Lawncare: bring in the professionals?

Lawncare specialists are increasing, so check out their costs and services to see if it pays to hire a professional

Raise the height of the cut in autumn

'On the first consultation they measured the lawn (which totals 4-500sq m or 6-700sq yd) and took a grass sample to check for any problems. They recommended a treatment timetable to suit our lawn and visit four times a year.'

Call in the professionals

You could opt to take the strain out of caring for your lawn and call in the professionals. There are a growing number of lawncare companies who are willing to take on your lawn treatments. They can diagnose the problems and then advise of the appropriate action. The advantage is that they have their own equipment to do the job quickly, but as professionals they also have access to some pest and disease treatments that are not available to amateur gardeners. Costs will vary with treatments and lawn area, but prices can start at £13 per treatment for an average lawn of 100 sq m (125 sq yd).

TruGreen

Formed in 1974, TruGreen operates almost 60 franchises covering a large percentage of the UK. For autumn lawncare, it offers a free 14-point lawn analysis that will uncover problem areas in the lawn, and a fully-trained TruGreen expert will put together a tailored lawncare package based on different grass and soil types. Treatment includes aeration, scarification, over-seeding, autumn fertilisation and top dressing. A typical cost for the autumn treatment might be £280 for a lawn measuring 200 sq m (250 sq yd). The company recommends a minimum of four visits per year for routine lawncare and offer some organic treatments (tel: 0116 275 9000).

GreenThumb

Established in 1986, GreenThumb currently have 168 outlets from Inverness in the North, to the Isle of Wight in the South. plus six branches in Northern Ireland. The company offers four treatments a year - the autumn treatment greens up the lawn and contains a moss-control element plus optional aeration and scarification to also address the moss problem, which will be bad this year due to the summer weather. Treatment costs can vary, but start from £13 per application for a typical 100 sq m (125 sq yd) lawn. Extra treatments are on offer to control leatherjackets or chafer grubs, diseases (red thread is very prevalent at present), plus a water conserver for dry/dought conditions (tel: 08000 111 222).

The Lawn Company Ltd

The Lawn Company was recently set up by ex-groundsman Mike Seaton who has been working in turf culture since 1981. The company now has six outlets with the aim of getting customers' lawns in good condition and then helping them to look after it themselves. For the autumn, it offers control of leatherjackets, autumn fertiliser and worm cast eradication. The usual lawn treatments involve four visits per year, but the service is bespoke, so they might renovate a lawn and then sell the client the fertiliser and a spreader for future applications, but then manage any pesticide treatments. Renovation costs £0.85 per sq m for an average lawn (tel: 0870 442 7475).

Grassroots

A father-and-son business, Grassroots is based in Tunbridge Wells and has three teams offering a local service. The routine autumn treatment covers a root feed and moss control application. The company can also carry out hollow-tine aeration with top dressing and reseeding if needed plus scarifying to control thatch and moss. It normally offers four visits a year for weed-and-feed treatments and then again for aeration/scarification if it needs to be carried out that year. Organic treatments are available on request. Prices start from £15 per treatment for up to 100 sq m (125 sq yd), with the average between £30-40 (tel: 0192 531 595).

Case study 1: David Grimwade

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David Grimwade from Orpington has been using Grass Roots (bottom right) for about five years. 'On the first consultation they measured the lawn (which totals 4-500 sq m or 6-700 sq yd) and took a grass sample to check for any problems. They recommended a treatment timetable to suit our lawn and visit four times a year. Each visit involves applying a feed and weedkiller and sometimes a moss kill too. We noticed an improvement in the appearance right from the start. The lawn is also scarified and aerated every year on an alternate basis using heavy duty equipment that really does the job. The lawn looks quite rough after this treatment, but the difference shows later on. It's so easy - the regular treatments take 20 minutes and at £25 a time, I think it's real value for money.'

Case study 2: Lyn Evans

Lyn Evans from Milton Keynes says: 'I used to feed the lawn at least once a year and it cost around £25 to buy the feed. My gas man told me about Greenthumb and said how pleased he was with them, then a few weeks later they had a stand at a local garden show and I put my name down for a call and then booked an assessment. The cost is £14 a treatment and they come up to four times a year. I also had the lawn aerated in the autumn for £27, which was good as you can't hire a good machine for this. They are very helpful and my lawn was in better condition last year than ever before, with far less weeds, although there are still some remaining. I had a lot of clover, but that has all gone and the grass is thicker and stronger. Now I don't have to go out and lug a large bag of lawn feed home and worry then about whether it will rain or not. I think it is great and am really glad I decided to use them. My basic cost is £56 a year to do my lawn of 115 sq m (140 sq yd) four times – twice in the spring and autumn, and I think it would cost me this at least to do it myself.'

Artificial grass

Though not cheap, opting for artificial grass saves in maintenance, and it is gaining popularity in some quarters. It might suit a small garden with no storage for garden tools and it will stand up to wear and tear. However, for traditional gardeners, it probably won't replace the familiar feel of a healthy sward. Expect to pay between £10 and £20 per sq m with tape and glue extra.

Adding up the cost

Feeding the lawn

Although lawns come in all shapes and sizes a typical lawn measures a total of 100 sq m (125 sq yd). On a small lawn, only small quantities of materials are required and there will be savings if only hand tools and muscle power are used.

For a typical lawn area, you may prefer to buy a mechanical scarifier and specially designed aerating tool. On larger lawns, the expense of materials will mount up. Heavy-duty equipment can be hired over a weekend, however, with the advantage that these tools do the job more quickly and thoroughly.

Typical cost of equipment to buy

Electric lawn aerator – approx £150-£180
Electric lawn rake (scarifier) – approx £36-£90
Manual hollow tiner – approx £20
Manual lawn spreader – approx £15-£30
Petrol scarifier – approx £400-£500

Typical cost of equipment to hire

Electric scarifier – £15-£30 (daily), £25-£35 (2 days), £40-£50 (weekly)
Manual aerator – £12-£15 (daily), £16-£20 (2 days), £25-£30 (weekly)
Petrol aerator – £60-£90 (daily), £75-£115 (2 days), £125-£175 (weekly)
Petrol scarifier – £45-£55 (daily), £55-£65 (2 days), £55-£95 (weekly)

Typical material costs for lawns

For lawn sizes – 50sq m (60sq yd); 100sq m (125sq yd); 400sq m (500 sq yd)
Aerator to hire – hand tools; £12 electric, £90 petrol
Lawn feed, weed and mosskill – £3; £20; £20
Lawn seed (bare patches only) – £3; £20; £20
Scarifier to hire – hand tools; £20 electric; £60 petrol
Top dressing – £12.50; £70; £70