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Average Lawn Care Cost in Dallas?

Lawn care costs depend on a variety of different factors required for maintaining a healthy lawn. Given Dallas’ diverse climate and terrain, it’s essential to understand the average lawn care costs you may encounter. 

Average Lawn Care Cost in Dallas? Here’s a look at some of the average costs of lawn care services in Dallas:

Acreage Mowing and Maintenance (Per Visit) Fertilizer (Per Application)
1 Acre $80.91 $116.25
1/2 Acre $54.88 $85
1/4 Acre $37.70 $59.69
Data Courtesy of lawn-care.promatcher.com

In addition to the general costs for maintenance and fertilizer, a wide range of other factors can significantly influence the costs of caring for your lawn.


Lawn Care Factors to Consider

When factoring lawn care costs, the maintenance and overall health of your lawn will determine much of the budget. Here’s a look at some common factors to consider when figuring out average lawn care costs:

Maintenance

Lawn care maintenance can include a wide variety of services aimed at keeping your lawn healthy. 

Mowing

Considering the average homeowner pays about $34 for lawn mowing services in Dallas, it may be worth investing in your own mower. Additionally, the cost of mowing can increase exponentially depending on the terrain and size of your lawn.

Watering/Sprinklers

A major factor in lawn care costs involves the watering system you use. According to homeadvisor.com, most sprinkler systems in Dallas will cost you around $2,451 for a ¼ acre of yard. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure to consider any factors regarding the layout of your yard that may bump up the cost of installing a sprinkler system (landscaping materials, soil condition, slope, etc.).

It is worth noting, however, that though the initial costs of a sprinkler system may seem high, they can save you money on water in the long run (especially with the hot, dry Dallas summers).

Fertilizer

Another contributing factor to the cost of lawn care maintenance is fertilizer. It’s recommended to fertilize your lawn several times a year, and depending on the size of your yard, these costs can quickly add up.

If you’re looking for a helpful, in-depth guide regarding the costs of fertilizer, check out this article for a breakdown of the service costs involved.

The Size of your Yard

It may seem obvious to some, but it’s important to note that the size of your card can greatly affect the cost of your yearly lawn care maintenance. For example, the need for more fertilizer and extra mowing services (trimming, hedging, etc.) will add to the cost of larger yards, not to mention additional water usage.


Additional Lawn Care Services

In addition to the required costs for maintaining a healthy lawn, many homeowners opt for a variety of other lawn care services. Though not all lawns will need additional services, it’s helpful to understand extra costs for your lawn care budget. For example:

  • Pest Control
  • Aeriation
  • Mulch
  • Sprinkler System Repair/Maintenance

It’s essential to consider additional lawn care services, as they will significantly improve the longevity and overall health of your lawn.


Cost Saving Tips for Lawn Care

  • If you decide to invest in your own lawnmower, try a mulching lawnmower. These will mow your grass into fine pieces of mulch that provide additional nutrients for existing grass in your lawn.
  • Recycling your water is another great cost-saving tip. If you’re washing your car or cleaning something off using your hose, do it on or near your lawn. The excess water will help your soil and prevent wasting water.
  • For hot Dallas summers, try to use drought-resistant flowers and plants like these. These will help lower the cost requirements to maintain your yard (less water, fertilizer, and upkeep).

When Should I Reseed my Lawn in Texas?

If you’re looking to reseed your lawn in Texas, it’s essential to understand the timing involved around planting your seeds. The diversity of Texas’ climate provides a variety of options for reseeding your lawn.

When Should I Reseed my Lawn in Texas? With Texas’ hot, dry summers, it’s recommended to reseed your lawn in late Spring or early Fall. Reseeding during these times will ensure optimal growth for your new seeds.

Knowing that Spring and Fall in Texas provide an optimal climate for reseeding your lawn, let’s take a look at some tips for preparing your lawn for the process.


Preparing your Lawn for Reseeding

When you’re reseeding your lawn, you’ll want to make sure to take the appropriate steps to ensure the longevity and overall health of your grass. Here’s a guide to get you started when preparing to reseed your lawn:

  1. Check the Condition of your Soil
    • You’ll want to make sure your soil has the proper pH levels, as well as the correct temperatures (depending on the type of grass you use). 
    • Making sure your soil is at a hospitable condition for new grass will encourage growth.
    • Note: If areas of your soil have become overly compacted, you’ll need to till the soil for aeration.
  1. Rake the Grass Clean of Leaves and Debris
    • Before reseeding your lawn, it’s important to make sure it is clean of any dead grass or debris (leaves, weeds, etc.) that may inhibit germination and growth. 
    • As an added bonus, raking your lawn will reveal any dry spots that may need to be repaired.
  1. Moisten Seeds
    • Moisten your seeds before reseeding to help accelerate the germination process.
    • Reader’s Digest recommends mixing your seeds with damp sand before scattering them; that way, they will stay in place even with the wind.
  1. Add Fertilizer
    • Depending on the type of seeds you’re using for your lawn, you can choose a variety of different fertilizers, aimed at providing nutrients for your grass.
    • Alternatively, you can add a thin layer of compost to prepare your soil.

How Often to Water 

Once you’ve reseeded your lawn, you’ll want to make sure it receives the appropriate amount of water to ensure longevity. 

According to FamilyHandyMan.com:

Keep the soil moist to a depth of 4 to 6 in. for best germination.

You’ll want to water the reseeded lawn regularly as you start seeing seeds begin to grow. After this period, you can reduce the watering frequency over time. Many people often overwater their new lawns, when just keeping the soil damp will suffice.


Sodding vs. Reseeding

If you’ve been researching reseeding your lawn, you may be wondering the difference between reseeding and sodding.

Sodding

  • Sod is a roll of “pre-grown” grass, meant to be transferred to your yard. The advantage of sodding your lawn is that you can have an easily replaceable mature lawn, without having to navigate the seeding process.
  •  Additionally, you can use sod to replace dead grass in your existing lawn quickly.

Reseeding

  • Reseeding, as we’ve seen, requires a more involved process, but can produce a healthier lawn overall.
  • Another benefit of reseeding your lawn is that there’s a wider variety of grass seed types to choose from, as opposed to a more limited selection of sod.

Tips for Reseeding your Lawn

  • Make sure you’re using a seed appropriate for your climate (warm season seeds vs. cold season seeds, soil temperature, etc.) 
  • When reseeding your lawn, it isn’t always necessary to do a complete overhaul. Many dying lawns can be improved by addressing individual spots, rather than killing the entire lawn to reseed.
  • Give your newly seeded lawn time to grow before mowing. Many grass seeds will need several months to establish a root system before they can be safely mowed.

When Should I Aerate My Lawn in Texas?

Aeration 101

How often should I aerate my lawn?

If you’re one of many Texans who plan on hosting outdoor gatherings and getting a lot of use out of your lawn, it may be time to aerate. But, when is the best time to aerate your lawn in Texas?

When Should I Aerate My Lawn in Texas? The best time to aerate your lawn is early to mid-summer. During this time, warm-season grasses will experience their most active growth period, ideal for aerating.

Aerating your lawn helps improve the overall health of your lawn, while also providing an opportunity to address potential issues (over-watering, browning, heavy foot traffic, etc.).


Now that we have a better idea of the best time to aerate your lawn in Texas, let’s take a quick look at some of the basics of aeration.

HGTV.com describes it as:

Aerating is the process of scooping or “coring” holes into your lawn so oxygen, water and nutrients can penetrate deeper into the soil.

There are two primary types of aeration methods you can use for your lawn; Core and Liquid.

Core Aeration

  • Core aeration, as the name suggests, creates small cores (½-  ¾” in diameter) throughout your lawn, meant to allow oxygen to your roots. This provides the additional nutrients your lawn needs to thrive.
  • A benefit of Core aeration is that the effects are seen soon after aeration, though the process doesn’t last as long, potentially requiring multiple aeration’s a year.

Liquid Aeration

  • Liquid aeration penetrates your soil more deeply than core aeration, providing for a healthier lawn over a more extended period of time.
  • Additionally, liquid aeration is less invasive, so it won’t affect your existing sprinkler system or plumbing. It seeps through the soil, rather than removing cores for access to the root system.

Why Should I Aerate my lawn?

Helps with Compacted Soil

  • Compacted soil is one of the main reasons most homeowners need to aerate their lawns.

If you can’t stick a screwdriver easily 6 to 8 inches into your soil, it’s too compacted.

  • When the soil in your yard becomes impacted (especially in high traffic areas), it makes it difficult for your grass to receive the nutrients it needs to thrive.
  • Aerating your lawn can help mix the compacted soil in your lawn ideal if you’ll be reseeding your yard as well. 

Prevents Weed Growth

  • Compacted soil can often encourage excessive weed growth. The weeds use the lawns weakened root system as an opportunity to thrive in your yard.
  • Aeration allows for a stronger root system with your grass. A healthy, dense lawn has the natural ability to “choke” out weeds in your yard.

Improves Lawn Root System

  • Aerating your lawn will drastically improve the overall health and strength of your lawn’s root system. With the aeration process, the nutrients can penetrate below the soil and access the root system directly.

Drought Tolerant

  • Another advantage of strengthening your lawn’s root system through aeration is it will help the grass become drought tolerant. A lawn with a healthy root system is significantly more likely to thrive in hot Texas summers.

Tips for Aerating your Lawn in Texas

Some tips to answer “How aerate my lawn?”: DIYNetwork.com suggests using a shovel to dig a square foot soil sample. If the grass’ roots don’t penetrate more than 2” deep in your soil, it might be time to aerate.

Aerating is a great opportunity to fertilize your lawn. With access to the root system, it’s the perfect time for your grass to receive the nutrients that fertilizers provide.

 It’s recommended to water your lawn several days before aerating. This will make the coring process smoother for you and your aerator.

To avoid damaging your existing sprinkler system or pipes, mark all the interfering structures in your yard ahead of time.
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