lawn seeding warranty

[lawn jockey]

Here's my situation.I have 4 possibly 5 yards to seed,my ? is what kind of warranty do you guy's give? I will be planting it with a drill planter.Also I was wondering what kind of price ranges everyone has for this? I will be planting a sun shade mix at 1lb per 350 sq.ft.Does this sound correct?Thankyou any comments or suggestions would be great! Thankyou

[LawnLad]

lawn warranty if new installation - 90 days from date of installation. We provide first mowing and a supplemental second fertlizer app to give it a boost. We'll warranty for 1 year if they are a maintenance customer.

I'll back a warranty down or not at all if the conditions are not ideal and a customer is asking us to do something we don't recommend. Like slit seeding in a lawn with heavy thatch. We don't warranty spot seeding, etc. Really only NEW lawn installations or renovations.

Seed mix sounds light at 1 lb/350 sq ft. Rye/fescue seeds are larger in size, so by volume you have fewer seeds than with blue grass. If recollection serves me, you want about 6 lbs/1,000 for rye/fescue, about 3 lbs/1,000 with blue grass. We seed in the 6 to 10 lbs range per 1,000 with a mix. Plus we heavily seed the perimeter of the lawn, so we burn a few more pounds doing this.

[Commander]

How involved are you getting with seeding here? Are we talking about just removing old lawn and drilling new seed in? Or are we talking about doing the soil test, adding ammendments, adjusting pH, adding starter fert, adding a quality mulching material, etc. If you are going to get involved and do it right (2nd way) then yes, guarantee it. If the customer thinks that they know more than you do and doesn't want to pay for soil tests and what not... then NO, NO GUARANTEE FOR YOU!

[lawn jockey]

Yes Commander thye do not want to pay for this they just want me to seed it!This is in a new development. This is another reason I ask Ireally dont want my name on them if they look bad! They want it done as a group. They said they would buy the seed or I could.Maybe I will let them I could just charge to drill it
!?Then my name really would'nt be on it and I would'nt have to warranty it correct?

[Commander]

Walk away. If it's a new development they are going to have a lot more problems than can be fixed by simply seeding the lawn. They probably have a big compaction factor, possibly a soil layering problem, and a lot of other things. Either don't get involved, or get involved completely doing it the right way and charge well for it.

[AGG Lawn Maintenance]

If it were me I would make my recommendations, show them pictures and facts of why you have to do it that way. If they still don't bite than run and run fast. You don't need the headaches.
In the future if you do a seed job make sure you purchase it. Most customers buy cheap seed. You need a seed with a good mix such as rye, tall fescue, etc. You also need a good rate of germination, which is on the bag. 80% and higher is good. It maybe in your best interest it put together a fact sheet along with so pictures or thatching aerating over seeding sodding etc.
If you educate your customers you will have less problems in the long run. Good luck.
Travis

Travis

[Shawn Burns]

Also, if you buy the seed you can probably mark it up some. You should be able to buy better seed cheaper than they can.
As far as a warranty, mine is 30 days, if i come by in the first 14 days ang ground is not wet, the warranty is void. This lets them know they must water to get seed up and if they don't it's not in your lap. After 30 days i will fert again and then it's theirs. I don't know about y'all, but this usually works well for me.

[olderthandirt]

Most of my income the last 9 yrs. have come from new lawn installations in new developments. If customer buys seed no warrenty! If I do the whole thing 14-18 cents sq.ft. on the lot size no subtractions for house drive etc. becouse that takes the most time. I also won't install unless I can supply top-soil for beds, that adds up to some extra easy $ plus its easier for me to move it and form the beds before I do an install than the customer with a wheel barrow when I'm done. If they don't want the top no warrenty becouse I also use it to fill in spots I can't get machine into. I never had trouble with soil conditions that proper prep did'nt take care of as far as having good thick grass. I use a mixture of 60% Blue 40% per. rye. Myself and one other guy can do 2 yards in a long day, If I have to come back for any thin spots I slice it in. I give watering instuctions when I'm finished in writing and have custormer sign copy so theres no confusion later and I drive by and make sure that they are following through with the watering since I'm usually working in the development or another close by. Hope this helps

[wattsup]

Lawn Jockey, run away very fast and politely. I am an ex-developer. Most developers are not well informed about this industry and will expect much more than they pay for. I know this for certain. I was like that, I always expected grass to grow, even if the temperature was below freezing for more than a month. Also, developers expect the highest quality for the cheapest price. I am almost embarrassed at the things I expected from LC contractors due to my own ignorance. Only work for developers if you can do all their work, landscaping, seeding, etc... This way you may make a few dollars.

[geogunn]

I have done a few of these.

I let the client know that I will do the best job I can and that he can even watch if he likes.

I will use the amount of seed and fert that he wants to pay for.

and the prep will be first rate.

and the payment is due before I leave the site.

but if the grass doesn't grow...it is an act of GOD.

and there is nothing I can do to change that.

GEO

[garydale]

Everybody has made good points.

I agree with them all,especially " Act of God " point by GEO.

No warranty, except workmanship and seed quality.Only use state certified seed that I provide.

Do it right:
50 % down @ signing,Soil test,scalp and remove clippings/thatch, aerate,slice seed 6-10lb. rate/fescue, 2-3 blue,(possibly two directions),high P fertilizer,written watering instructions, Balance COD before leaving site.

We wait 12 months to evaluate finished product. It takes that long to mature.

PS: We would roundup most renovations first to ensure quality job.

Good Luck!!

[HBFOXJr]

Warranty germionation if watered properly ( tell them how) and no bald spots larger than hand or dinner plate.

[awm]

i dont warranty seed . just give it the best growing culture
and the rest depends on nature. a watering system ,changes everything ,of course.
one factor to consider is the homeowner doing things without u knowing it until its to late.

[SCAPEASAURUSREX]

WHATS THAT ???

never on seed or sod.. To many variables.. Are they gonna water it, Dog gonna christen it , kids gonna run and play on it before it even grows.. Every body wants the perfect lawn , but none of them want to pay for it, so let em pay for it a few times, then they will learn the value of doing it right ( maybe ? )

[olderthandirt]

Thats what contracts are for. your contract should spell out every detail of the warrenty. Kids on it before its grown NO Warrenty, Lack of water or over watering NO Warrenty, act of god NO Warrenty, Failure to Thrive NO Warrenty. There are to many variable to planting a new lawn and you can only warrenty the parts you can control. And if they want a better warrenty charge them double so you can afford to do it twice.

[jeffyr]

I would give guarantee that it was prepared correctly and seeded with premium seed and fertilizer, but since you are not in control of what happens after leaving you can not provide a warrenty.

jeffyr