# How much $$$ do you spend for the perfect lawn?



## Miller_Low_Life (Apr 12, 2017)

So the subject kind of explains this topic. Being the yard freak that I am and constantly striving for the perfect patch of green. After working on my budget this year I've become depressed on the amount of money that I'm spending on my yard. Whether that's over seeding, or trying out new N-Ext products and applying compost. My yard looks great but my wallet is now empty. After adding up the costs over the last year, I'm pushing $1500. Is this crazy?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Yeah, it's definitely crazy - but I guess you could say the same for any hobby. I'm going to move this to General Discussion. Good topic. :thumbup:


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

I moved in December of 2016 to a much larger lot. I already had tons of power equipment. But I bought lots more.
I have spent about $2,000 on chemicals alone (I do have very fat stocks of lots of things and don't expect to replenish them for a long while). 
I am thinking for a place this size trugreen would want $200 per month. I am about to cancel my pest control service ($600 per year, $99 every two months) 
As Ware says it's a hobby too. Interestingly in contrast to many other hobbies of mine, the Mrs. is very on board with this. She likes the place looking great.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I should add this up. I still have all herbicides and pre emergents that were purchased last year. I've spent some money on peat and seed for a few bare spots I re seeded. I'll post back later after my renovation this fall. I will say I am on somewhat of a tight budget overall especially considering the size of my lawn.


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## TigerinFL (Mar 29, 2018)

i've only spent a couple of hundred so far ... or at least that is the story the wife gets told.


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## Miller_Low_Life (Apr 12, 2017)

^ same here. The wife thinks it's around $200 a year...


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

Depends, are you just talking chemicals and fertilizer for the year or as a whole, equipment and all? Because cost of actual chemicals and fertilizer on the ground hasn't been that much, maybe $300 so far this year plus $350 for sand. But the amount I have spent on equipment (that will last a long time) and chemicals (that last more than one application) is probably more like $3000


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

I try not to think about it


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## JCTaylor (May 14, 2018)

Woah woah woah.... Ahem. Can you put a price on perfection? On the pure joy of dominating ones neighbor? Can you put a price on knowing you have the best cared after lawn on the block? I think not. I agree w/ @social port when he says "I try not to think about it"

All jokes aside I think it can cost as much as you want it to. You can get to the point where some of the returns are diminishing I think. Depends on what level of lawn you are looking for. Good, good enough, or great. I spend under $500 on chemicals every year but I am looking to up my game year after year.


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## Miller_Low_Life (Apr 12, 2017)

^^^ Go Big Red!


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## AVguy (May 21, 2018)

I've spent Around $150 on fert and chemicals this year. Rather not talk about equipment. You name it... I bought it this year. But I'm sure that fever will not exist next year.


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## Miller_Low_Life (Apr 12, 2017)

That fever turns into an itch you need to scratch. I now have a lawn mower for every occasion. A gas, battery and manual reel mower. A couple of edger's, blowers and trimmers. Not to mention the amount of plants I've trial and error.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

I don't know about "perfect lawn," but I spend about $2,500 a year on a weed and bug infested piece of dirt :lol:

Funny thing is the lawn isn't really my hobby, i just do it because i'm to cheap to pay someone who charges top dollar to do it right. I do a ton more stuff in my shop/woodworking and I am a hunting and fishing feign.


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## Rackhouse Mayor (Sep 4, 2017)

I don't think it's crazy at all. I live near the coast where most people own boats. Along with boats come many added expenses none of which add to your home value or desirability. I'm comfortable with spending a few grand a year on my lawn assuming some of that is for equipment.


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## kur1j (Jul 2, 2017)

More than my wife likes. When my wife asks I just tell her per application costs :-D.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

How much? Way more than I care to add up.

First I bought a TruCut, then sold it and bought a Swardman =$$$

Then I bought an Ego trimmer, then saw the Landscape blade and had to have one =$$$

Add up all the herbicides, fertilizer, pesticides and lawn chemicals and that is even more $$$

The Rachio controller was purchased, but to get the best out of it, I had to get a personal weather station... so yeah that is more $$$$

All told, I consider it a necessity to fuel the hobby. And having the best lawn in the neighborhood is a bonus.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

I think the initial investments are always steep, but tend to drop over time. The beauty of things like Celsius or Tenacity or a greens mower is that they last a long time. And you can only own so many mowers and sprayers. However, don't forget to subtract out the cost a landscaper would charge for making your lawn look so great - you'll probably come out ahead.

And unlike video games or the like, it's a great hobby that actually produces something: a nice lawn, good exercise, pride of ownership, communications on-line and with neighbors, and so on.


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

I spend a lot. More than I should.


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## Miller_Low_Life (Apr 12, 2017)

^^ To be fair Connor, you have to spend more to give us all of that YouTube content.


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

> And you can only own so many mowers and sprayers.


What the hell are you talking about??!?!  :lol:


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Haha, true.


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## Neiltsubota (May 15, 2018)

Why is this question not answered? 
I am in the planning stage of my landscaping project for my new home. 
Cost of design?
Cost of Irrigation?
Cost of maintenance?
Cost of equipment?
Cost of lawn chemicals?


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

More than I would like to admit. Probably in the 1,500$ a year range and I love every minute of it. I love when walk outside and catch a car that has stopped just to look at my property. It's a hell of a feeling.


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## NoslracNevok (Jun 12, 2018)

I'm sitting at $180 this year, staying frugal. I bought in bulk a few things like Nitrogen and Phosphorus, so it will last me about 2 years. After buying some Iron and sulfentrazone today, I'll be around $225.

Hard to say how much your spending when buying in bulk and considering most people give parts of their lawn a different amount of attention and different areas. I try and baby my front 1k, and my new back 10k is my testing ground and I try to think value. My side lawns get the the treatment leftovers. XD


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## Ballistic (Mar 19, 2018)

I prefer not to add it up but i know i got a lot of it in sprinklers right now switching all my heads to the Hunter I-20 Stainless Rotors, and i haven't even started leveling or looking for a reel mower.


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

Long story short I negotiated with the boss to budget for the lawn this yr. I'm still trying to keep it as cheap as I can. I'm roughly looking at $450ish. But that's adding in milo if I can catch it at the sale price and its in stock. If not, take off $110. No pgr, no fungicide and using FAS and a few smaller things that I already had in my arsenol. Not adding in equipment or repairs either obviously. I have around 43k of turf. So breaking it down further that's roughly $10.5 per 1000sqft. My wife asked me what do most guys spend? So thought I would ask? What do you figure in per 1k?


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

I have 2000 sq ft. I will buy 4 big bags of fert at roughly $50 a bag. 
Bought a bag of Doliprol - $30. 
Jug of liquid Iron is $80 ( I think).
I'll use half a bottle of Nualgi - $50.
PGR I'll use $30
Sand for topdress $250 for the year
A few other assorted nutrients that I buy in big pails that will last for a few years so I'm guessing for the year $50
Plus I get a guy to Aerate twice at $50 each time
$800 for the year = $400 per 1K sq ft. 
Comparing that to yours I would say your wife should allow to increase your budget considerably! Lol
I'm not going to mention equipment costs.
Purchasing the Dennis put that in the ridiculous range.


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

Too damn much, thats for sure.

I started keeping a budget the first year I got serious, and then stopped after I hit a few thousand.

But once you get a few large jugs of this and that, it takes less.

$450 on 43K sq sounds like a great deal to me.

Edit-
Not including some larger implements, I spent:
2018- $2,555
2019- $1,249 so far

Probably could have had turf installed for that :lol:

Dear God, please don't let my wife see this post.

A lot of these are sunk/one time costs. Like backpack sprayer, giant jug of Dimension, PGR, hoses, etc.


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

I have an acre lot with 33k sq ft of turf...I have a local company come and do fertilization, pre-emergent and post emergent. They come 6 times per year using granular and liquid applications at approx $250 per visit on my yard. I supplement with PGR and other fert and some soil amendments products here and there.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

@Rucraz2, I merged your thread with this one. Cheers.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> @Rucraz2, I merged your thread with this one. Cheers.


Ohh, that's makes sense. I thought there was only 1 post when I chimed in.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

John Deere X350 $2600
Bagger Kit. $600
Mulching Kit. $140
Honda HRR mower $400
Stihl Kombi 111, trimmer $370
Stihl Kombi Edger $180
Stihl Kombi Hedgetrimmer $250
Stihl Kombi Bed Redefiner $250
Stihl FS56 Hedgetrimmer $340
North Star 31 gal. sprayer $300
Hand Pump Sprayers $100
Fertilizer $300
Herbicides $300
Miscellaneous $150

Altogether around $6000 (not including gasoline or oil)

Prior lawn service and fert & squirt = $3000 annually

In two years time, I break even, and I own all my equipment, above. :thumbup:

And my lawn looks better than the hacks could ever make it look. :nod:


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> @Rucraz2, I merged your thread with this one. Cheers.


Thank you sir! I figured this had to have been discussed but couldn't find anything in a quick search so figured I would start one or get it merged like this.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

So glad you came up with this one. So now I can tell my wife one of 4 things along with her reaction in ():

Honey I spend about $3000 a year on the lawn ( :shout: )

Honey I spend about $250 a month on the lawn ( :shock: )

Honey I spend about $60 a week on the lawn ( :roll: )

Honey it only costs us about $30 every time I mow and that takes into account the spike in the water bill during the summer ( :thumbup: )

So many ways to slice this pie. In my area and acre+ lots the going rate is $100 per week. Considering I only golf 3-4 times a year now I figure Im saving us money


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

I definitely spend more than I thought I ever would. This year alone I've probably spent 5,000$ on equipment and chemicals. Every year is not like that but I love learning about all things lawn care and that involves spending money. A beautiful yard is just the cherry on top.

It's a really good feeling when a stranger drives thru the neighborhood and stops to complement your yard :thumbup:


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## ThomasPI (May 18, 2019)

New guy here and thought about this myself and it is what it is. Living on Gulf Coast things like buying a $75K boat are common place. So after the first equipment purchase and the investment of chems and fertilizer etc, if I spend $2K per year on keeping the property value in check, worth every penny to me.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Budget? We don't need no stinking budget.

There is no perfect lawn.


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

So far this year is have spent maybe $150 between fertilizer, Bifen, and Prodiamine, I haven't applied any other chemicals to my lawn yet. I don't buy milo, it's way too expensive and haven't had the need to use PGR or any fungicides yet. I have yet to get this months water bill, im sure that will add another $100-$200 because we've only had a little over 1" of rainfall this month. As far as what I have spent to keep the lawn green I try to be thrifty and not spend much.

However, I spent almost $1k in sand, bought a $3k zero turn, bought a few attachments for the zero turn, and bought a few yard tools, for a total of around $5k so far this year.

I may have lost my mind 😂

[Merged your two posts - dfw] I did an app of Celsius in February to kill the annual ryegrass I planted in the fall. Not sure what the cost of an application for my whole yard is, maybe $10-$15.


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

It won't let me edit for some reason, I wanted add that I did an app of Celsius in February to kill the annual ryegrass I planted in the fall. Not sure what the cost of an application for my whole yard is, maybe $10-$15.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

@Cory we have all lost our minds


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