Seeing your lawn care price increase from year to year can be frustrating, especially when you’re receiving the same services from the same company. You may find yourself wondering: If nothing about my lawn care program has changed, why has the price?
At Oasis Turf & Tree, we believe homeowners deserve clear and honest information about what they’re paying for. That’s one reason why we’re one of the few lawn care companies in the area to publish our pricing online.
We also believe your price should reflect the quality of the service, products, and expertise you receive. Our goal is to find the right balance between providing high-quality lawn care and keeping our services at a reasonable price.
We’re here to explain some of the most common reasons lawn care companies adjust their prices, how those factors affect Oasis pricing, and what to look for when determining whether you’re receiving a fair price for the services you need.
Quick Answer: Lawn care prices can increase due to:
- Changes in labor, materials, & operating costs
- Your lawn may require more treatments or services
- Adding services
- The impact of seasonal & environmental conditions
At Oasis Turf & Tree, our price increases are primarily driven by the ongoing costs of maintaining a skilled and licensed team, investing in quality products, and keeping our equipment and technology up to date. These investments help us continue providing consistent, knowledgeable service while keeping up with the changing costs of labor, materials, fuel, and equipment.
In this article:
Lawn care isn't necessarily a fixed-price service. The cost of maintaining a lawn can change when the time, materials, labor, or services needed to maintain it change.
The increase may be related to changes in a company's operating costs, including labor, equipment, fuel, products, and other expenses required to provide the service. In other cases, your price may change because you added, removed, or changed services within your program.
Understanding the reason behind a price change can make it easier to determine whether you're simply paying more because the cost of providing the service has increased, or because something about your lawn care program has changed.
Like all companies, lawn care companies have ongoing costs behind the services they provide. The cost of products used to care for your lawn may increase, or maintaining and replacing specialized equipment may become more expensive. Labor costs can also change as companies invest in hiring, training, and retaining qualified technicians. Fuel and other business expenses can fluctuate as well.
Below you’ll find a list of the service costs that frequently change over time:
Labor is one of the highest ongoing costs behind lawn care services. Companies need to account for wages, benefits, training, licensing, and other costs associated with hiring qualified technicians. As labor costs change, the cost of providing lawn care services can change as well.
Fuel is an important part of operating a lawn care business. Technicians travel between properties throughout the day, while equipment also requires fuel to operate. When fuel prices fluctuate, they can affect the overall cost of services.
Lawn care companies rely on specialized equipment to provide services efficiently and safely. Aerators, spreaders, and other equipment require regular maintenance, repairs, and eventual replacement.
The cost of fertilizers, grass seed, weed control products, and other materials can change due to manufacturing costs, supply and demand, transportation, and other factors.
Changes in the economy can affect the cost of products and equipment when additional fees are placed on imported goods or materials. Even products manufactured in the United States may be affected if their components or raw materials come from other countries. When changes in the economy increase the cost of materials, equipment, or supplies, those higher costs can eventually affect the price of services.
The important thing is understanding that lawn care pricing isn't determined by the cost of the treatment alone. The people, products, equipment, and resources behind every service have costs that can change from year to year.
Every lawn has different needs, and those needs can change from year to year. Factors that can affect how much care a property requires are weed pressure, disease, insect problems, and the overall health of your lawn.
A lawn with heavier or more persistent weed pressure may require additional treatments or targeted applications to manage weeds effectively.
Lawn diseases can develop when conditions are favorable, such as periods of high moisture, heat, or stress. Depending on the issue, a lawn may require additional treatments to help manage the problem.
On a related note: At Oasis Turf & Tree, we do not recommend using fungicides as a way to treat turfgrass diseases. Fungicides can help suppress disease activity, but they do not cure the underlying issue. Instead, we focus on preventative treatments and providing the nutrients your lawn needs to support healthy turfgrass and improve its ability to withstand disease pressure.
Want to learn more about turf diseases and why we don’t recommend fungicides? We created a YouTube video that explains what causes common turf diseases, how to recognize early warning signs, and why fungicides may not always be the best long-term approach.
Insects can cause damage to grass by feeding on the plants or their roots. When an insect problem develops, additional treatments may be needed to address the specific pest and help prevent further damage.
A lawn that is already stressed, thin, or struggling may need more attention than a healthy, established lawn. Improving its condition may require additional services or treatments designed to address the underlying factors affecting its health.
Additional services can also be needed when the condition of the lawn changes. A lawn that has become thin or stressed may benefit from services such as Aeration & Overseeding to improve its density and health. Because these services require additional products, labor, equipment, and time, they can increase the overall cost of lawn care.
A price change doesn't always mean the cost of the same service increases. Sometimes, the lawn itself has changed and requires additional care to achieve the results you're looking for.
Sometimes your total lawn care cost increases because you’re receiving more services, not because the price of your existing service went up.
Lawn care can include a variety of services depending on what your property needs. For example, you may start with core lawn care that includes fertilization and weed control, then add services such as aeration, overseeding, or tree & shrub care.
Each additional service requires its own products, materials, labor, equipment, and time. When you add a service to your program, those additional costs are reflected in your total price.
If you previously paid for core lawn care and later added aeration & overseeding, your annual cost will be higher because you're now receiving an additional service. That doesn't necessarily mean the price of your original lawn care program increased.
For example, at Oasis Turf & Tree, our price increase per program can look like this:
|
Program |
Services Included that Increase Price |
Average Price Per Year |
|
Gold |
X |
$620.40 |
|
Platinum |
Aeration |
$877.40 |
|
Diamond |
Aeration, Overseeding + Starting Fertilizer |
$1,302.40 |
There’s a difference between a price increase and an increase in the amount of services you're purchasing. If you added a service, your total may increase simply because you're receiving more care than you were before.
Your lawn responds to the conditions around it, and those conditions can change throughout the year. Drought, excessive rainfall, temperature changes, soil conditions, and seasonal shifts can all affect how your grass grows and what type of care it needs.
Environmental conditions don't automatically mean your lawn care will cost more. However, they can create problems or reveal needs that require additional treatments or services.
The heavy clay soil that’s common throughout the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas can make it more difficult for water, air, and nutrients to move through the soil. Over time, compacted soil can limit healthy root growth and make it harder for new grass to establish.
Aeration can help relieve soil compaction by creating openings in the soil, giving water, air, and nutrients better access to the root zone. When a lawn needs thicker or healthier grass coverage, aeration can also be paired with overseeding to introduce new desirable grass seed into those openings.
Because soil conditions vary from property to property, some lawns may benefit from aeration and overseeding while others may not need these services every year.
Want to learn more about Aeration & Overseeding? We created a YouTube video that explains what aeration is, how it can improve soil health, why we use double-pass core aeration at Oasis Turf & Tree, and why fall is the ideal time for this service.
The condition of your soil can also affect how well your grass uses available nutrients. If a soil test shows that your lawn's pH is outside the range where grass can efficiently access nutrients, a lime treatment may be recommended to help adjust the soil pH.
Lime isn't something every lawn automatically needs. Most lawns in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky do not need lime treatments because their soil pH is already within a suitable range for healthy turf growth. A soil test can determine whether your lawn would benefit from lime before adding it.
Soil testing can help determine whether a lawn would benefit from it, rather than adding a treatment that isn't necessary.
Pests and lawn diseases are influenced by temperature, moisture, and other environmental conditions. Some seasons may bring greater pressure from certain insects or diseases, which can create additional problems for an otherwise healthy lawn.
If pest or disease pressure becomes an issue, your lawn may require an additional treatment, service call, or a change in the way it is managed.
If you’re an Oasis customer and noticed a change in your lawn care price, it’s understandable to wonder why. Our annual pricing adjustments reflect the changing costs of providing our services, including products, tariffs, labor, fuel, equipment, and other operating expenses. Each year, we review these costs and make adjustments as needed so we can continue providing the high level of service, quality products, and ongoing support our homeowners deserve and expect from us.
We carefully select high-quality products and create premium blends specifically formulated for the lawns we care for. The cost of these products can change over time, which may require adjustments to our pricing. These changes help us continue providing the quality products and level of service our homeowners trust us to deliver.
We take great pride in having the highest number of licensed technicians in Ohio, and maintaining that standard requires a significant investment in our team.
We provide ongoing training, study materials, licensing exams, and the time needed for our technicians to build their knowledge and skills. We also believe in creating stable, long-term careers, which means providing competitive wages and opportunities for our team members to learn, grow, and advance within the company. While the costs associated with training, professional development, and employee wages can change over time, these investments help us attract and retain qualified technicians who are prepared to provide knowledgeable, dependable service to your lawn.
As technology continues to advance, we make it a priority to stay up to date with the equipment that allows us to provide the best service possible. This means properly maintaining the equipment we already have and investing in new equipment when improved technology becomes available.
At the end of each season, our customers receive a notification outlining their price for the upcoming year. At that time, we also offer a 5% discount for customers who choose to prepay for the year, which can help offset an annual price increase.
As the cost of products and services continues to change from year to year, we review both increases and decreases in our operating costs when setting our prices for the following year. This allows us to provide our homeowners with a fair price while continuing to maintain the quality of the products and services they expect from us.
When comparing lawn-care prices, the lowest price isn't always the best value, and a higher price doesn't automatically mean you're getting better service. The best way to evaluate a lawn-care price is to look at what you're actually getting for the cost.
Before choosing a lawn-care company, consider:
|
Questions to Ask |
Why it’s Important |
|
What Services Are Included? |
Some lawn-care programs may include only basic fertilizer and weed control, while others may include additional services such as crabgrass prevention, grub control, surface insect control, soil health treatments, or free service calls. |
|
How Frequently Is Your Lawn Treated? |
The number and timing of treatments can affect the overall price. A program with fewer visits may have a lower price, but that doesn't necessarily mean it provides the same level of care as a program with more treatments. |
|
What Does the Price Actually Include? |
Understanding what is included can help you avoid comparing two programs that look similar on paper but provide different levels of service. |
|
Are Additional Treatments Included? |
Some lawn-care companies charge separately for additional treatments such as grub control or nutsedge control. Others may include certain treatments as part of the program. |
|
Are There Any Additional Fees? |
Some companies may charge additional fees for service calls, difficult lawn conditions, or other services. |
Want to learn how to avoid common problems when hiring a lawn-care company? We wrote an article covering some of the typical problems homeowners encounter, how you can avoid them, and what to look for when deciding whether a lawn-care company is the right fit for you and your property.
Now that you have a little background on why our prices may change from year to year, you may be wondering, “How much do your services cost now?”
Our standard lawn care program starts at $423 per year. Our standard program includes:
We base our lawn care quotes on the amount of treatable turfgrass on your property and the lawn care package you choose. Lawn care companies may use different factors when determining pricing, such as lawn size, condition, layout, weed pressure, or the services a property requires. Our approach helps us provide pricing based on the size of the area being serviced, while keeping the process straightforward and easy to understand.
Want to learn more about our programs and pricing? We wrote an article that explains what goes into our pricing, why prices can vary between lawn care companies, and what to consider when deciding whether Oasis is the right fit for your lawn.
Ready to get a quote from us? Fill out our quick form on our website, or call (513) 697-9090 to speak with one of our Turf & Tree Specialists.
Why might two homeowners pay different prices for lawn care?
Two homeowners may pay different prices because lawn care costs can depend on factors such as the size of the treatable lawn, the services included in their program, and whether they add or remove services.
Why do lawn care companies charge different prices for the same services?
Lawn care companies set their prices based on their individual operating costs, service offerings, products, equipment, labor, training, and business practices. Even when two companies offer similar services, what is included in those services and how they deliver them can be different.
Are lawn care price increases the same for every customer?
The price increase itself is typically the same for every customer. However, a company-wide price adjustment may affect customers differently depending on their current services and property size. If one homeowner has a larger lawn or more comprehensive service package, the price increase may affect them more.