeds simply because the weeds can’t compete. Mowing high and often and seeding every year or two will help produce a virtually weed-free lawn. 
• Pre-emergent herbicides—Another approach is to apply an herbicide that kills seed sprouts. This is the approach lawn care companies most commonly use to control crabgrass and other undesirable grasses. They can’t apply an herbicide that kills fully mature crabgrass plants because such herbicides may injure desired grasses as well—although there are herbicides (such as fenoxaprop) that can be used to kill immature crabgrass plants without damage to desired grasses. Most types of pre-emergent herbicides must not be applied after a lawn has been seeded until the desired grasses have matured or the new grass will be killed or stunted. But there is one type of pre-emergent grass herbicide (with the ingredient siduron) that can be used over newly seeded grass. Since you can’t know in advance exactly where weeds will appear, pre-emergent herbicides must be applied generally to broad areas that seem likely locations for weed grasses. Many lawn care companies simply treat every lawn entirely, but some will limit their treatment to lawns that have a history of weed grass problems or even to vulnerable portions of such lawns. 
• Post-emergent herbicides—For broadleaf weeds, like dandelions and clover, there are no pre-emergent herbicides in wide use, but there are post-emergent herbicides that kill these plants without killing desired grasses. Some lawn care companies apply post-emergent herbicides to the whole of every lawn. Their intent is to kill both visible plants and small, not-yet-apparent plants, thus reducing the chances that plants will later appear and that homeowners will request special follow-up service calls. But many companies will limit the application of these herbicides to lawns that have a history of weed problems or that currently have visible weeds, and some will treat only the lawn portions where these weeds are visible. 
• Physical removal—In a small lawn with a small number of weeds, physical removal is a reasonable option, using an asparagus knife to cut the roots. But many lawn care companies don’t offer this labor-intensive service. 
• Natural death—Weeds die off. If the problem isn’t too severe, you can just let nature take its course. In fact, with many weeds, that’s often the only practical option once the weeds have matured. 

When deciding among companies or deciding which of a company’s programs to contract for, keep in mind that weeds are for the most part just perfectly nice wildflowers and grasses that had the misfortune to sprout up in the wrong place. If you can live with a little wayward flora, you may be able to avoid some expense, trouble, and exposure to herbicides. 

Controlling Insects 

Although virtually all lawns will have some harmful insects, the severity of the problem depends heavily on the weather and other factors. Even if insects are plentiful, however, a strong lawn may be able to withstand a substantial insect attack. Like weeds, many harmful pests prefer sunny areas. A thick, properly maintained lawn will help discourage widespread insect problems. And most turf grasses used in the area are fairly resistant to most insect attacks. 

Many lawn care firms treat all lawns in their entirety with insecticides at times when insect damage is likely. That approach may cut a firm’s costs. If all lawns will be treated, a firm doesn’t need to have personnel skilled enough to recognize insect problems—which may not be easily distinguishable from problems resulting from drought, disease, or other types of stress. Broad-scale preventive treatment also reduces the chances that a firm will be called back to treat a problem between scheduled visits and reduces the risk that customers will be dissatisfied as a result of losing portions of their lawns for the season. 

But application of insecticides may kill beneficial organisms that prey on harmful insects and other harmful organisms. Insecticides may also harm organisms like earthworms, which contribute in other ways to the maintenance of healthy turf. As a result, after broad-scale application of insecticides, a lawn may be more vulnerable than before to attack by various pests. From a community perspective, broad-scale use of insecticides may pose an additional risk to lawns—the risk that resistant strains of insects will develop. 

Many lawn care firms have adopted Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. A good IPM program provides for reduced and better usage of pesticides, relying on prevention, careful monitoring, and targeted control. In an IPM program, the natural enemies of pests are conserved by using only selective pesticides, properly timing applications, planting proper grasses, controlling thatch buildup, and mowing and watering properly. The lawn is regularly monitored for potential pest problems, keeping in mind the lawn’s history, the weather, and the behavior of specific pests. Chemicals are used only when necessary, and only to control damage so that it is not permanent. Lawn care firms that follow the principles of IPM will limit their use of insecticides to lawns—or portions of lawns—where a potentially serious insect problem has been specifically diagnosed. Trained firm representatives evaluate the lawn’s progress throughout the year, and use chemicals and controls only as a last resort. Because the practices of IPM demand a trained, knowledgeable staff, working constantly in the field, a good IPM program is labor-intensive and can be much more expensive than the conventional way of controlling insects, which relies simply on broadscale use of pesticides at certain times of the year when pests are likely to pose problems. 

If you are concerned about a firm’s practices in applying pesticides to your lawn, ask a representative what problems he or she sees for your lawn in the future and why; how these problems will be treated; how often your lawn will be inspected and by whom; the inspector’s training and qualifications; and whether or not the firm will notify you and consult with you throughout the year if a pest problem is suspected. 

Controlling Disease 

Most turf diseases are caused by fungi. Disease is most likely to occur in lawns that have been over-fertilized, watered improperly, cut too short, or otherwise subjected to stress. Disease incidence is strongly affected by weather conditions. 

In a typical year, most lawns won’t have any serious disease problems. When diseases do occur, they are usually self-limiting. Often the full damage is done by the time a disease is spotted. To cure a disease that is not self-limited or to prevent disease recurrence, the best approach is usually better fertilization and watering practices and other changes in turf care. It’s often a good idea to over-seed with a disease-resistant grass variety. But if damage is still spreading or if there’s a compelling reason to want to reestablish a lawn using a nonresistant grass variety, fungicide treatment might be called for. 

Because most lawns won’t benefit from fungicide treatment and because the chemicals are expensive, most lawn care companies apply fungicides rarely—and only after a specific problem has been spotted, either by the homeowner or by the company’s personnel during a scheduled visit. 

What You’ll Have to Do 

If you decide to use a lawn care company, you can expect it to do various services to improve your lawn, but there will still be important tasks left to you—or to someone else you might hire. A good lawn care firm will, however, give you regular advice on how to do your part. 

How and when the lawn is mowed is key. Be sure not to mow too short. Most grasses in this area should not be cut below a height of about 2 1/2 to three inches. A lawn should be mowed frequently enough that no more than one-third of the leaf is cut off at any one time. The mower blades should be sharp, so that the cut ends of grass leaves aren’t torn, making them brown and vulnerable to pest attack. Mowing should be done when grass is dry. Clippings should be left on the lawn so they can decompose and return nutrients to the soil, but if the grass has been allowed to grow too much between mowings, the clippings might have to be removed or carefully spread out so they don’t form areas of matting on top of the lawn. 

A second critical task left in your hands is watering. Grass should be watered just when the leaves are approaching the point of wilting. You’ll know that your grass has reached this point if you leave footprints when you walk on it or leaf blades develop a bluish cast. Another way to tell whether watering is needed is to use a spade to dig out (and then return) a plug of turf, going four to six inches deep, so you can see whether the soil is dry. In general, if you want to keep your grass green during the summer, you’ll need to be sure it gets about one inch of water per week; a rain gauge (or a tin can) will let you determine how much you’ll have to water to supplement natural rainfall. 

Watering should be thorough, so that moisture penetrates at least three inches into the soil to encourage deep root growth. Short, shallow waterings should be avoided. Usually one inch of water per watering will give you adequate penetration. But it’s best to check moisture penetration by actual inspection until you get a good sense of how much watering it takes for moisture to reach the proper depth. Again, you can inspect by digging out (and then returning) plugs of sod with a spade. If on a sloped area water begins to run off before adequate penetration has occurred, you can stop watering for a while and then start again. 

The best time to water is early morning so that you will have minimal evaporation losses. During hot weather, it’s best not to water at night since this may contribute to disease problems. But the risk of disease is low in an otherwise well-cared-for lawn, and it’s better to water at night than not to water at all. 

A third task for you is inspection. You should thoroughly look over your lawn every two weeks or so. If you see problems, call your lawn care company to describe what you’ve seen. Don’t overreact, however; in long dry periods, in particular, browned-off areas may just mean that the grass has gone into a dormant stage to save its moisture and energy. 

Assessing the Pros 

If you decide to turn to a professional lawn care firm, you’ll have many choices. our Ratings Tables give comparative information on area firms and branches. 

Feedback from Customers 

We surveyed area CHECKBOOK and Consumer Reports subscribers for their ratings of lawn care firms they had used. our Ratings Tables show the results of those surveys for area companies, or branches of companies, that received at least 10 ratings. (For more information on our customer survey and other research methods, click here.) 

As you can see, this is a field in which there are substantial numbers of dissatisfied customers. For example, at the time of our last full, published article, eight of the 42 listed firms or branches were rated “inferior” on “overall performance” by at least 20 percent of their surveyed customers. Most complaints we received from dissatisfied customers of lawn care firms related to poorly done work and/or poor results. The following examples of comments from CHECKBOOK subscribers further illustrate the need to choose carefully— 

• “Although the advertising promises ‘custom’ service—it’s the same generic service that everyone else offers. We attempted to complain when service started going downhill—and still haven’t gotten a response. Definitely not very trust-worthy.” 
• “Applied fertilizer in mid-summer and killed much of my lawn, then blamed it on the drought even though my neighbors’ lawns all looked better. Re-seeding months later didn’t help much; they didn’t pull up the dead grass first, so the seed didn’t penetrate it.” 
• “Left us with more weeds and less grass than when we started. And all at an extraordinarily high cost.” 
• “They failed miserably. They would come out, not announce their arrival, throw some fertilizer on the lawn and leave all in less than 10 minutes. I fired them and took over myself and my lawn looks better than it did with their expensive service.” 
• “Been using these guys for two years with no great improvement in my lawn.” 

Fortunately, several area firms are able to satisfy almost all their customers. On our Ratings Tables, at the time if our last full, published article, 12 firms were rated “adequate” or “superior” for “overall performance” by at least 95 percent of their surveyed customers. 

Complaint Records 

In addition to ratings from customers, for firms that were evaluated in our last full, published article, our Ratings Tables show counts of complaints we gathered from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for a recent three-year period. Where we were able to, we have also reported on our Ratings Tables a complaint rate for each firm, calculated by dividing the number of complaints by our measure of the number of full-time-equivalent employees who perform residential work for the firms. These complaint rates are intended as a rough way to take into account volume of work and the fact that firms that do more work are exposed to a greater risk of incurring complaints. 

You can check current BBB complaint information on any firm by contacting the BBB at 508-652-4800 or by visiting www.boston.bbb.org. For firms that were evaluated in our last full, published article, in the details under the firm’s listing, click a link to the local BBB to go directly to the BBB’s most up-to-date report on any complaints about the firm. 

How Much They Charge 

To compare firms’ charges, you’ll have to get bids. Different firms will propose different combinations of treatments for your lawn, so you won’t be able to compare prices on the basis of the tasks that will be performed. Rather, you’ll have to describe the level of quality you want and any special constraints you wish to impose—for example, your tolerance for weeds and the types of fertilizers or pesticides that can be used—and get prices for the service each firm recommends to meet your objectives. 

Table 1 shows the range of prices we found when our shoppers asked lawn care services to propose the work needed, and cost, to meet our shoppers’ described quality expectations. You can see that there are big firm-to-firm price differences. When collecting prices, you’ll have to keep in mind that the specific services recommended to meet your expectations will vary from firm to firm—and, of course, keep in mind that some firms might not be able to meet your expectations. 

Deciding Whom to Hire 

Your choice of a company and your choice of a lawn care program will have to be made as a single decision because you’ll have to choose a program that a company agrees is appropriate and that can be efficiently fit into its work routines. Also, you will probably want a company’s help in designing your program (but see also the other information sources listed below), although the advice from companies may not be well-informed and should be received with a healthy degree of skepticism (see below). 

The simplest way to choose a company and program is to select from our Ratings Tables firms that were rated high by surveyed customers. Invite several firms to inspect your lawn and propose programs and prices. 

Although most firms don’t require the homeowner to be present during their inspection, we recommend meeting with firm representatives in person. This is a good way to size up a firm and get answers to any questions you may have. You can help the firm propose a program that will satisfy you by explaining to the representative— 

• How tolerant you are willing to be of weeds, thin spots, and other lawn defects; 
• What you envision the end result of the treatments will be; 
• How long you are willing to wait for the lawn to reach an acceptable condition; 
• How much work you are willing to take upon yourself; 
• How strong your concerns are regarding the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; and 
• What kinds of notification and other precautions against possible pesticide risk you will expect. 

You will want also to show the firms’ representatives what you don’t like about your lawn’s current condition, and ask them what treatments they would employ to solve these problems. 

It’s likely that when you get service proposals from several firms each will see different problems with the lawn and will recommend different solutions. You can validate the representatives’ findings and recommendations by consulting one of the independent sources listed below. If one of these experts agrees with a firm’s recommendations or analysis, that’s a good indication of that firm’s knowledge and skill. 

You will also want to ask the firms about service contract options. Make sure you get a price quote for the services that will be provided during at least an entire year. 

In collecting the sample prices on Table 1, we found that a large portion of the price differences among firms was due to some firms’ recommending expensive treatments such as core aeration and seeding as part of their annual program, while others did not. The cost of core aeration and seeding often is as much as the cost of all other recommended treatments combined. Some companies quote a price for regular, periodic visits for fertilization, weed control, and spot insect control, and then if necessary later recommend more expensive treatments such as core aeration, seeding, and dethatching. If a company does not recommend these expensive treatments and include them in its price quote, ask how much these treatments would cost if they eventually prove to be necessary. 

Ask what guarantee the firm offers in case you are not satisfied with its services. We found almost all firms provide their customers with some kind of guarantee. Usually the firm promises to refund money for a treatment, or to reapply a treatment if the customer is not satisfied. This standard guarantee will be little consolation if you hire a firm for one year and find that your lawn has made very little progress. 

But you may be able to get some firms to guarantee much more. Ask each firm you are considering if it will agree, in writing, to refund your money for an entire year if you are not satisfied that the firm has met its service commitments. We have found that some firms are willing to make such a guarantee. Alternatively, you can ask a firm you are considering if it will agree, in writing, to continue service at no cost until you are satisfied or, at the firm’s discretion, refund service payments for the past year. We have found that about half of lawn care firms will provide such a guarantee if asked to do so. 

If you find several firms that seem able to meet your needs, you can use price as your primary basis for selection. If all the firms propose prices above what you are willing to pay, ask the lower bidders how they can cut back your service to cut costs—and what effects those cuts might have on quality. It may be possible to cut out a few treatments over the course of a year and still get similar results, although it might take an extra year or two for your lawn to reach the conditions you find acceptable. Autumn fertilization and seeding (if seeding is needed) are generally regarded as the most critical treatments if service has to be very limited. Again, for most lawns, proper mowing can reduce the need for other expensive treatments throughout the year. 

If you are willing to be patient, you can try a very limited program for a year or two, then switch to a more extensive program if the limited program doesn’t appear to be progressing satisfactorily. Alternatively, you can start with an extensive program, and then switch to a limited program once your lawn is established and healthy. Generally, once a lawn is established, less treatment and maintenance will be necessary. 

In the past few years, virtually all lawn care firms have included in their offerings a “natural” or “organic” alternative program to limit the risks to the environment and to reduce the risk of wiping out beneficial insects and other organisms. 

Although the labels are used rather loosely, most firms’ “natural” or “organic” programs simply call for fertilizing several times a year, usually with a natural, nonsynthetic fertilizer, and possibly aerating and/or over-seeding periodically. Coupled with proper mowing and watering, such a simple program can often create a lawn just as attractive as one that receives the conventional chemical treatments. 

Some firms offer more extensive organic programs. They include specific controls for weed and pest problems. The emphasis is on careful study and inspection by knowledgeable, trained staff. Many firms will use natural herbicides, such as corn gluten, or insecticidal oils and soaps and other chemicals that are less toxic than traditional herbicides and pesticides.  

Some firms also have biological control alternatives, such as nematodes. Use of these biological controls is fairly uncommon, however, mainly due to the expense for labor and materials and uncertainty about results. Nematodes, for example, are tiny worms that exist in soil. Some varieties invade grubs and other insects and cause the hosts to die. Nematodes can be applied in great quantities to lawns through typical spraying equipment, substantially reducing grub populations. But maintaining an adequate population of nematodes requires constant attention. If soil temperature and moisture levels aren’t right, nematodes won’t survive. 

Risks From Lawn Care Treatments 

Chemicals used in lawn care treatments can be transported from your hands to your mouth or can enter your body readily through your skin or eyes, or through inhalation. Furthermore, children may actually ingest treated grass. (Pets and wild animals, of course, are also exposed.) For most chemicals, there is little evidence on the amount that actually gets into human beings as a result of lawn treatments or what total accumulation results from lawn treatments, other household uses, and uses on food crops. 

The manufacturers of most controls have their products tested for long-term risks using modern test procedures. These tests are submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which reviews the tests and evaluates the findings. Some chemicals are known to cause allergic reactions in some individuals. But evidence indicates available pesticides and herbicides used in lawn care treatments pose little risk for most individuals as long as they are used according to directions on their labels. 

On the other hand, some pesticides and herbicides have not been evaluated using the most advanced scientific procedures, and there remains the possibility that current procedures are not adequate to detect all possible risks of cancer, mutations, birth defects, reproductive problems, and long-term neurological effects. So you certainly want to be sure that your exposure to chemicals doesn’t exceed what the labels allow, and in general, caution makes sense. 

(You can check out a specific pesticide or herbicide with the National Pesticide Information Center by calling 800-858-7378 to see what testing data the agency has on possible dangers, both long-term and short-term. This information service can also give you guidelines for the safe handling and application of a control agent—but will not advise on what chemicals to use.) 

It is unclear how great a threat chemical lawn care pesticides pose to the environment. It appears that most of the chemicals decompose by the time they work their way through lawn turf. Although there may be some runoff from areas with thin grass cover or from driveways and other hard surfaces where pesticides may be spilled or may be blown, in general there’s less of a runoff problem from lawn applications than from agricultural applications. But there are not enough hard data for definitive assessment of environmental risks from lawn care treatments. 

Chemical pesticides are not the only potential environmental contaminant from lawn care treatments. Fertilizers can be a threat to fish life. 

To minimize health risks from lawn care treatments, read the warning label on the container. Firms will provide a copy of labels upon request. You should stay off a lawn after it has been treated for at least several hours, until the chemical is dry, and some experts recommend 72 hours or more. You should make sure that your lawn care firm puts up signs indicating that your lawn has been sprayed. But remember that young children and pets can’t read signs, so you’ll have to use other measures to keep them off a treated lawn. 

If a member of your household or a neighbor has an allergy to pesticides, insist that your lawn care company notify the allergic person before making treatments. In general, risks from pesticides and herbicides are likely to be smaller if the chemicals are applied by a lawn care company than if they are applied by a homeowner. An inexperienced homeowner is more likely than a trained professional to make errors in mixing concentration, adjustment of application equipment, use of safety measures to protect the applicator, storage, and disposal of containers and unused supplies. 

Do They Know What They’re Doing? 

To produce a high-quality lawn with a minimum of labor and materials and minimal use of pesticides, a lawn care firm should have employees who know what they are doing. Assessing soil needs, recognizing insects and diseases, selecting seed varieties, deciding on the timing of treatments, and many other tasks should be guided by extensive knowledge. Unfortunately, it appears that at many firms such knowledge is wanting. 

When our shoppers have gotten price quotes from firms that made site visits to inspect their lawns, the firms have given us “lawn analyses” along with the prices. If the lawn companies know what they are doing, one would expect the analyses provided by the different firms to contain similar findings and recommendations. Not so. For example, of nine different analyses we got for one lawn— 

• Eight firms recommended core aeration, while one did not. 
• Three firms recommended grub control, while six did not. 
• One saw a problem with a heavy thatch layer and recommended it be corrected, while the others did not. 
• Two mentioned a problem with heavy soil compaction, while the others did not. 
• Four of the firms had special checklists to indicate the presence of specific weeds. Two of the firms left that section blank and the other two did not agree on the types of weeds present. 

For another of our sample lawns, we found similar divergent observations from the services’ “experts,” and also— 

• Three services our shoppers contacted suggested a service plan and quoted a price without actually seeing the lawn. 
• Measurements of the lawn varied widely—from 3,535 square feet to 5,410 square feet. 
• One firm mistakenly evaluated a neighbor’s lawn. 

If a firm’s representatives aren’t able to make informed judgments, the firm may be forced to follow fixed routines—providing roughly the same treatment for every lawn and applying controls in a preventive, broad-scale manner rather than limiting use to treatment of specific, identified problems. 

If you want to have a more tailored program, you’ll want to find a firm that has a knowledgeable staff. Identifying such a firm will not be easy, but you might get some insight by walking your property with a firm’s sales representative, listening to his or her observations and asking questions. Also, you can carefully read the firm’s written materials, judging whether its lawn care practices are coherently described and justified. 

After you have hired the firm, ask that after each treatment a brief written explanation be left for you, explaining what was done, to which parts of your lawn, and why. Also, if you can be present at some service visits and ask questions of the technician, what you learn in this process can help you decide whether to continue using the firm. 

Top Lawn Care Service Laments 

Below is a summary of the various kinds of complaints we found in the reviews of lawn care services we received from surveyed CHECKBOOK subscribers. 

• Poor work or results. Mentioned in 42 percent of complaints. 
• Customer service—Lack of responsiveness by firm’s staff, poor communication or rude treatment by staff, or failure to deliver promised services. Mentioned in 39 percent of complaints. 
• Overcharges—Firm attempted to bill for charges exceeding agreed amount or billed for work that was not performed. Mentioned in 16 percent of complaints. 
• Price—Firm’s fees were considered too expensive. Mentioned in 15 percent of complaints. 
• Incompetence, poor advice, or untrained workers. Mentioned in 12 percent of complaints. 
• Promptness—Work took too long to complete or firm was late for or missed appointments. Mentioned in 12 percent of complaints. 
• Selling practices—Firm’s representatives often tried to sell extra services. Mentioned in seven percent of complaints. 

Expert Advice 

Cooperative Extension agents will give you advice by phone or at their offices and will help you diagnose plant problems if you bring or send them specimens. Each Cooperative Extension office also offers a publications catalog listing guides you can send for (some of which are free) on plant-related topics. The addresses and phone numbers of the local agencies are listed below. 

Extension Offices 

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Draper Hall, 40 Campus Center Way
Amherst, MA
413-545-4800 

Ashland
22 Eliot Street
Ashland, MA
508-881-1244 

Boston
209 Green Street, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 1196
Jamaica Plain, MA
617-522-8567 

Brockton
34 School Street, Mezzanine
Brockton, MA
508-513-3475 

Dighton
84 Center Street
Dighton, MA
508-669-6544 

East Wareham
One State Bog Road, P.O.Box 569
East Wareham, MA
508-295-2212 

Hanson
High Street, P.O. Box 658
Hanson, MA
781-293-3541 

Hawthorne
562 Maple Street, P.O. Box 362
Hawthorne, MA
978-777-8720 

Lawrence
30 North Canal Street #2
Lawrence, MA
978-689-4744 

New Bedford
13 Welby Road
New Bedford, MA
508-998-2200 

Walpole
400 Main Street
Walpole, MA
508-668-9793 

Waltham
240 Beaver Street
Waltham, MA
781-891-0650 

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
125 Arborway
Jamaica Plain, MA
617-524-1718
www.arboretum.harvard.edu 

Boston Natural Areas Network
62 Summer Street
Boston, MA
617-542-7696
www.bostonnatural.org 

Massachusetts Department of Agriculture
www.mass.gov/agr/gardening 

Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Elm Bank Horticulture Center
900 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA
617-933-4900
www.masshort.org 

Tower Hill Botanic Garden
11 French Drive
Boylston, MA
508-869-6111
www.towerhillbg.org