TruGreen Review (2022)

When it comes to maintaining a large lawn or fickle grass, there’s nothing more convenient than leaving your yard care to the professionals. Unlike a landscaping company, lawn service companies focus on the health of your soil, trees, and yard. The aim is to nourish your turf and give you a vibrant, lush outdoor space without bare patches or pests.

TruGreen is one of the most recognizable names in the lawn service industry, thanks to its widespread availability and impressive range of services. In this TruGreen review, we’ll spell out the company’s pros, cons, service programs, and customer reviews to help you make an informed decision on the best lawn care company for your yard.

Fast Facts About TruGreen

• Frequency of Service: TruGreen plans offer service every four to six weeks during the growing season, as well as annual and one-off options
• State Availability: 48 (all but Alaska and Hawaii)
• Get a Quick Quote: Visit TruGreen site

Upsides and Downsides of TruGreen

TruGreen Reviews

TruGreen holds a solid A-plus rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). We delved into 100 recent Google Reviews from multiple TruGreen locations spanning Idaho, Tennessee, Connecticut, and California. Many of the company’s positive reviews cited positive customer service experiences with friendly and experienced lawn specialists. Many reviews also praised the complimentary reservicing offered through TruGreen’s Healthy Lawn Guarantee. 

However, unsatisfied TruGreen customers often cited difficulty scheduling follow-up appointments or canceling services, as well as frequent calls from company reps to sell additional treatments. Here’s what homeowners across the nation said.

We have been with TruGreen for almost [two] years and are so pleased with their service. We had lost most of our lawn due to not regularly treating the lawn with weed/fertilizer treatments and watering often. It looks so much better than it [did] before. We recently had aerating and seeding done, but a lot of the seeds were washed away because of all the rain we had here the past week. They offered to come back and reseed again. They do truly care about your experience, and I cannot recommend them enough. —Nauzanene Jafari via Google Reviews

My experience with TruGreen has been a very positive one. They are always polite, informative, and do their job thoroughly. I am informed in advance of the day they will be coming out to do the job they have been hired for. If there needs to be an adjustment to that, a new day is scheduled without any hassle. —Paula Beebe via Google Reviews

I started the Tru Green service this year for my lawn. I am fairly pleased with the results of my lawn condition, but I am extremely unhappy with the Tru Green company as a whole. I have received calls, emails, salespersons at my door at 8:30 p.m. to “schedule” mosquito abatement, lawn aeration, tree spraying, sprinkler blowouts, and various other services. This company is relentless in their contacts, for this reason, I would not recommend their services… —Cheryl Whistler via Google Reviews

We had a lawn aeration service scheduled for between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for very specific reasons, one because my husband had a medical procedure the previous day. The service guy showed up using the loud equipment before 7:30 AM. waking us up and disturbing any neighbors who were not up yet. He then started to leave after just doing the front yard when we had contracted for both front and back. This does not leave a positive impression of this company. —Margo Komenar Donovan via Google Reviews

TruGreen Service Programs

TruGreen offers a wide variety of service programs to treat common issues yards face, such as compacted soil, bare patches, and a lack of nutrients in the soil. While the provider offers a broad range of options, it’s vital to note that local offices may vary slightly in the services they provide. Below are the lawn treatment offerings from TruGreen.

Lawn Plans

TruGreen offers four lawn plans for your lawn needs, completed throughout your region’s growing season. 

• TruSignature Lawn Care Plan: TruGreen’s most comprehensive annual plan, TruSignature, provides overseeding, fertilization, tree and shrub services, preemergent and targeted weed control, aeration, and grub control and prevention. These services are completed over nine visits each growing season, in most cases.
• TruComplete Lawn Care Plan: Best for lawns that need full-service care, TruComplete includes lawn aeration, targeted and preemergent weed control, overseeding, lawn fertilization, and grub prevention and control. These will be provided throughout nine visits during the growing season in most parts of the country.  
• TruHealth Lawn Care Plan: TruHealth offers fertilization, grub control and prevention, and targeted and preemergent weed control, typically completed over eight visits each growing season.
• TruMaintenance Lawn Care Plan: Best to maintain an already-healthy lawn, TruMaintenance provides fertilization and preemergent and targeted weed control, usually spread over seven applications per growing season.

Á La Carte Services

For less frequent lawn maintenance or add-on options, TruGreen offers stand-alone service programs:

• Soil amendment and analysis: This process analyzes your soil’s current pH and creates a more hospitable climate for grass growth.
• Tree and shrub care: This service is ideal for fighting disease and pests, improving overall health, protecting against winter conditions, and fertilizing your trees and shrubs.
• Grub control and prevention: Keep your lawn safe from grub damage and prevent an infestation with specialized grub treatments.
• Mosquito control and defense: TruGreen repels mosquitos with a potent spray, guaranteeing control of the mosquito population in your yard in just 24 hours from treatment.
• Perimeter pest control: TruGreen uses a granular treatment around the outside of your home to protect against wasps, spiders, and other seasonal pests.
• Lawn aeration: Aeration is a service that uses spikes or heavy machinery to break up compacted soil. Loosening the soil allows air, nutrients, and water to reach your lawn’s roots more efficiently, increasing the health of your lawn. 

TruGreen Service Pricing

We secret-shopped TruGreen’s pricing for a four-bedroom home and yard in Charleston, South Carolina. We found that standard plans ranged between $344 for TruMaintenance and $538 for TruComplete per year.

For an idea of pricing for á la carte services, we were quoted $141 for aeration, $463.95 for a year of tree and shrub services, and $531.65 for one year of TruGreen mosquito defense. As a reward to new customers, the company traditionally discounts the first application.

TruGreen Frequency of Service

Customers can personalize their treatment schedule with TruGreen, as the company offers flexible options in scheduling services.

• Monthly/bimonthly: For TruGreen plans and most pest control services, the company will service lawns every four to six weeks during the active season. 
• Annually: Customers can renew their specialized services each year for services like seeding that are only needed once a year.
• Á la carte: If your lawn is relatively healthy, but you’d like aeration performed every three to four years or occasional overseeding when your lawn looks bare, you can schedule as you go with TruGreen. Note that you may need to make a phone call for this frequency, as the online quoting feature leans heavily toward recommending a plan or ongoing service.

TruGreen Lawn Care Ingredients

Most TruGreen lawn care plans use conventional ingredients for treatments, which can be harmful to children and pets. In fact, the company advises homeowners to let treatments dry before returning to the area. However, customers can request the TruNatural plan and receive 100% natural fertilizer treatments. 

Note that this plan does not include preemergent weed control, though TruNatural customers can opt for an application of traditional weed killer at no additional cost. For a home in Charleston, South Carolina, we were quoted $630.18 for a TruNatural plan.

Our Recommendation

Overall, TruGreen is our top recommendation for busy homeowners who want flexible service, a variety of plans, and the option to manage their policy on a mobile app. The provider also offers widespread service, unlike many regional lawn care companies, making it an excellent choice to consolidate lawn care for primary and secondary residences.

However, the scope of natural and organic care is limited. For eco-conscious homeowners who don’t mind getting their hands dirty, Lawnbright is another top choice for DIY lawn care with a variety of naturally based products.

How We Chose the Top Lawn Care Services

We researched and analyzed widely available lawn care services, spoke with customer service representatives, and analyzed customer experiences based on hundreds of consumer reviews and call-listening sessions to find common pain points and lawn care service requests.

We also secret-shopped for quotes from six providers to simulate the customer experience with each process and compare pricing for similar services. Although lawn care offerings can vary based on seasonality and location, we reviewed and compared each provider’s service programs, frequency of service, customer support, options for pest and weed control, contact options, industry reputation, ingredients, and state availability.