What a Lawn Mowing Service Includes (and What It Does Not)

A lawn mowing service cuts your grass on a set day, at the right height, and cleans the clippings off your driveway and walks. Some companies also trim and edge every visit. Others charge extra for it. Leaf cleanup, hedge trimming, weed spraying, fertilizing and aeration are almost never part of a plain mowing visit. Ask for the list in writing before the first cut.

What happens during a mowing visit?

A good visit follows the same steps each time. Your crew pulls up on your set day and gets to work. Here's what a full visit usually looks like:

1. Walk the lawn and pick up sticks, toys and anything the mower could throw.
2. Mow the whole lawn, front, back and side yards.
3. Set the mower to the right height for the season.
4. Leave the clippings on the lawn, or bag them if that's the deal.
5. Blow clippings off the driveway, walks and steps.
6. Close the gate and leave the yard the way they found it.

That last step matters more than it sounds. A gate left open is a lost dog. A pile of clippings on the steps is a slip. A tidy finish is part of the job, not a bonus.

With Golden Oak, every lawn mowing visit includes a cut at the right height for the season and clippings blown off your driveway and walks. Your crew also texts you a photo when the job is done.

How short should a mowing service cut your grass?

Not too short. This is where a cheap, rushed cut does the most harm.

The City of Hamilton tells homeowners to keep the mower blade at about 6 to 7.5 cm (2.5 to 3 inches). The City of Brantford says to set the blade at 3 inches (about 7.5 cm). Both say the same thing about how much to take off.

The rule is simple. Never cut off more than one third of the grass at one time. Hamilton's yard waste page says it, and so does Iowa State University Extension. If your grass is 9 cm tall, a cut down to 6 cm is the most you'd take.

A crew that scalps your lawn to finish faster is breaking that rule. Watch the first few cuts. If you see brown, chopped spots after a visit, say something right away.

What happens to the grass clippings?

Most mowing visits leave the clippings on the lawn. That's called grasscycling, and Canadian cities ask for it.

Hamilton says most people who grasscycle find the clippings are gone within three days. Brantford goes one step further. Its yard waste page says that if you use a lawn service, tell them to use the grasscycling method.

Clippings can clump if the grass is wet or too much comes off at once. Hamilton's fix is to mow the clumps again from a different direction. A good crew does that before they leave.

Can you ask the crew to bag clippings?

Many companies will bag on request. Bagging takes longer, and someone has to deal with the bags. Ask if it costs more and who hauls the bags away. Our post on what affects lawn mowing cost covers how extras like this change your price.

Is trimming and edging part of a mowing service?

It depends on the company. This is the question that trips up the most homeowners.

A mower can't reach right up to a fence, a wall or a tree trunk. Those spots need a string trimmer. Edging is the clean line along the driveway, walks and garden beds. Without both, a mowed lawn still looks shaggy at the edges.

Some companies trim and edge every visit. Some do it every other visit. Some charge for it as a separate service. At Golden Oak, trimming and edging is an add-on you can pick for any visit.

Here's what to ask, so there are no surprises:

• Do you trim along fences, posts and beds every visit?
• Do you edge the driveway and walks every visit, or now and then?
• Is trimming in the price, or added on top?

What does a mowing service not include?

A plain mowing visit is just that. Plenty of yard jobs fall outside it. Here's what usually isn't part of a weekly cut:

• Leaf cleanup. Raking, bagging and hauling leaves in fall is a separate job. So is the spring cleanup of sticks and dead grass. See spring and fall cleanup.
• Hedge and shrub trimming. That's its own service, booked once or twice a season.
• Weed spraying and fertilizer. These need different gear, and a provincial licence may be needed. Our partner crews don't spray, and Golden Oak doesn't give spray advice.
• Aeration, seeding and sod. These are lawn repair jobs, not mowing.
• Watering. Your crew mows. Watering stays with you.
• Snow removal. Mowing season ends when the grass stops growing.

None of this means a mowing crew is cutting corners. It just means mowing is one job. If you want more than a cut, ask for each piece by name.

How often does a mowing service come?

Most services come weekly or every two weeks. The right pick depends on how fast your grass grows.

Spring is the busy time. Hamilton says grass can need a cut every four to five days in spring and early summer. By late summer and fall, about once a week is enough.

That's why weekly mowing fits most lawns. It keeps the grass from getting long enough to break the one third rule. Every two weeks can work for a shady yard or a dry stretch in August. Read how often you should mow your lawn in Canada for more.

What should a good cut look like when the crew leaves?

You don't need to be a lawn expert to check a cut. Take a quick walk around the yard. A good visit leaves:

• An even height, with no missed strips between passes
• No scalped, brown patches on bumps or slopes
• Clean grass tips, not torn ones
• No clumps of wet clippings sitting on the lawn
• A clean driveway, walk and steps
• A closed gate

Torn tips are a sign of a dull blade. Iowa State University Extension says a dull blade tears the ends of the grass. The torn ends dry out and give the lawn a whitish look. Brantford also tells homeowners to sharpen mower blades so grass doesn't tear.

Wet grass is another trouble spot. Iowa State says wet grass is harder to cut and can clog rotary mowers. A crew that mows a soaked lawn in a rush often leaves clumps behind.

What should you get in writing before the first cut?

A short list stops most arguments before they start. Get these answers in a text or an email:

• What's in every visit, and what's an add-on
• Your set day and how often the crew comes
• What happens if they miss a visit or it rains
• How you'll know the job got done if you're not home
• How pausing, cancelling and refunds work
• Proof that the company is insured

Our list of questions to ask before hiring lawn care goes deeper on each one.

How does mowing work with Golden Oak?

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

Here's what you get with the Worry-Free Lawn Season:

• Your price by text in 60 minutes, measured from satellite images. Nobody needs to visit.
• The same vetted, insured crew every visit.
• A photo texted to you after every cut.
• On-Time Guarantee: if your crew misses your scheduled window, that cut is free.
• Love-It Guarantee: not happy? Text us a photo within 24 hours, and your crew re-cuts it free within 48 hours.
• Season paid up front. Pause for vacations by text. Cancel anytime and we refund half of your unused visits.
• Your first cut is free when you book the season.

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

Lawn Mowing Service Questions

Sources: City of Hamilton: Yard waste and grass cutting tips, City of Brantford: Yard waste and grasscycling, Iowa State University Extension: Mowing, NOC 22114: Lawn care specialists.