aerify and dethatching

[superintendent]

I like to know how most of yall are going to seed yards this yr. Are you going to just aerify and seed. Double aerify and seed. Aerify, seed and then dethatch. Like to know how much you charge per 1000's. I did quit a bit last yr but think I was under price. If you would pm how you charge per 1000's. Thanks

[McFarland_Lawn_Care]

Scalp mow the lawn, double aerate, broadcast seed, then power slit seed to add a little more seed and break up the cores etc. Spread fert and you are done. Prices depend on the size and mostly the difficulty of the lawn - hills are a huge challenge and we have a LOT of them around here. Our prices are a bit high but we use TOP quality seed.

[khutch]

I try to charge by the hour - 2 guys, 75 per hour to prep the property, 100 once the aeration starts. You get an idea after awhile of doing what to tell the customer as an estimate, but I don't like giving estimates if it brings down my bottom line. If your estimate is higher than your hourly wage, the customer has already agreed so it is OK. We just did one, estimate was 300, we were done about 45 min early, I dropped the price $25. We made great HOURLY rate, customer paid LESS than estimate, everyone HAPPY.
Set price by SF is OK, but every property is different and some 5k's will take almost as long as a 10k.
Only seed and fert matter to me when pricing by the SF. Labor is always going to vary.
I like knowing what I'm going to get PER HOUR because it is easy for me to know that I will get my price regardless how long it takes.

[lawn2012start]

funny thing is the best grass I have is a section with the most thatch.

[Smallaxe]

Originally Posted by lawn2012start

funny thing is the best grass I have is a section with the most thatch.

What do you mean by "Thatch"???