A beautiful, well-maintained landscape has a big impact on your home’s curb appeal and property value. To keep your landscape looking great year-round, hiring a professional landscape company is the best option, but costs and services can vary greatly between companies. It’s important to find a company that can handle your specific landscape needs within your budget.
The average costs of lawn care in NJ will vary depending on several factors – the type of services you need: the exact services you choose: the size of your property; and the condition of your existing landscape. To determine your costs, you will have to consider all of these factors and talk to a Northern NJ landscape professional who can give you more accurate costs.
First, take a good look at your lawn and landscape and determine what services you need. If you just need someone to mow the lawn, your costs will be minimal. If you need someone to mow the lawn, trim the shrubs, plant new flowers and plants, provide pest control and clean up the landscape, your costs will obviously be greater.
Regular Lawn Care and Maintenance
Regular lawn care and maintenance are essential to keep your landscape green, healthy, and well-maintained year-round. Typical services include:
- Weekly lawn mowing
- Weeding
- Walkway and driveway border edging
- Walkway, sidewalk, and driveway cleaning
- Yard cleanup in the Spring to remove debris and dead winter growth
- Yard cleanup in the Fall to prepare your lawn for Winter
The average costs of lawn care in NJ for regular care and maintenance will vary based on your location and the size of your property. If you only need regular lawn care and maintenance, your costs will be based on those services and the frequency of those services.
Optional Lawn Care Services
A full-service landscape company can provide many more services that will keep your lawn and landscape healthy and enhance the beauty of your home. In addition to regular weekly lawn care and maintenance services, you may want to consider additional services that include:
Lawn Renovation
If you want to plant new shrubs and trees, a lawn care professional can select the right varieties and provide planting services. If you want to plant a new lawn, consider planting in early Fall when Northern NJ temperatures are starting to cool down a little, but the ground is still warm. It’s important to re-seed or lay new sod before cold weather sets in. Cool-season grasses like fine and tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and wheat grass germinate best when daytime temperatures are between 60 and 75 degrees. When planted properly, fescue grasses will germinate within 10 to 14 days. Your lawn care professional can give you the average cost of lawn care in NJ for re-seeding or sodding your lawn.
Garden Design
If you want a beautiful flower garden with plants that will bloom and provide color year-round, a professional landscape company can help you create it. Full-service landscape companies typically have specialists who are educated in horticulture, and they can provide expert assistance in garden design and garden maintenance. Services may include design and planting services for annual and perennial flower gardens; containers and window-boxes; seasonal bulbs; seasonal plants; specialty gardens; and holiday decorating and lighting. Talk to a full-service Bergen County landscape company about the average cost of lawn care in NJ that includes garden design services.
Seasonal Planting
Planting colorful flowers, border plants, new shrubs and special garden areas will create visual interest with scale and texture. A qualified landscape company can help you choose plants that will grow well in your existing soil type, light conditions and planting locations. New Jersey is separated into four different planting zones – 6a, 6b, 7a and 7b – designated by the USDA hardiness planting zones. If you’re unsure about plant selections, a professional can select the proper varieties for your planting zone for best year-round growth.
Seasonal Pruning
Pruning should be done when plants have reached their maximum foliage growth. Tree limbs and shrubs should be pruned back to live wood, so new growth can sprout. If there’s severe plant damage or the plant is dying, it’s best to replace it. It’s best to prune Spring-flowering plants immediately after blooms fade, and Summer-flowering plants and trees before they start to bloom. For best results, pruning must be done at the right time of year to avoid plant damage and promote new growth.
Fertilization
Your lawn, plants, shrubs and trees need fertilization to supply necessary nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and iron. Soil conditions in most landscapes lack adequate nutrients for healthy, strong plant growth, so fertilizer must be added throughout the year. Choosing the right type of fertilizer and proper fertilization schedules are essential for a healthy, thriving landscape. Using the wrong fertilizers and fertilizing at the wrong time of year can burn or kill your grass, shrubs and trees. A lawn care professional can give you the average cost of lawn care in NJ for regular fertilization year-round.
Mulching
Mulching is a simple, inexpensive way to provide extra benefits to your lawn and landscape. It provides a protective layer of material on top of the soil that offers many advantages for healthy roots and plant growth. Mulch is available in organic and inorganic compounds that both benefit your landscape. Organic mulches like grass clippings, bark chips and straw decompose and enrich the soil. Inorganic mulches like synthetic fabrics, rocks and gravel don’t improve the soil, but they offer advantages for steep slopes with soil erosion and hard-to-reach landscape areas. The average cost of lawn care in NJ for mulching is very affordable and well worth the benefits it provides for your lawn.
Insect and Pest Control
Although insects and pests are common in any landscape, they can cause extensive damage. Small, hard-to-see insects like aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs and beetles can invade your lawn and plants and munch of grass blades and leaves. Underground pests like grubs, webworms, wire worms, slugs and fire ants can invade your soil and destroy your lawn. An Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) can prevent unwanted insects and pests in your lawn and landscape with natural, organic controls. Your lawn care professional can give you an average cost of lawn care in NJ that includes an Integrated Pest Management Program for your home.
Organic Lawn Care
Organic lawn care is a great way to provide a safe chemical-free environment for your home. It promotes green living while protecting the environment from chemicals and toxic fumes. Organic lawn care promotes natural aeration and weed control with organic solutions that improve soil quality. It promotes strong root growth, plant stability and protection from lawn diseases and harmful insects and pests. Talk to a Bergen County landscape company about the average cost of lawn care in NJ for organic lawn care. For best results, Spring, Summer and Fall applications are recommended.
Lawn Aeration
During the Winter, freezing temperatures cause the ground to become compacted resulting in dry, unhealthy soil. By aerating your lawn, punching small holes in the soil, grass roots can receive the required amounts of oxygen, water and fertilizer needed for new growth. Aeration is a simple process with big benefits for your lawn. For best results, lawn aeration should be done in early Fall when ground temperatures are still warm. It’s best to work with a lawn care professional who has proper lawn aeration knowledge, skills and equipment.
Soil Testing
In Spring when the ground has warmed up, it’s important to test your soil to determine pH balance. The type of soil you have, acid or alkaline, has a big impact on your grass and plant growth and maintenance requirements. Sandy soils drain quickly and don’t hold moisture or nutrients well. Clay soils hold a lot of nutrients, but don’t let air or water penetrate well. If you want to do the test yourself, you can purchase a soil test kit at a local garden or home improvement store. For best results, have your lawn care professional do the test for you. If you hire a professional landscape company for regular lawn care and maintenance, a soil test is often included in the average cost of lawn care in NJ.
When you decide on the lawn care services you need, a Bergen County landscape professional can take a look at your property. Based on the size of your property and the lawn care services you choose, average cost of lawn care in NJ will reflect more accurate pricing for your Northern NJ home.
