Lawn Guy Ruined My Trimmer

I may as well get a mower. Nobody does it like I want it and they charge an exorbitant fee. I told him when he came the first time that I wanted it cut to 2". The guy last year wouldn't cut it less than 4" and this guy's height is 3". If he did cut it to even 3 inches, those dandelions wouldn't be sticking up a foot.
 

debodun said:
$65 is a "cut-rate"?
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If most others quoted a higher price, then yes, it's a cut rate.

For 1/3 of an acre landscape service that's every other week and for just a portion of the year, that price seems low. The time needed to get to your house, unload and do the work, and gasoline for the same, and wear and tear on equipment have to be figured in. Not to mention working on your string trimmer.

No way I'd be out mowing my lawn or dealing with everything else my greatly appreciated landscaper and his helper do to keep our property looking nice. Nor would I entertain the notion of DH doing it, either.

One of the reasons we saved for retirement is to have the means and freedom to pay others for the work we prefer not to hassle with.
 
StarSong said:
If most others quoted a higher price, then yes, it's a cut rate.
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The estimates I got this year are all about the same, but significantly more than it was last year. Last year the person I had then was $40 every other week. He said he cut it to 3", if that were the case, there wouldn't be 9 inch dandelion stems sticking up.

BTW - he didn't "fix" my weed wacker, he broke it.
 
Murrmurr said:
Definitely. My grandson charges $80 per week, also cut-rate. His peers charge $100 to $125 per week, and professional landscapers charge as much as $200....even more in places like L.A. and Palm Springs, but the work is extensive down there.
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We pay $150/month to keep about 2500 SF of lawn/landscaping looking nice. (Our property is more than 2/3 consumed by our house, driveway, pool and decking, brick and concrete pathways/sidewalks, and other non-landscaped areas.)

I also give him a $300 Christmas bonus. He's a good human who's providing for a young family.
 
debodun said:
I may as well get a mower. Nobody does it like I want it and they charge an exorbitant fee. I told him when he came the first time that I wanted it cut to 2". The guy last year wouldn't cut it less than 4" and this guy's height is 3". If he did cut it to even 3 inches, those dandelions wouldn't be sticking up a foot.
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You can't just mow a lawn to 2" any day of the year. First of all, you have to leave it longer the first time you mow, then you have to leave it longer in spring and fall, depending on the health of the grass. If you whack it off too short, it won't get a chance to go to seed and produce more grass. True, weeds and dandelions will also seed, but a healthy lawn has a better chance of overpowering that stuff if you allow it to cycle and seed.

In time, the guy will treat the weeds and stuff, but before he can do that your lawn needs to get thicker and healthier.
 
debodun said:
The estimates I got this year are all about the same, but significantly more than it was last year. Last year the person I had then was $40 every other week. He said he cut it to 3", if that were the case, there wouldn't be 9 inch dandelion stems sticking up.

BTW - he didn't "fix" my weed wacker, he broke it.
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Dandelions grow faster than most yard grasses.

Your weed-whacker isn't broken, you just have to wind it on the spool correctly. It still might not work all that well, but it's an older model. They don't live that long.

BTW, I prefer electric yard tools, too. They're environmentally friendly.
 
Murrmurr said:
You can't just mow a lawn to 2" any day of the year. First of all, you have to leave it longer the first time you mow, then you have to leave it longer in spring and fall, depending on the health of the grass. If you whack it off too short, it won't get a chance to go to seed and produce more grass. True, weeds and dandelions will also seed, but a healthy lawn has a better chance of overpowering that stuff if you allow it to cycle and seed.
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Grass comes back no matter what's done to it - even in severe drought and it's brown and crispy, it always comes back when it rains. I want my lawn to look like a putting green and it looks like a bird seed farm.
 
Murrmurr said:
You can't just mow a lawn to 2" any day of the year. First of all, you have to leave it longer the first time you mow, then you have to leave it longer in spring and fall, depending on the health of the grass. If you whack it off too short, it won't get a chance to go to seed and produce more grass. True, weeds and dandelions will also seed, but a healthy lawn has a better chance of overpowering that stuff if you allow it to cycle and seed.

In time, the guy will treat the weeds and stuff, but before he can do that your lawn needs to get thicker and healthier.
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Perennial turf grasses, such as Kentucky Bluegrass, spread vegetatively by rhizomes so there is no need to let it go to seed. Ideally in the fall you could leave it at ~ 4".

I'm not sure if these hybrid turf grasses would produce seeds and if so what properties the next generation had.
 
When you hire an professional to do a job for you, part of what you're paying for is his expertise. If you're not willing to listen to that expertise, then you're definitely better off doing it yourself. Of course, you'll have no one but yourself to blame when things don't go the way you wanted. In due time, you may have no choice but to do it yourself because you'll have burned your bridges with any lawn service provider in town.

And all this angst over an almost-50-year-old weed wacker? The thing's probably not even safe to use, especially since you mentioned some part is missing. For the love of Pete, get down to Home Depot and buy yourself a new one. They're not that expensive and they're a lot more user-friendly than the old ones.
 
debodun said:
I took a lawnmower quiz and no matter what I select as answers, I get "reel mower" for me:

https://corporate.homedepot.com/news/company/quiz-find-out-what-lawn-mower-best-you
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hahaha.. when was this quiz made.. 1960?.. I took the quiz too and it said the same for me...:ROFLMAO:

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The only advice I can give is to research your options. I bought a new mower this year. It has a push button start as I can no longer do a pull start, now enough strength in my arms due to nerve damage. It has a bag but can go without it if needed. It has mulching capability so I don't have to bag. It is self propelled so does not take the strength to push it. I all have to do is walk behind.

Mine is a Toro, I have had this brand of mower for about 20 years. They hold up well. I am lucky I have a Ace hardware store just two blocks away. I buy my mowers there. They have an inhouse repair department. I can just push the mower around there for service when needed.

Also, I have my son that comes to do my yard work so I don't have a lawn service. If you do have a lawn service they should be bringing their equipment to do the job. I did have a service for a couple of years in the past. They came with everything and did a great job. Mowed every two weeks for 35 per service. They edged when needed and trimmed the hedges at no additional cost. Keep in minnd costs have gone up across the board with the inflation we are experiencing.
 
debodun said:
I may as well get a mower.
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Right...so long as you can walk behind a good self propelled mower, it will pay for itself within a year of having to pay a lawn service. I have a riding mower(Husqvarna), and two walk behinds....Toro and Honda. The Toro is my favorite for the smaller areas. Don't get a front wheel drive, as they can be a PITA to maneuver around trees, etc. Here's my opinion for the best mower for the average size yard.

https://www.toro.com/en/product/21462
 
Murrmurr said:
Definitely. My grandson charges $80 per week, also cut-rate. His peers charge $100 to $125 per week, and professional landscapers charge as much as $200....even more in places like L.A. and Palm Springs, but the work is extensive down there.
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I guess what is considered a reasonable price depends on which side of the cash register you're standing. I always feel cheated, no matter how little I pay for something, yet I think nothing of putting a $10 price on a McCoy vase at my garage sale. Garage sale shoppers probably think I'm insane as I would if I saw that price at someone else's sale. ;)
 
debodun said:
Grass comes back no matter what's done to it - even in severe drought and it's brown and crispy, it always comes back when it rains. I want my lawn to look like a putting green and it looks like a bird seed farm.
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So you have to let it mature past a certain point, and then it'll spread.

When I said "goes to seed," I didn't mean that literally, I was just simplifying it. The health and thickness of lawn grasses begins at the roots. But like any plant, if you want it to be healthy you can't just keep hacking it off to 2" every week year 'round, you have to allow it to occasionally mature and cycle, and spring and fall are the best times to do that.
 

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