Lawn Mowing in Janesville, WI

What a mowing visit covers

A standard visit is the mow itself, string trimming around the house, fences, trees and beds, edging along the driveway and the public sidewalk, and blowing the clippings off the hard surfaces. On most Janesville lots that includes the terrace, the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb, which the property owner keeps up even though it sits next to the street.

Bagging is the exception, not the rule. UW-Madison Extension says clippings are more than 90 percent water, break down quickly and do not cause thatch, so leaving them on the lawn feeds it (UW-Madison Extension, Lawn Maintenance). Bagging makes sense for the first cut on an overgrown lawn, or when the grass is wet and clumping.

The height that keeps a Wisconsin lawn thick

Extension's guidance for cool-season lawns is a mowing height of 2.5 to 3.5 inches, with no more than one third of the leaf removed at a cut. A lawn that is 4 inches tall should come down to no lower than about 2.5 inches. A taller cut shades the soil, which keeps crabgrass seed from germinating and holds moisture through a dry July.

The same rule sets the schedule. In May and June, when the grass grows fastest, a lawn can need mowing twice a week to stay inside the one-third rule; in a hot, dry stretch of summer, every two weeks can be plenty. A weekly route is the middle ground most homeowners pick, with the crew skipping a week when the lawn has stopped growing.

What mowing costs in Janesville

GreenPal's Janesville page puts a typical quarter-acre lawn at about $39 a mow, $47 on average, with sample local bids of $47, $51 and $55 (GreenPal, Janesville mowing prices). Larger and corner lots run $53 to $74, and the first cut on a lawn that has gotten away runs $74 to $109 because it takes two passes and the clippings have to come off. Weekly service from the average last spring freeze to the first hard freeze is about 26 visits, or roughly $1,014 to $1,430 for a season on a typical lot. Every range is on the lawn care cost page.

Where the clippings go, and where they cannot

Janesville ordinance 34-341 bars grass clippings and other lawn debris from the gutter and street in any season; the city says clippings, leaves and yard waste back up its storm sewers (City of Janesville, stormwater maintenance). A crew that blows clippings into the street is putting the violation on your property. The right finish is clippings blown back onto the lawn, and the street, sidewalk and driveway left clean.

The 12-inch rule

Janesville ordinance 22-204 caps grass and weeds at 12 inches. After an inspector confirms a complaint, the owner gets a door hanger or a letter, the property is re-inspected 7 days later, and if the grass is still tall the city has it cut and bills the owner (City of Janesville, tall weeds and grasses). Rentals, vacant houses and anyone away for a few weeks in June are the usual cases. The whole process is in the Janesville tall grass ordinance guide.

Mowing and the rest of the lawn

Mowing keeps a lawn neat; it does not thicken a thin one. If the turf is patchy, the fix is core aeration and overseeding in late summer, and if weeds are winning, a fertilizer and weed control program. In the fall, the last few mows can mulch light leaf cover straight into the lawn before the heavy drop calls for a fall cleanup.