How Much Do Leaf Removal Services Cost for My Commercial Property?

Of all the various landscaping services we provide for our clients, leaf removal is one that is really important but doesn’t always get the attention or credit that it deserves. Commercial property managers and owners know that they need to have leaf removal services addressed but it’s not something they always give much thought to.

However, leaf removal services are important not only for aesthetics but also for the overall health and safety of the property.

We find that what sometimes holds back clients from investing in professional leaf removal is not fully understanding the cost and why it's so important. It’s a service that some might have tried to tackle in-house or perhaps even skimped on (having it performed just once). But that could set your property up for problems.

We know you might have questions including how much do leaf removal services cost?

We’ll answer that and other common questions surrounding leaf removal costs so that you can make the best decision for your property.

Why Pay for Leaf Removal Instead of Just Mulching Them Into the Grass?

One of the questions that we sometimes receive from folks who are reluctant to invest in dedicated leaf removal services is why can't we just mulch up the leaves in the grass?

The biggest problem with this is that you’ll never be able to keep up with all the leaves falling. You’d have to really increase your number of mowing visits and in the meantime, you’ll have to deal with the aesthetics of leaves lying around.

Many of the commercial properties that we work on have a variety of mature trees and the leaf drop is significant. Getting these leaves off the ground is essential to keeping the property looking and functioning at its best.

We’ll explain in more detail in the next section why leaving fallen leaves on the ground can be problematic beyond purely aesthetic factors.

What Problems Can Fallen Leaves Cause if Not Addressed?

So often, people tend to think of leaf removal services as an effort in keeping the property looking its best. There’s certainly truth to that. And there is no question that removing leaves helps to keep a property look neat and tidy. It also removes some of the frustrations associated with leaves blowing into parking lots, on walkways, or even being tracked into buildings or homes.

But there’s more to it than just looks. While there is obviously a huge aesthetics factor in leaf removal, fallen leaves can also harm the health of the lawn and the safety of your property. Let’s look at some of the potential problems.

Blocking Sunlight

When leaves are not cleared in a timely manner, a thick or matted layer of leaves can block sunlight and begin to kill the lawn. Similarly, it can block water or even any remaining lawn treatments you might be having performed. It’s a lot like leaving a blanket on top of your turf.

Pest Problems

Leaves left lying on the ground can also become a prime habitat for pests to take up residence. Everything from lawn insects to even rodents may use the cover of the leaves to make a home.

While there, these pests can potentially harm your lawn. They might also start to look for ways to get inside buildings or homes.

Wet Leaf Woes

On top of all that, leaves that are left on the ground can also become incredibly slippery. Even just a little bit of rainfall can make leaves quite slick and turn them into a slip-and-fall hazard.

Wet fallen leaves left lying in the grass can also start to become a soggy breeding ground where fungi can thrive.

For all of these reasons, investing in leaf removal services and getting leaves removed in a timely manner is key.

How Much Do Leaf Removal Services Cost?

There are a number of factors that go into leaf removal services cost. Let’s look at the main contributing ones.

Where the Trees/Leaves are Located

In developing a leaf removal cost estimate, one of the first things that we’ll look at is where the trees are located and where the fallen leaves need to be removed from. Is it in an easily accessible spot? Are there multiple spots all throughout the property? These factors have a major impact on how easy it is to remove the leaves and how much time it will take.

What Types of Trees and How Many You Have

Another factor that comes into consideration is the types of trees. Some have leaves and debris that are easier to clean up than others. Plus, some larger and more mature trees are obviously going to drop more leaves than smaller, more recently planted trees.

We’ll also look at how many trees that you have. More trees usually mean more leaves and more cost.

All of that is going to factor into the time it takes to perform the work.

Estimated Labor Hours

Ultimately, those two factors above are going to help us determine how much time it will take to perform leaf removal services. As with many landscaping services, at the end of the day, it comes down to labor hours.

For larger properties, we do have leaf vacuum attachments that we can incorporate to help us speed up the process. It’s a very effective way to perform leaf removal on properties with heavy tree cover.

How Many Leaf Removal Service Visits

Finally, how many times we come out to remove leaves is obviously going to be a major cost factor. We generally prefer two or three visits, but depending upon the region, it could be more.

Ideally, you don’t want to wait too long in between leaf removal visits for the reasons that we mentioned above. As long as leaves are left lying on your lawn, they can do harm. So, you want to take steps to mitigate your risk by keeping leaves regularly cleared. Depending upon how many trees you have, and what your expectations and needs are, we can determine how many visits make the most sense.

Working with Yellowstone Landscape on Leaf Removal Services

At Yellowstone Landscape, we know that leaf removal services can be a big deal for many commercial properties. Fallen leaves can not only be unattractive and messy, but they can cause health problems for your turf or even put your property at unnecessary risk.

We’re ready to help with this service for clients who want and need it.

For many clients, this is an add-on service that is not included in their landscape maintenance contract. Just like other extra services like mulch or annual flower installations, some clients choose to leave this cost outside of their agreement and pay at the time of service. If it’s something that you think your property would benefit from, we’d love to discuss handling leaf removal services for you.

If you’re already handling these services in-house, then it’s a way to eliminate some of the hassles, headaches, and burdens from your plate and pass it over to a professional who will make sure you’re taken care of.

As with any landscaping service that you have professionally performed, being able to let go of the worries is one of the biggest benefits.

Are you ready to hire a commercial landscaper on leaf removal services? Request a quote and let us answer any additional questions that you may have.

Image Source: leaves header, leaves on grass, wet leaves on grass, fall trees