Owning a home or business isn’t limited to caring for the structure itself—you also have to think about landscape maintenance. If you’ve wondered, “How much is lawn care per month?” then you’re going to get your answer.
Yard maintenance cost varies depending on the size of the lawn, but did you know that grass type matters as well? The services you hire also affect the monthly landscape maintenance cost. Read on to find out how each of these aspects factors into the cost of lawn care per month.
Average Cost of Lawn Care per Month
How much does landscaping cost per month? The average lawn care cost per month is $100, but it can range from $65 to $150 each month. Some lawn care costs are as low as $40 monthly. However, it can go as high as $900 a month. These costs depend on several variables which you’ll learn more about below.
Before you balk at any of the service costs, you should understand the importance of lawn care. The appearance of the landscape can greatly impact your business. If the grass looks overgrown, potential customers will feel turned off by their perceived lack of care. They might think someone who can’t maintain the lawn can’t handle their business needs, either.
Overgrown grass is also a safety hazard. If it grows too far over a sidewalk, it can be unsteady to walk on. Some grasses and weeds knot together and can trip pedestrians. Pests can live in overgrown grass and harm people walking by. These creatures can also get into your building to cause damage and make people sick.
Factors That Impact Lawn Care Costs
Lawn care isn’t a straightforward service that comes with a set fee. There are many different factors that impact what your monthly lawn care costs may total.
If you’re searching for a lawn care company because your landscape is in bad shape, your initial expenses will be higher. However, letting lawn care professionals take over means they’ll know exactly what’s needed to get your yard looking great. After they work their magic, the average landscaping cost per month will be affordable—and will ensure your lawn doesn’t slip back into a messy jungle!
Yard Size
The size of the yard is the most obvious factor that will affect the price of lawn care. Smaller yards don’t require much mowing because there’s less grass. Therefore, the service won’t need to take much time or use much gas to take care of your lawn. However, this is a blanket assessment. Small yards with flower beds or sidewalks cutting through them require more work.
A large yard might mean that the company upgrades its fees from charging by the square foot to charging by the acre. If you have an expansive landscape and obstacles like flower beds or sidewalks in the way, they might shift to charging an hourly rate.
Charging by the hour means the service will take care to tend to every aspect of your lawn. They’ll mow the grass, taking care not to bump or damage any benches, furniture, playground equipment, or flower beds in the yard. They’ll edge around any sidewalks or borders so the grass won’t grow over them.
Some companies will send out multiple workers for properties that are large enough to charge by the hour. You might worry about paying more for extra manpower, but the costs even out since they get the work done quickly.
Grass Type
The grass type impacts the monthly landscaping cost of lawn care services because some are much easier to manage. However, it’s not uncommon for a property that looks like it has a yard of grass to actually be overrun with weeds. In this case, the company might treat the grass for weeds before they get to their regular maintenance.
Weeds can choke the roots of grass so they turn yellow, brown, and brittle, and die. Then the weeds take over and require more time and effort to mow. Thick clusters of weeds can even damage some residential lawnmowers, so it’s best to allow the company to treat the weeds they find.
The type of grass also influences how quickly it grows. Warm-season grasses, like Bermuda grass, grow quickly in hot weather. Unless you want your yard to look overgrown, you’ll likely want your lawn care service to come out every week to tame this rapid-growing grass.
This grass is common in southern climates, so you’ll need more service during late spring and summer. However, you won’t need consistent mowing when the grass goes dormant in the fall. The ebb and flow of necessary services let the costs even out over the year.
Cool-season grasses include Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass. They’re commonly found in northern states because they can withstand frigid winters without experiencing root damage. They don’t grow rampant in the heat but do flourish in warmer weather. Spring and fall are the seasons when you’ll need more consistent lawn care for these grasses.
If you don’t know the type of grass in your yard, the lawn care company should be able to identify it for you. You can also reach out to university agriculture departments for further information on classifying grass.
Obstacles
In addition to the type of grass, any obstacles in the way of the grass will also change the price. Some landscapes have sidewalks, benches, flower beds, playground equipment, or trees in the way. The mowers have to slow down and work carefully to prevent damaging any of these obstacles.
If your yard has a sidewalk or pathway going through it, that requires extra edging. The lawn care company will charge an additional fee for this service—usually by square foot or hour. But it’s worth the expense because they’ll keep grass from taking over your pathways.
If the grass is growing over your sidewalks, your business looks bad and could cause people to trip on their way to the building’s entrance. It’s always worth considering how clean and inviting your business will look when you’re assessing possible lawn care services.
Frequency
The overall monthly cost of lawn care depends on the frequency of service as well. Weekly mowing services are often less expensive than biweekly because the grass doesn’t grow as high between visits. Depending on the heat, rain, and humidity, a lawn can grow out of control in two weeks. The service will need to spend more time getting the yard back in shape.
You don’t have to mow in cold weather because the grass doesn’t grow as high as in summer. In fact, it’s not advised to mow if the temperature is below 40 degrees. Mowing grass that isn’t tall enough can put the roots at risk of cold weather damage.
Your lawn care company will know when to schedule service in winter. If you feel like you must cut the grass in cold weather, make sure it’s dry. Also, ask the workers to leave the grass longer than they’d cut it in summer. But in general, your landscaping expenses between the months of November to March will be virtually zero.
Scope of Work
Basic lawn care includes mowing the grass and edging where the lawn meets the street, sidewalk, driveway, or parking lot. This service is enough to keep your property looking neat and inviting.
Depending on your landscape, you might need additional services. Since the company is already coming to your property to mow, extra services might include a discount. You can always ask if there’s a bundle so you can use the same workers to take care of your complete landscape.
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Services Available
Lawn care companies charge for their services in different ways. Some charge per square foot or acre. Others charge per hour or per visit. They might give discounts for additional lawn mowing services beyond mowing since they’re already on your property. Regardless of how they charge, they can bill you per visit, per week, or per month.
Lawn Mowing
Mowing itself costs about $135 on average. This includes cutting the grass, edging the yard, and using a weedeater. Not only does regular mowing keep your yard looking nice and trim, but the grass also stays healthier with maintenance.
For smaller residential yards, lawn care companies usually charge by square foot, and the charge can range from $0.01 to $0.05 per square foot. This method of estimation is especially efficient if your lawn has large areas of the landscape that don’t require a lawnmower.
How much is lawn service each month? Lawn services will charge by the acre for expansive business properties or large, rural lawns. The amount per acre is slightly higher than per square foot since the company uses more gas to reach every edge of the property. However, you typically get discounts for additional acres.
For example, when it comes to lawn care services cost, one acre can cost $50 to $100. But with more property, you’ll see a shift in price, such as:
- Two acres average $75 to $150 instead of $100 to $200
- Three acres average $125 to $275
- Four acres average $175 to $375
Therefore, having more business property doesn’t mean you’ll be paying two or three times more per acre.
If you have obstacles in the way, such as fences, benches, landscaped areas, or playground equipment, the company might charge by the hour. This change in lawn care pricing structure is because they have to carefully maneuver around whatever is in the way, which takes more time.
Some services send multiple workers to the same property. While you might feel like you’re paying more for the additional people, your overall lawn maintenance cost remains the same. More workers get the job done quickly, so don’t expect to pay for more hours.
Fertilizing
The average cost of fertilizing is about $220. If you understand the different types of fertilizer to use on grass, you can fertilize the landscape yourself. But hiring your lawn care crew to do it ensures they’ll use the right product and do it at the right time.
Spring is the best time to fertilize the grass. Watch for the grass to start growing so you know the soil temperature is 55 degrees. Fertilizers with more nitrogen are ideal for grass because it keeps the green color bright. Nitrogen-rich grass is less susceptible to disease as well.
Weeding
Many people find that their grass is more weeds than healthy blades of grass, but even weeds can look green and healthy. Standard mowing can help with weed control if they grow with your grass. But if you have flower beds or shrubbery on your landscape, you might want to pay extra for a premium weeding service.
The average cost of weeding is $75 per month. You can do the weeding yourself if you have the time, but paying someone is efficient and ensures they remove the right greenery. You don’t want to accidentally uproot a budding plant!
It’s worth hiring someone to weed your flower beds as soon as you notice the unusual growth. Weeds can strangle the plants you’re trying to grow. If you spot weeds when they’re seedlings, you can catch them early and prevent them from flowering and spreading their seeds.
Leaf Removal
When the temperatures change, the leaves change color and fall from the trees. They might be beautiful to look at, but leaves left on your grass can look messy and even harm the grass’s health. Take advantage of the leaf removal service your lawn care company offers.
Some companies will mow the grass because it chops up the leaves and makes them ideal for compost piles. Others suck up leaves or blow them into storage containers. Depending on the leaf removal method, this service can cost anywhere from $200 to $400. How many trees are on your property makes a huge difference in the expense.
Final Notes
When you’re wanting to know, “How much does lawn care cost per month?” you need to consider that it’s worth paying more for good work, especially if you need multiple services for your property. A well-kept lawn helps your home or business look clean and inviting. Invest in your business and hire a lawn care service to keep your grass in check.
