What to Expect From Your First Lawn Care Visit

On your first lawn care visit, your crew shows up in the time window you picked. They mow, trim the edges if you asked for it, and blow clippings off the driveway and walks. You don't need to be home. Leave the gates open and keep pets inside. When they finish, they text you a photo. If the grass was long, the first cut may take it down in steps over a visit or two.

What happens before the first visit?

Most of the setup happens by text, so the first visit isn't a surprise. Here's the order:

1. You send your address and the jobs you want on the quote form.
2. We measure your lawn from satellite images and text your price within 60 minutes, from 7am to 8pm.
3. You reply yes if you like it.
4. You and your crew set your day and a time window.

That window matters. It's what the On-Time Guarantee is built on. If your crew misses it, that cut is free.

When you book, we keep a card on file. It's only charged once you've been paired with a local crew. The full steps are on our how it works page.

How do I get my yard ready for the crew?

Your crew needs to reach the lawn, not the house. Ten minutes the night before saves them time and saves you trouble. Walk the yard once and do this:

• Leave the gates open. Or text the crew your gate code.
• Keep dogs and cats inside. A mower is loud, and an open gate is an easy escape.
• Pick up toys, hoses and balls. A mower can throw anything it hits.
• Grab sticks and stones. Small rocks are the ones that crack windows.
• Pick up after the dog. Nobody wants to mow through that.
• Move the car if it sits on or blocks part of the lawn.
• Mark hidden things. Low sprinkler heads, a buried cable or a soft spot are easy to miss.

Got a spot you want left alone? Maybe a wildflower patch or a new bed? Text it before the first visit. It's easier to say it once than to fix it later.

Do I need to be home for the first cut?

No. Most people are at work when their lawn gets cut. Nobody came to measure the lawn either, since the price came from satellite images.

The photo text is how you know the job got done. Our FAQ on whether you need to be home for lawn care covers the details.

If you are home, a quick wave and a word about the gate is plenty. You don't need to walk the yard with them.

What does the crew do on the first visit?

It depends on what you booked. A lawn mowing visit includes:

• A cut at the right height for the season.
• Clippings blown off your driveway and walks.
• A photo texted when the job is done.

Add trimming and edging and the crew also cleans up the spots a mower can't reach. That means along fences, around beds, posts and trees, and along the walks.

The first visit is also when your crew learns the yard. They find the gate latch, the slope by the side of the house and where the beds start. That's one reason the same crew comes back every time. The second visit goes smoother than the first, and the tenth goes smoother still.

Why might the first cut look different from the rest?

A lawn that's been let go can't always come down to its normal height in one visit. The City of Calgary's lawn care page says to avoid taking off more than one third of the grass length at each cut. That's a common rule for a healthy lawn.

So if your grass is long on day one, your crew may cut it in steps. The first visit takes some off. The next visit brings it closer to a normal height. Health Canada says grass cut at 6 to 8 cm (2.5 to 3 inches) grows deeper roots and comes in thicker.

Here's what else you might notice after a first cut on long grass:

• A lawn that's still a bit tall. The next visit brings it down more.
• More clippings than usual. Heavy clumps can be raked or bagged.
• Uneven patches. They even out once the lawn is on a steady schedule.

Our post on the first cut on an overgrown lawn walks through it in more detail.

Will they leave the clippings on the lawn?

On a normal cut, short clippings can stay. Health Canada says lawn clippings compost and slowly release nitrogen for the grass. The clippings that land on your driveway and walks get blown off. Big clumps from a long first cut are a different story, since they can sit on the grass.

What about weeds and bare spots?

Our partner crews don't spray, and we don't give weed or pest advice. Visits are maintenance: mowing, trimming and edging, hedge and shrub trimming, and spring and fall cleanup. If you see bare spots, mention them by text so your crew can mow around soft ground with care.

What happens after the first visit?

Your crew texts you a photo before they pull away. Take a look when you get a minute. Then check the yard when you get home.

Not happy with something? Text us a photo within 24 hours. Under the Love-It Guarantee, your crew re-cuts it free within 48 hours. You don't need to call the crew or argue. We sort it out with them.

After that, your crew keeps coming on your day. If it rains, your visit moves to the next dry day, and we text you. A rain delay doesn't count as a missed window. Going away? Pause your visits by text and they pick up when you're back.

Is the first visit free?

Yes, when you book the season. Golden Oak pays your crew for that first cut, so it doesn't cost you or them. After that, you pay your regular price for each visit in your plan. A one-time cleanup on its own doesn't include the free cut. Read how the free first cut works for the full terms.

That free first cut is the point. You see the work, the crew and the photo text before you spend a dollar on mowing.

Who actually shows up?

Golden Oak Lawn Care matches you with a vetted, insured local partner crew. They do the work. We stand behind it with the Golden Oak Guarantee.

Before a crew joins, they show proof of insurance and get background-checked. Our page on what vetted and insured means lists what we check. You'll see their name next to ours, like "Smith's Lawn Care, a Golden Oak Lawn Care Partner."

Want it handled? Get your price in 60 minutes, or call 1-866-904-LAWN.

First Lawn Care Visit Questions

Sources: City of Calgary lawn care, Health Canada: maintaining your lawn.