Weekly Cutting
A Cut Above the Competition
A thick, healthy, weed-free lawn is a standout in any neighbourhood, but landscaping can be a huge time investment. Leave your lawn to us. From cutting your yard to its optimal height to increase moisture retention and turf thickness to fertilizing and weed control programs that keep your yard looking great, a healthy looking lawn starts and ends with us.
Spring Cleanup
The most important step in creating a beautiful lawn is the spring cleanup. This is performed as soon as we are able to get on the lawn without damaging it. The spring clean up will help your lawn to maximize use of moisture, lawn care products, air, and sunlight. It will reduce the need for watering, improve drought tolerance, improve colour and thickness, and minimize disease and insect damage.
Your Spring Cleanup includes all of the following:
- Professional power raking
- Cut and vacuum of the lawn
- Trimming
- All leaves are removed from under shrubs, bushes, and trees
- All debris is blown out of flower beds
- All debris will be removed from the driveway, sidewalks and boulevard
- All debris will be removed from the lawn (twigs, leaves, garbage, etc.)
- All debris and clippings are hauled away and composted (NO bags will be left on the driveway).
*Spring clean up is NOT available without weekly property maintenance!
**Sand can be removed for an additional fee. Please contact our office for details.
Weekly Property Maintenance
Your weekly lawn maintenance will begin one to two weeks after your spring cleanup. Maintenance is performed by uniformed personnel.
Includes all of the following:
- Spring to October 4th
- Lawn cutting and trimming each week
- All debris will be removed from the driveway
- All debris will be removed from the lawn (twigs, leaves, garbage, etc.)
- All debris and clippings will be hauled away and composted (NO bags will be left on the driveway)
Cutting FAQs
Q: When does the Spring Cleanup take place?
A: Your spring cleanup takes place as soon as the lawn is dry enough to work on. That being said, our power rake may find the odd soft or wet spot while working. While our staff are experienced, it is impossible to know where a soft spot might be until the machine goes over it. Damage is rare but if/when any damage occurs it will be superficial. No damage is done to the root structure, and with the spring moisture and growth spurt, any damaged area will recover within just a few days.
Q: When does Weekly Maintenance start?
A: Your weekly maintenance will begin approximately 10-14 days after your spring cleanup. During the spring cleanup, your lawn will be cut a little on the shorter side, approximately 2-2.5″. At least 10 days will be required to allow the lawn to fill in and grow to over 3″ before resuming weekly cutting. It is critical that the lawn take this opportunity to thicken up.
Q: Can I skip cuts?
A: We have no issue with skipping one of your weekly cuttings however, no refund will be issued. We do this for three reasons. Firstly, a skipped cut means we now have more work to do (no matter how little) with your next cut. Secondly, when you book our service, you are agreeing to ‘weekly’ service. We have bills to pay, staff to keep employed, and schedules to keep. We are not interested in a customer that is going to jump on and off the service. We do not accept casual customers or perform casual work. Thirdly, not all cuts are equal. In spring the lawn grows vigorously. Spring cuts clearly take more time and effort than cuts performed later in the summer which make up for and average out your weekly price.
Q: Do you suck up pine needles or pick up crab apples?
A: No. The lawn care industry has yet to invent a machine to perform these tasks. lf you have pine needles in the lawn, most will likely get sucked up by our mower. If they have fallen into wood mulch we will be unable to separate or remove them. We never remove crab apples. This is a task that should be performed regularly by the homeowner during the brief time that the apples fall. The cost of picking up crab apples is not covered under your weekly rate and our staff have been stung many, many times by bees and wasps attracted to the juices in the apples. Picking up fallen fruit poses a real and serious health risk to our staff.
Q: What if it’s really dry and my lawn isn’t growing?
A: Since it is impossible to know when it might rain, or which customers are watering their lawns and which are not, we maintain a regular weekly schedule. If your lawn is extremely dry and not growing, you should be watering your lawn to avoid serious and permanent damage from insects and diseases. As mentioned above, if you choose to skip a cut, a refund will not be provided.
Q: What length do you cut the grass?
A: The cutting height varies from spring to fall in order to facilitate root development, conserve water, and improve weed, insect, and disease resistance. In the spring, when the lawn is growing vigorously, we cut at 3″ to encourage deep root development which will pay dividends in water retention and water savings in the summer. Over the summer we raise our cutting height to 3.5″ to increase water retention, decrease evaporation by wind, and to shield the lower parts of the plant and soil from the intense heat of the sun, further reducing evaporation. In the fall, we reduce the cutting height to 3″ again.
Q: Can I request a specific cutting height?
A: Absolutely, though we do recommend you follow our recommendations which we know will produce and maintain your lawn in optimum health. If you find the length too long we strongly recommend that ONLY the back be cut shorter if that is where you like to spend you time. Many homeowners like to enjoy their back yards and often prefer to have their back lawn cut shorter to keep the mosquitos down and the lawn easier to play on while leaving their front lawn thicker and longer for neighbourhood appearance.
Q: What do you do for flower, tree, and shrub beds?
A: All debris will be blown out of your flower beds during the spring cleanup, however we do not perform any weeding or maintenance of flower beds, gardens, or tree, or shrub beds.
Q: The sand on my lawn was not removed during the spring cleanup. What happened?
A: During your spring cleanup, our crew will blow the sand off your sidewalks and driveway, but sand will not be removed from your lawn. We do have a sand crew that is equipped with the most efficient sand removal tools in the industry. We can remove the sand from your lawn and boulevards for an extra fee. As we cannot predict or estimate the amount of sand we will find on your boulevard from year to year, it is impossible for us to provide an accurate estimate for this task.
Q: Dog feces, toys, and construction
A: Our staff are instructed to perform all of their job or none at all at each property. We keep a very regular schedule throughout the summer. If you have a dog, please call or email to let us know so that we can let you know what day your lawn will be regularly cut so you can tend to your doggie doo pick-up. Should our staff arrive to find more than 2 piles of doggie doo in the yard, they will not perform your weekly maintenance. Should your lawn have toys or construction materials scattered on the lawn they will skip your service as well. In these instances, our office will call or email to reschedule your service.
Q: Locked gates
A: Our staff always begin your service with the back lawn in order to be sure they can service your entire property. If our staff arrive to find your gate locked, they will not perform your weekly maintenance. You will be contacted to reschedule your service.
Q: Should I simply tell the person cutting my lawn about changes I wish to make to my service?
A: It would be best to call or email our office, the brain centre of our operation, to be sure all of our staff are aware of your needs. While we do try to keep the same staff performing your weekly maintenance, it’s possible a different staff member may be assigned to your property. Informing our office ensures that your requests are attached to your file for all staff attending your property.
