Comprable Turf Fertilizer

Which is cheaper – DIY (do it yourself) or hiring a professional company to lawn spray? Good question, and I did some research to find the answer and the results may surprise you.

Basically my lawn spraying services provide three basic services: Keep the fertility medium to medium high, kill the bugs and discourage weeds. Included with those services are the licenses, insurance, expertise, equipment and home delivery.

For DIY (do it yourself) service you need to duplicate those services. To achieve this, first, you would purchase the products to fertilize, kill bugs and discourage weeds. The homeowner would have to know (or research) what product to use and the proper use. You need the proper equipment and have the products delivered to the home.

The major difference between this DIY and a hired lawn service example is the licenses and insurance. The minor differences are the type and quality of product, equipment and level of expertise.

For this study, I had to compare oranges to oranges - which weren't easy, since the products I use are not available at the local home improvement store. Second I had to form an unbiased objective opinion – tough but I tried my best.

Oranges and Oranges

For this study I used the following example:

 An average interior lot – 5000 – 8000 sq ft

 A typical mid-summer application

 Provide for medium fertility levels

 Control Chinch bugs and grubs

 Last for 8 weeks

For DIY, granular fertilizer and insecticides are used because the specialty equipment required to do liquid applications are not economical for homeowners. The granular fertilizer and insecticides are comparable to the liquid blend of fertilizers and insecticides used by my service. Liquid applications are more effective and allow for custom blending for Pinellas County soil and weather.

Also, applying herbicides (weed killers) during hot summer months is not wise and I only apply them during the cooler months of the year. The fertilizer and herbicide treatments are similar in price to fertilizer and insecticide treatments - depending on the weeds needed to control.

The average cost for this service by A Promised Land Lawn Spraying is $60.00 per application.

Fertilizer

Comparable Turf Fertilizer

The fertilizer I choose for DIY is a Lesco 16-4-8. This is a good fertilizer with high iron and micronutrients and good slow release qualities. The slow release qualities give the fertilizer the ability to last 8 weeks. This compares well with the liquid fertilizer I use.

The product I use has better slow release qualities and is slightly higher iron and micronutrients. I also add several ingredients to the liquid mix to help with our sandy soils and droughty times. The fertilizer I use has NO phosphorus (the middle number in 16-4-8). I do not apply phosphorus to lawns for two reasons: Phosphorus is not a limiting nutrient in our area and Phosphorous is a known pollutant of surface and ground waters.

This product will cost $24.97 plus taxes.

Insecticide

Comparable Insecticide

The insecticide I choose is the Scotts Gubex and Spectracide Triacide. The Grubex is for the grubs and the Triacide for Chinch bugs. Yes you need both. Maybe you don't have grubs, but if you do have grubs and don't treat you will spend thousands of dollars to replace the lawn.

I apply both – surface (chinch bugs and other creepy crawlers) and sub-surface insects) grubs and mole crickets, etc) - all summer long to protect the lawn. Again I also add proprietary ingredients to the mix to aid the insecticide. One additive is a "bug irritant" that gets the bugs moving around and stressed out. A stressed out bug moving around in the insecticide is easier to eliminate.

The Grubex is $19.98 and the Triacide is $15.97 for a total of $35.65 plus taxes.

Knowledge, Equipment and Home delivery

Sampling of Equipment

With a little bit of time you could learn most of what you need to know on the internet or from neighbors about caring for the lawn. The problem is in the learning curve – or "oops, I didn't know that" when you discover something new. Salespeople can be helpful and so can the Pinellas County Extension service. But expect some setbacks and some discouragement.

The equipment is costly at first but can last a long time if it is cared for and stored properly. Personally storage space is always limited. Yet lots of people survive with outdoor sheds and other storage areas.

As to pickup and delivery, well you have to decide what it costs to drive to the local home improvement store and back.

A professional lawn spraying service is required by law to provide training to each technician in the proper use of the pesticides and equipment. My service truck costs about $60,000 to custom build.

Labor

This is a big issue. Some homeowners can get out there every other month and take care of business. Some put it off and others just make a mess. But from start to finish, including going to the store, the actually application and then the cleanup can take most of a Saturday morning.

My lawn spraying service provides all the labor and provides home delivery. In addition, I service your lawn regularly, because consistency is my best tool to growing a great lawn.

Summary

Below is the summary of costs. I challenge all of you to do your own investigation. Consider that the average cost for lawn spraying is $60.00 and includes the expertise, equipment and home delivery. The DIY price assumes the homeowner is providing that for free. For me, here is the deal closer for professional lawn spraying: The delivery and labor to apply the products is included in the $60.00.

Conclusion

It is hard not to be biased here, but with all my experience in growing grass and this simple study, the best deal is hiring a professional lawn spraying service. I believe that lawn spraying is a good service at a good price.