Maintenance/Lawncare FAQ
Q. What is the best day to have my property maintained?
A. I have based this answer on 8 years of experience. The best days to have your property maintained are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays for homeowners (Monday for corporate clients). Why Wednesday? Well, except for approximately 6-8 weeks in the Spring when turf is at its peak growth, there is very little difference in cut appearance come the weekend. With 99% certainty, Herbert Landscaping will never have to show up on Saturday to provide service due to 1, 2 or 3 days of rain earlier in the week.
Q. Do you catch or recycle the clippings?
A. Wherever and whenever we can we recycle the clippings back to the turf as grass blades, and leaves being 80% water and nutrients, are the very best compost for building long-term highly organic soil. We only catch when an area is too small or we may get too many clippings in gardens. If we choose not to catch your grass clippings, be assured even if we have to do a double cut based on a 7-day mowing cycle, there will be no extra charge to you, and you will always have a high quality appearance.
Q. I have to have my property cut on Friday. Can you accommodate me?
A. We base the scheduling of our clients on the following: Open availability for existing or new route: Route density and efficiency: With the price of fuel and labor, we route just like UPS and Federal Express. Years with Herbert Landscaping will get you closer to the weekend. If you must have Friday, there will be an added cost if it does not fit our existing route, just as next day air will cost you extra with UPS.
Q. I’m having an event or party, can you pay special attention at my property?
A. Please let us know 7-10 days ahead and we will provide weekly service the day before your party. With 14 days notification we can also provide a detail crew service, mulch, pruning and seasonal color so that your property will look its best before your big day!
Q. What size mowers do you use?
A. The size of the mower used is based on the size of each given area of lawn. A good landscape company will have many different size mowers with deck sizes from 21″ to 52″ or larger. The right machine is as important as the qualifications of its operators.
Q. At what height do you cut the lawn?
A. From late April to late November we use a 3″ mowing height. This is when your lawn is most actively growing. It is also in the recommended range of height of cut by Rutgers University, one of the worlds leading turf research Universities in the world. During early Spring and late Fall we will lower the height of cut to 2.5 to 2.75.
Q. Why is mowing at the right height and alternating patterns of cut so important?
A. The right height will cause less damage to the blade of grass so the plant is under less stress. This in turn will allow for better vigor which in itself will help shade, fend off weeds and protect against insect damage.
Q. How often do you sharpen your mower blades?
A. We sharpen our blades on average about every 12 to 15 working hours, so about ever 8-10 mowing hours 3 to 4 times per week.
Q. Do you provide shrub pruning?
A. Yes, we do. It is one of the most sought after services that we offer at Herbert Landscaping as we hand prune. Full time clients can sign up with their yearly agreement or by mail. Single-service clients can contact us for availability. Full-service clients get first availability.
Q. Do you provide commercial grounds maintenance service?
A. Yes, we do and we have done so for over 8 years. We care for 50 plus acre world headquarter campus to large and small condominium complexes. When curb appeal and image really matter, Herbert Landscaping is your best choice.
Q. What types of maintenance plans do you offer?
A. We provide three yearly maintenance plans from basic lawn maintenance to platinum garden care. Two are set-monthly charges, one by man-hour range. All include spring clean ups and fall clean ups based on man-hour rate, two types of lawn care programs with pre-pay discounts. We also offer low voltage lighting and irrigation service agreements.
Q. Do you provide seasonal color?
A. Yes. We provide spring bulbs, summer annuals, fall mums and more.
Q. How can a well-landscaped home help to sell my home?
A. According to appraisers and realtors, a beautifully landscaped home will sell fast and for more money.
Q. How do plants and trees help?
A. Plants and trees absorb ozone-damaging pollutants, produce oxygen and help keep temperatures down and according to the Plants for Clean Air Council, efficient landscaping can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 20%.
Q. How is a lawn helpful to the environment?
A. A turf area 50′ x 50′ can absorb enough carbon dioxide and hydrogen fluoride and convert it into enough oxygen to support a family of four.
Q. How much will it cost me to hire your company?
A. This all depends on the services you desire. We are a legitimate year round company with well trained, legal and fully insured employees. We use a multiple, overhead, recovery system to disperse and recover our overhead, labor and equipment costs, plus add fair professional profit. To find out more, give us a call.
Q. What type of training do your employees receive?
A. All employees go through a full day of orientation at least once yearly. We also perform tailgate training and have safety talks throughout the year.
Q. When and how should my shrubs be pruned?
A. The following is a basic guideline for pruning. When present, damaged or diseased shrub-limbs and branches should be removed. Most flowering shrubs and ornamental trees, should be pruned after blooming and before the next year’s buds set. Prune whenever possible for plant health and to keep the natural shape of the plant. Some ornamentals and vines require dormant pruning in late winter. We highly recommend hand pruning over shearing.
Q. Why should I have mulch on my property?
A. Mulch provides the following benefits for planting when done correctly: For shrubs and ornamental trees, a mulch base of 3″-4″ is recommended. It helps to keep weeds in check, retains moisture in the soil and adds organic matter to the soil as it decays. Woody, ornamental and evergreen trees do not need or want their soil cultivated around their roots.
Q. How about mulching annuals or perennials?
A. Mulch should be limited to 1″-2″. Ideally a mulch compost mix would be a better choice. Unlike ornamentals, annuals and perennials like loose, tillable soil, so too much is not good.
Q. What type of mulch do you sell and install and what is the cost?
A. We sell the following, from least expensive to most: Double Hammermill, Pine Bark, Cedar, Hemlock and Licorice Root Mulch. Pricing is based on site conditions and quantity. Bed preparation is extra. We do not recommend Pine Nugget as it has no value to your plants.
Q. What are some of the most import things a lawn in Tennessee needs?
A. Proper mowing height should be kept at 3″ with a sharp blade, adequate deep infrequent watering, core aeration once per year and 3-4 lbs. of nitrogen per year.
Q. How often should I water?
A. Turf grass should be watered 3/4″ – 1″ per week. Shrubs and trees should receive deep watering 1-2 times per week. Annual and perennials should be watered 2-3 times per week. This answer is for established landscapes.
Q. What type of program do you offer for fertilization and control of weeds?
A. As different people have different expectations of how they want their lawn to look and also what they want to spend, we offer two programs. At Herbert Landscaping we think of the programs as good and very good. Both meet or exceed the basic needs of cool season turf. Our basic plan is more of an option-based plan, whereas our premium plan is more inclusive of all turf services.
