Common questions. Straight answers.

Quoted per property by the pro you hire. Lot size and visit frequency are the two biggest drivers, and smaller yards cost less. Most SD maintenance pros quote a flat monthly rate that covers mow, edge, trim, blow, and haul-off. Confirm what is included before you sign.

Warm-season lawns (Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia) usually get weekly April-October and every 2-3 weeks November-February. Cool-season (fescue) runs every 10-14 days in peak growth. The crews we match you with adjust cadence to actual growth, not just the calendar.

Yes. The crews we match you with bring commercial walk-behind and stand-on mowers, gas and battery trimmers, steel-blade edgers, and blowers. Blades sharpened weekly, dull blades tear grass and cause brown tips.

Usually yes. Winter low-growth pauses are common for warm-season lawns, and most maintenance agreements allow it. Plenty of homeowners step down to every 3-4 weeks December-February rather than pause outright. Ask the pro how pauses affect the monthly rate before you sign.

Design fee is quoted separately by the contractor. Install cost is driven by yard size, grading needs, and hardscape scope, front-yard projects cost less than full-property redesigns. Drought-tolerant conversions often qualify for turf rebates that offset the total.

A scaled drawing with plant list, irrigation zone plan, hardscape layout, and an itemized cost estimate. Many design-build contractors credit the design fee toward the install if you move forward, so ask about that upfront and get it in writing. Worth it on any install of real size, a wrong plant pick in SD dies in year two and you pay twice.

3-5 days for a front yard (1,000-1,500 sq ft), 5-10 days for a full property with grading and hardscape. The crews we match you with stage by zone so most of the yard stays usable during the install.

Ask about the plant warranty before you sign, and get it in writing. A 90-day plant replacement warranty through the rooting period is common on installs of this size, and it normally excludes neglect, pet damage, and extreme weather. Replacement terms after that window vary by contractor.

Yes. The SoCal Water$mart turf replacement program pays $2.00 per square foot of removed live turf, up to 5,000 square feet a year, and your own water agency may add an incentive on top. Amounts change and depend on funding available when your application is approved, so check your address in the program estimator first. Pre-approval before any work starts is required, so ask the pro you hire whether they handle the paperwork and the pre- and post-install inspections; most SD drought-conversion contractors do.

Three checks: (1) Walk the yard during a run cycle, look for wet patches that never dry (lateral line leak). (2) Test each valve solo for pressure consistency. (3) Check the controller against the current agency restrictions, most older dial-timers are set too generous. Most SD bill spikes trace to one leaking valve or lateral.

Yes for most SD homes. A Rachio or Hunter Hydrawise costs more upfront than a basic timer, priced by zone count, but it runs off local ET (evapotranspiration) forecasts and skips watering when it rains. Payback is usually 8-14 months on SD water rates. Also keeps you automatically compliant with MWD watering-day limits.

Yes. The crews we match you with convert existing lawn valves to drip laterals with pressure regulators and filters, add inline emitters sized to the new plants, and set new run times. Common during a lawn-to-drought conversion, avoids trenching fresh mainline.

Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia), 4 to 6 feedings per year, heaviest April-August. Cool-season (tall fescue), 4 feedings per year, heaviest September-November and March-April. Over-feeding wastes money and causes thatch.

Two windows. Winter weeds (poa annua, chickweed), apply mid-October. Summer weeds (crabgrass, spurge, goosegrass), apply mid-February. Miss the window by 3-4 weeks and most of the benefit is lost. The pros we match you with schedule these by calendar, not by sight.

Formal hedges (boxwood, privet, cypress) want 2-3 shapings per year. Ornamentals (Indian hawthorn, loropetalum) get 1-2. Ficus needs selective thinning every 6-8 months, sheared ficus goes brown fast in our sun.

Top-up annually, full refresh every 2-3 years. Bark breaks down and thins over time. Once you can see bare soil between bark pieces, it is past due, water savings drop and weeds come back.

Yes. Zone 0 (ember-resistant 0-5 ft), Zone 1 (lean-clean 5-30 ft), Zone 2 (reduced fuel 30-100 ft). Common in Ramona, Julian, Alpine, Fallbrook, and Poway hillside lots. The crews we match you with cut vegetation back to compliance and haul out the fuel load. Documentation provided for insurance or CAL FIRE inspection.

Avoid: eucalyptus within 30 ft of structures, junipers, pampas grass, pepper trees, and Italian cypress near eaves. Choose: succulents and agaves (fire-resilient), California natives (toyon, manzanita, ceanothus), and hardscape zones close to the structure. The pros we match you with design around defensible space rules when your lot needs it.

Annual cutback in spring (March-May) and a mid-summer check (July) is standard on inland lots. One clearing is rarely enough, new growth fills back in fast during the wet season and dries into fuel through summer.