NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, I'm in Rutherford with a roughly 5000sqft front and back yard. Been on TruGreen for 2 years paying $350/yr and honestly not super impressed - my lawn is okay but nothing special. Thinking about going DIY with Scotts products since I have more time now working from home. Can anyone who's done this give me real numbers? Want to know if the savings are actually worth the effort. My lawn is mostly tall fescue with some KBG patches. What's the actual yearly tab looking like? Thanks!

I've been maintains my own lawn in Dumont for 12 years now so let me break this down for you. For a 5000sqft lawn using Scotts products, you're looking at around $200-275/year realistically. Here's my annual program: Step 1 (March/April) - Scotts Turf Builder Starter at around $45 for the bag. Step 2 (Memorial Day) - Scotts Weed & Feed at about $38. Step 3 (July 4th week) - Scotts Turf Builder Summer at $42. Step 4 (Labor Day) - Scotts Turf Builder Fall Feed at $45. Then overseeding in fall with Scotts EZ Seed around $50-60 depending on how much you need. Plus maybe another $30-40 in grass seed. That's the core program right there.

Agree with GrassGuru's breakdown but I'd add that you also need to factor in a decent spreader if you don't have one. I picked up a Scotts broadcast spreader at the Home Depot in Paramus for about $65 and it's lasted 4 years so that's amortized cost too. Also, your soil matters - I had to get a soil test done through Rutgers cooperative extension and found I was low on phosphorus so I added Mag-I-Cal from Jonathan Green which ran another $35. In Bergen County most lawns here have clay soil so compaction is real. My total last year was closer to $320 once you count everything, though I did go heavier on the overseeding because I had some bare spots from my dog.

Here's where I'll disagree with the full Scotts program crowd - I've transitioned to mostly organic methods over the last 3 years and my costs are way lower plus the lawn looks healthier. I make my own compost from leaves collected in fall (Bergen County does leaf pickup so that works) and use it as a top dress in spring. For fertility I just do two applications of organic fertilizer from Espoma at about $50/year total. Yes it's slower to show results but my tall fescue is incredibly deep rooted now. The weed pressure honestly isn't bad once you get the grass thickening out. Just my 2 cents - you don't HAVE to go full Scotts to have a nice lawn.

@CompostQueen I respect the organic approach but your soil was probably better to begin with. When I took over my current house the previous owner had basically compacted clay with almost no organic matter - I needed those quick results from synthetic to get the grass established. Though I'll admit after 3 years of my Scotts program I've built up enough organic matter that I'm thinking of backing off some of the chemicals. Your point is fair though - for someone starting from scratch with decent soil the organic route is legit. To the OP though, I'd say start with the Scotts program and then tweak based on how your lawn responds. Year 1 expect to spend in that $250-300 range for a solid program.

This is super helpful everyone, thanks! @GrassGuru - so you're saying roughly $200-275 is doable without going crazy on extras? That already beats TruGreen by a decent margin even if I factor in buying a spreader. One question - do you guys actually do 4 feedings or do some skip the summer one? I've heard conflicting advice on whether the July app is necessary in NJ or if it's overkill.

I do all 4 feedings and honestly that July one has saved my lawn twice during heat stress years. The summer blend has more potassium and it really helps the grass push through August when we're getting those 90 degree days. Last couple summers in Bergen County have been brutal - remember 2020 when we had that weeks-long heat wave? My neighbor who skipped the summer feeding his lawn went completely brown while mine stayed mostly green. So yeah I'd say the 4-app program is worth it here. Just make sure you water adequately afterwards - I set my sprinklers to run about 20 minutes after each application.