Self-Maintenance Of Residential Property May Not Be A Cost-Efficient Approach

Residential Property MaintenanceMany amateur yet avid residential gardeners enjoy spending time maintaining their property. And it is not only a matter of time spent, but there are a number of these practitioners who are not shy when it comes to spending their money on:

  • Fertilizers and nutrients
  • Herbicides and pesticides
  • Tools and accessories
  • Water, hydro, gas, etc.

Despite the best of intentions, however, residential property owners may actually be doing a disservice to their lawns by performing their own yard care and maintenance. While self-care is indeed an admirable task, if the products/supplies and tools/equipment are not applied or used appropriately, there may a negative albeit unintentional impact on the property – not to mention a lack of return on the time and money invested.

There are several ways in which self-maintenance by residential property owners can lead to squandered money and/or the subsequent need to hire professional yard care services to rectify the situation. These circumstances might include:

  • Incorrect mowing techniques
    • Cutting too low – this shocks or scalps the lawn and stresses the roots
    • Cutting too often – affects growth/nutritional balance between grass/roots
    • Dull mower blade – weakens turf, promotes fungal growth, increases fuel use
    • Not adjusting blade height as needed – i.e.: not raised in droughts; in the fall
    • Over-mulching – cutting too low/often causes unwanted thatch accumulation
  • Improper watering practices
    • Incomplete/inadequate watering after lawn applications – reduces efficacy
    • Relying on rain water – may not be sufficient to penetrate to the roots
    • Watering at peak sun/temperatures – more evaporation; risk of fungal growth
  • Inappropriate choice of products
    • All-purpose fertilizers – may not address specific soil/environmental conditions
    • All-purpose weed killers – may not provide sufficient control of any/all weeds
  • Unsuitable selection of equipment/tools
    • Limited-range spreaders – may result in uneven/excessive granule distribution
    • Poorly tuned mowers – cause uneven cuts and increase cutting time/fuel costs
  • Ill-timed applications
    • Fertilizing outside of the growing season can cause damage and/or pest issues
    • Treating some weeds in their post-emergent state will simply not be effective

When you contrast the investment versus return of residential property maintenance on your own, directly (absolute dollars) and indirectly (time and frustration), the yard care services offered by a professional landscaping company such as Landcare may actually produce cost savings – along with eliminating the necessary attention to detail, schedules, timing, and potential inconvenience, demanded from homeowners in order to keep a well-manicured lawn.

Professional Yard Care Services Can Provide Worry-Free Property Maintenance

While professional yard care services may initially seem to be more costly than self-maintenance efforts, the return on this investment might provide short-term and long-term benefits that far outweigh the absolute dollar value of the contract.

The tangible and intangible benefits of such a contractual arrangement include:

  • An overall lush and healthy property
  • Yard care with expert attention to detail
  • Services provided only when/as needed
  • Money spent solely on appropriate products
  • Convenience of dealing with one contractor
  • Early identification/remedying of any issues
  • Work performed with top-quality equipment

When the full scope of potential advantages is examined, residential property owners may find that their actual yard care costs can be reduced in relation to:

  • Purchase of materials
  • Equipment acquisition/maintenance
  • Unwanted or corrective expenses
  • Utilization of household resources

If you have concerns that the self-maintenance of your property may be costing you more than it should, or you are becoming frustrated with the demands being placed on your time by such efforts, call the yard care experts at Landcare today at 647-557-7307 or contact us to discuss our range of services that will make caring for your lawn both cost-effective and worry-free.