Planning your lawn service calendar for the year is the first step to growing a successful business.

As a lawn care business owner, you can provide annual packages with additional services to keep your calendar full during the slower times. 

These other lawn services may include weed removal, fertilization, lawn aeration, and dethatching. 

Not only will these additional services benefit your client in maintaining a healthy and great-looking lawn, but these activities also allow you to plan out all your lawn service jobs for the year. 

Here is the breakdown of the quarterly time for the year and the duties you can add to your lawn service calendar planning.

Spring Lawn Care

Months Included: March, April, May

As your client’s lawn transforms from winter dormancy to greening up, lawn maintenance in the spring is hectic. Here are the essential measures to consider when caring for your customers’ lawn from March through May.

Clean Up Yard Remove and bag any fallen leaves, dead grass, or debris using a rake. Yard cleanup will pave the way for the rest of the procedure.

Fertilize So, you may want to take on the task of fertilizing your customers’ lawns this season but be very cautious when doing so. First, you will need to figure out the yard’s type of grass and what the grass requires. 

If your client’s lawn has cool-season grass, fertilize it in the early spring. If your customer has warm-season grass, you can wait until mid-to-late April. Then, fertilize as soon as the lawn’s active growth phase begins. Be sure to check with industry professionals/vendors on the best type, amount, and time to fertilize a lawn. 

Maintain Your Mower Since winter is gone, you will be starting your daily mowing schedule. So, ensure your lawnmower is ready to go. First, sharpen your lawn mowers blade. A sharp mower blade cuts the grass evenly and the tips of the grass perfectly off.  

A dull mower blade will tear or shred the grass edges, exposing the yard to pests and disease. Therefore, you will want to sharpen your mower blades several times throughout the spring and summer. 

Aerate A process of thrusting holes into your customer’s lawn is lawn aeration. This method relieves soil compaction by allowing air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots. If your client’s lawn gets a lot of foot traffic or people park on it, you should aerate it at least once a year.

Dethatch The layer of living and decomposing organic matter that forms between the soil and the growing grass is thatch. A slight coating of thatch is advantageous since it protects the roots from extreme temperature changes and aids in moisture retention.

However, you should rake and bag excessive thatch when it becomes a heavy layer covering the lawn. 

Irrigation Irrigation Spring is the perfect time to check your customer’s irrigation system. You can ensure everything is working correctly, including the systems coverage and any sprinkler heads that need repairing. 

Be sure to check with your local ordinances first if a license is required to perform the work.

Summer Lawn Care

Months Included: June, July, August

Summer heat may be severe, depending on where you live, but summertime is an essential part of maintaining great lawns and getting your most business.

Mow Grass High During the summer, you should set your mower to the highest or second-highest setting to mow your client’s grass, which will make it a little taller than usual. Taller grass promotes a more robust, deeper, and healthier root system. Plus, taller grass will help the customer’s lawn compete with weeds more effectively.

Control Weeds Summertime is the ideal opportunity to control any arising yearly and lasting weeds. Be sure to utilize a non-specific herbicide depending upon the kind of weed you are managing. Specific herbicides will kill the weed, while non-particular herbicides will kill the grass encompassing it. Be sure to check with an industry professional on the best weed-extermination solution and follow the suggested guidelines cautiously.

Fall Lawn Care

Months Included: September, October, November

Autumn is a great time to feed your customers’ lawns and get them ready for the next winter months.

Fertilize Feed the cool-season grass of your clients with a low-grade fertilizer to promote robust root development. Then, as your customers’ lawns lay dormant for the winter, it will store the nutrients it will require.

Mow Short When late autumn arrives, adjust your lawnmower setting so that it is adjusted lower.    

Set your mower 1.5 – 2 inches shorter than it was throughout the summer. This alternate setting can help avoid “snow mold,” or a fungal lawn disease, in colder climates, while falling leaves will have a stricter time matting down shorter grass in hotter climates.

Leaf Cleanup Fall Lawn Care coincides with leaf cleanup. Therefore, this is an additional service you can provide to your existing customers. You can use a rake along with a box of 50-gallon trash bags to perform this job.  

Winter Lawn Care

Months Included: December, January, February

Lawns in most parts of the country go dormant throughout the winter months. 

Snow Removal At the point when the temperatures drop, and heavy snowflakes have fallen, you may discover snow removal to be an engaging industry to keep you and some of your equipment/tools occupied. In addition, you may be able to earn additional income by clearing your customer’s driveways and heavy amounts of snow off the lawn or other areas if they prefer. Throughout the mid-year, around three-quarters of snow removal vendors are landscaping contractors.

A lawn service calendar will allow you to keep on track with your business activities for the year and help you to rethink your budget during the slower times.