Q: I’ve been paying more than two hundred dollars a year for a lawn service to fertilize and maintain the weeds in my bermudagrass. In order to save money I’ve chosen to do it on my own. Everyone tells me store-bought pesticides are not as potent and I will never be able to have the same weed-free lawn as a service provides. Is this true?

A: You can certainly do the lawn maintenance yourself and save money. You simply have to be regular in your maintenance and you have to use the right products to cure any problems you discover.

The main advantage of using a maintenance company is that they come regularly. They also have familiarity with most lawn weed and disease problems. The products they use are no stronger than the ones you can purchase at a garden center.

Remember that lawn services usually have better equipment than a homeowner might. Their machines are carefully calibrated to apply material evenly and at the right rate. You can purchase homeowner equipment that will do the job but you have to be willing to calibrate and use it correctly. I have maintenance calendars for all lawn grasses at my Lawn Care Calendars and Factsheets webpage.