The Hidden Costs of DIY Lawn Care: When It Pays to Hire a Pro

Tackling lawn care on your own often turns out to be a much bigger job than you anticipated, and trying to manage every blade, bug, and bare spot in your lawn can leave you feeling depleted—mentally, physically, and financially. 

While you may think you’re saving money by doing your own lawn care, you should understand that it can actually cut into your time and your wallet more than you realize. 

In fact, DIY lawn care expenses can creep up quickly, and in the end, you may end up spending more money and time doing it yourself than you would enlisting the help of a professional lawn care service. 

To get into the nitty-gritty of DIY lawn care versus professional lawn care, we shine a light on the hidden costs of DIY lawn care and explain how hiring a professional lawn care service can take the worries—and weeds—off your plate and grow your wallet in the meantime. 

5 Hidden Costs of DIY Lawn Care 

Despite what you may believe, performing lawn care on your own racks up more than just material costs.

Let’s take a look at these hidden costs. 

1. Wasted Time

Your time is valuable, and when you try to take lawn care into your own hands, not only do you have to set aside time to perform the actual lawn care tasks, but you also have to spend time researching lawn issues and best practices and hunting down the right tools, equipment, and products. 

Benefit of Hiring a Lawn Care Expert

Hiring a professional lawn care service means you get to spend more time doing what you really want to do, and less time worrying about your lawn. 

2. Sourcing Proper Tools + Materials

You may have an idea of what type of product you need, but do you know the best place to find it? What’s more, do you have the tools and equipment needed to put your plan into action? And if you do, are those tools properly maintained and ready to go? 

Buying equipment needed to perform lawn care services can get pricey very quickly, not to mention the time you need to spend searching for exactly the right tool. 

Even if you decide to rent a specific piece of equipment, like a spreader and sprayer to apply fertilizer or herbicide, it’s worth noting that availability of these products may be limited, especially during certain times of the year when everyone else has the same idea. 

How A Lawn Care Pro Can Help 

A professional lawn care company like Turf Pride already has all the tools and equipment needed to get the job done right. 

3. Product Storage Costs

Do you have an intended storage spot for leftover materials? If so, is it set to the right temperature and conditions to safely store the product? 

You may not use an entire bag of product to cover your lawn, so it’s crucial that you consider where you will store the leftover material. 

What a Lawn Care Expert Can Do For You 

Hiring a pro means you don’t have to even think about what happens to any leftover materials. The experts have that covered.  

4. Repeat Applications + Corrective Measures

When it comes to putting down lawn care products, it’s essential to nail the proper timing, amount, and technique, every time.

Otherwise, you may end up having to redo the application or fix the damage caused by the first go-around.

The Professional Lawn Service Difference

Turf Pride’s trained and certified technicians adhere to best industry practices. With years of experience under their belts, they know exactly when, where, and how to apply all of the products, not to mention the correct amount for each. 

5. Lawn Damage Due to Misdiagnosis 

When it comes to diagnosing lawn issues, Google and AI platforms are not fool-proof, and a misdiagnosed issue can lead to major consequences for your lawn. 

The Professional Lawn Care Difference

Turf Pride’s techs know the types of pests, diseases, and other lawn issues that can plague your Northeast Ohio lawn and are more than happy to answer your questions and offer advice on how to best care for your yard.

6. Unsafe or Ineffective Products

In some cases, the consumer products may not be the most safe or effective for your situation. 

Potentially putting yourself, your pets, or your kids in harm’s way is not something you want to risk. 

Benefit of Hiring a Lawn Care Expert

Not only do our technicians at Turf Pride use the highest quality of product, but they also know exactly what products to use to keep you and your family safe. 

What’s more, we use an organic-based fertilizer as an added measure.

7. Stress and Worry

There is a less tangible cost that comes along with constantly worrying about making time to take care of the lawn or stressing out about why the brown spots continue taking over.  

Ways A Lawn Care Pro Can Help

Hiring a professional lawn service provides you with peace of mind knowing that all of your lawn care needs are addressed correctly. With deep roots in the Northeast Ohio area, Turf Pride’s technicians can pinpoint whatever issue your lawn may be experiencing and give recommendations on how to fix it. 

5 Common DIY Lawn Care Mistakes

Now that you understand the hidden costs of DIY lawn care, let’s also take a look at some of the common mistakes homeowners make when taking care of their lawns. 

1. Inconsistent Treatments

We get it, life gets busy, but the truth is that during the growing season, the lawn never stops, which is why it’s important to keep a consistent schedule.

At Turf Pride, our lawn care program includes six treatments, including spring and fall fertilization and weed control applications, as well as a grub prevention treatment applied in June or July, to keep your lawn in great condition all season long. 

2. Watering Too Much 

While it’s true that lawns need water, especially during Northeast Ohio’s dry summer months, it’s also true that more water is not always the answer.

For example, brown spots can be an indication of drought stress, but they can also be a symptom of disease, in which case, adding more water would only add to the problem. 

Pro Tip: At the end of the season, brown areas are more likely caused by insect damage rather than drought stress. Drought stress will typically recover on its own after the rainfall and cooler temperatures that come with fall. 

3. Improper Mowing Heights

It may seem more time efficient to mow infrequently and lob off huge chunks of grass each time you mow, but in fact, this could lead to more turf stress, opening up your yard to potential insect and disease infiltration. 

Whether you do it yourself or rely on a professional mowing service, be sure your grass is mowed at a height of 3 inches or higher.     

4. Applying Too Much Product

More product does not necessarily mean better results. 

For example, applying more fertilizer may inadvertently give an extra boost to the weeds in your yard or potentially cause damage to turf, whereas putting down too much weed control product may also cause damage to your grass.

5. Improper Application Techniques 

Fertilizer applied to the lawn in the beginning of the season typically contains more nitrogen, so the grass can green up faster.

However, if you improperly apply the product by overlapping your passes or accidentally miss some strips of the grass, you can end up with dark green trails that arc across your lawn where the product was overapplied or light green areas where the product was not applied at all.

The Advantage of Turf Pride’s Professional Lawn Care Services 

Between endless hours of research, countless trips to the store for pricey products, and the unending frustration that comes with DIY lawn care that just doesn’t work, the costs of DIY lawn care add up fast.

If you’re located in Mentor, Ohio, or a surrounding area, it’s time to stop guessing what works for your yard and start growing the lawn of your dreams with Turf Pride.

Get a free quote today and discover how worth it professional lawn care can be!