About
Since 1991 and still growing, Paradise Lawns, Inc. has been committed to providing members of our community with the highest quality services with results. Being locally family owned and operated, we truly have a vested interest in providing outstanding customer and lawn care service, treating each lawn as if it were our very own.
During our initial consultation, we will provide you with a complete lawn care evaluation of any issues that may be present within your lawn such as:
- Lawn Attributes
- Insect / Pest Report
- Grassy Weed Report
- Broadleaf Weed Report
- Disease Report
We will also make recommendations of which programs and/or services that would be the most beneficial solutions for your lawn.
Our Service Technicians are licensed by the State of Illinois, Department of Agriculture, which assures you with trusted, reliable information in identifying any lawn care related issue which may impact the health of your lawn.
Environmentally Conscientious Lawn Care Services
You want a beautiful green lawn but you’re concerned about chemicals. Relax; you can get the lawn care service you want with the cautious use of pesticides and lawn herbicides that you demand. Weed control products and pesticides are used only with common sense practices called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM programs use a combination of available pest control and weed control methods by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, pets, property, and the environment.
With Paradise Lawns, Inc., you are partnered with lawn care professionals who are committed to providing you with the highest quality lawn care services, utilizing the most beneficial products your lawn requires with an IPM approach.
Guidelines for Selecting a Lawn Care Company
All Lawn Care companies are not the same. Lawn care programs offered by companies will vary not only in cost and quality of service, but also in the variety of programs and optional services offered.
Before contracting a lawn care company, it is best to contact and compare 2 – 3 (or more) reputable companies. You can begin by asking friends, family or neighbors for recommendations. An excellent independent source is the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which we highly recommend using in selecting any type of Service Company.
The following series of questions and general information should serve as a guide during the process of selecting a lawn care company.
Required by Illinois state law, the company, their facility, as well as their lawn care technicians must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. This license will assure you that the service company is accountable to you, that the company is knowledgeable, operating legally, facility is environmentally responsible, and employs technicians that have passed examinations demonstrating experience, knowledge, and have a level of professionalism in proper lawn care turf management.
Additionally, if the unspeakable happens, it is important that the company has insurance to cover any damages to your property or injury to its workers. In some cases, you as the homeowner could be held liable if the service provider has no insurance.
Fertilization is the key component of any lawn care program. Most companies will offer pre-emergent (for crabgrass and other grassy weeds) and post-emergent (for broadleaf weeds) weed control as part of their program, although these may be offered as options by some companies. Many lawn care programs will offer grub control at an additional cost which provides control of surface and sub-surface feeding insects such as grubs, chinch bug, bluegrass bill-bug, and sod web-worms. Disease control is generally not offered in a standard lawn care program, but is offered as an optional service by most lawn care companies.
Turf grasses in our local area require a combination of 16 different nutrients for the optimal growth. Of all the nutrients required by your lawn, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (potash, K) are usually not available in the soil at high enough quantities for good turf development and must be added through fertilization periodically. Reputable lawn care companies should be able to provide you with the quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in pounds per 1000 square feet used in their program.
Most companies offer a standard program that consists of anywhere from 4 to 7 lawn care applications per year. Many of them will also offer a customized program that is typically less applications than the standard program; however, this customized program may not be providing your lawn with the optimal annual nutrient and weed control levels.
Once you have learned how many lawn care applications you would be receiving on an annual basis, next you will want to evaluate the total annual program to determine the best value. For example, if Lawn Care Company “A” offers rates at $42 per application and performs 6 applications per year, your total annual investment is $252. If Lawn Care Company “B” offers rates at $38 per application, on the surface they may look cheaper, but if they perform 7 applications per year, your total annual investment would be $266.
Fertilizer can be categorized into two types; quick-release or slow-release. Quick-release promotes rapid grass growth and dark green turf color relatively soon after an application. The promotion of excessive growth and thatch through overuse of quickly-available nitrogen sources is undesirable from both the standpoint of increased mowing requirements and because grass hardiness and health may be reduced. Slow-release fertilizer provides a slower, more uniform growth and greening response from the turf. Reputable lawn care companies typically will use a combination of quick and slow release fertilizer and should be able to provide you with percentages of each type used during each of their applications.
Lawn service quality may vary from year to year due to variations in weather and from one lawn to another due to soil conditions. It is IMPOSSIBLE for a lawn care company to guarantee that no issues will occur if you contract their services. Be suspicious of one that does. Reputable lawn care companies, however, will make every effort to ensure customer satisfaction by offering evaluations, diagnosis, recommendations or corrective applications, many times at no charge.
Established lawn care companies have long recognized that the most successful lawn care program is dependent upon some cooperation from, and education of, the homeowner. The homeowner generally performs several cultural practices, such as mowing and watering, which have a substantial effect on lawn service quality and the appearance and health of a lawn. Some companies will provide customers with seasonal information on proper lawn care. They may also provide special information and instructions on watering or mowing requirements at the time of their visit to your lawn.
Below is a list of desirable services offered by many lawn service companies: