Frequently Asked Questions

Clients on our regular service are permanently booked into our system. This means that if you become a regular client of Fair Dinkum Lawn and Garden Care, you won't have to worry about your lawns — at all — ever! We arrive on the arranged day, do our thing, and you come home to a nice freshly mowed lawn.

We do our best to do our regular clients' lawns later in the week so they're looking their best for the weekend. Regular clients also get priority service leading up to major public holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

Becoming a regular client of Fair Dinkum Lawn and Garden Care is like becoming part of the family. We take care of your lawns so you can take care of the finer things in life.

In the past we offered casual services to those who wished to call when they needed us. Unfortunately this is no longer practical. Those who are not on a regular scheduled service will be treated as one-off clients and charged accordingly.

In a nutshell: if you're on a regular service, we let you know when we'll be there. If you're on a casual basis, you let us know when you need us to come.

As a general rule we do not offer a same-day service. However, if you call between 6:00 am and 9:00 am there may be a chance we can fit you in that day — it depends entirely on our schedule at the time.

At certain times of year, particularly the quieter months, the chance of getting a same-day service is pretty high. In the warmer months we are usually booked at least 7 days in advance. So please call us — but please don't be disappointed if we can't make it that day.

We have heard this too many times to count. The answer is yes — we may be able to help. But if "urgent" means "we have a rent inspection today and haven't mowed in 6 months", please be prepared to pay $300 or more, and please don't be offended if we decline the job.

Grass usually takes 14 days or more to get out of hand. That leaves plenty of time to organise someone. Plan ahead and be prepared, or be prepared to pay accordingly.

At Fair Dinkum Lawn and Garden Care we use specially designed Honda lawn mowers with a high-powered 4-blade cutting system that chops clippings much finer than a regular twin-blade mower. When set to mulching mode the clippings are returned to the lawn as fine mulch.

On a well-maintained lawn it can be hard to tell the clippings have been returned at all — and it's actually quite common for a lawn to look greener after mulching compared to catching. See the question below for the full list of benefits.

Grass leaves consist of around 70–85% water, so it makes sense to put that moisture back into the lawn rather than bagging it and sending it to landfill. Grass clippings also contain roughly 4% nitrogen, 1.5% phosphorus, and 3% potassium — the same makeup as most common lawn fertilisers. Regular mulching is effectively like keeping your lawn well-fed and watered, which means you need to fertilise less often. That saves you time and money.

Mulching also helps prevent browning from winter frosts and retains vital moisture during summer heat. Lawns that are mulched regularly tend to withstand the extremes of our Western Sydney climate much better than those that are not.

To maintain a healthy lawn, regular mowing is essential. We recommend the following intervals in ideal conditions:

• Mid September to May — every 1–2 weeks
• June to mid September — every 2–4 weeks

Keeping to a regular schedule is the single best thing you can do to prevent your lawn from becoming overgrown, which costs more to fix than it does to maintain.

Every lawn is different and we like to inspect each job before giving a firm price. As a general guide, here is how we classify lawn height:

• Above ankle height — slightly overgrown
• Around shin height — overgrown
• Around knee height — completely overgrown
• Above knee height, or grass so long it has fallen over and continued growing — a jungle, and will cost significantly more to tame. We reserve the right to decline such jobs depending on schedule and conditions.

See the price guide for more detail on overgrown lawn pricing.

Absolutely — but dogs and other outdoor pets raise a few health and safety concerns that need to be sorted out before we start:

• All pets must be secure and out of harm's way before we enter the property
• All droppings must be removed on the day, before we start
• Any holes that have been dug need to be filled — they can cause serious injury and damage to equipment
• The lawn must be clear of chew toys, bones, and other hard objects. Although we are fully insured, we take no responsibility for damage caused by objects left on the lawn

It's hard to say without seeing the lawn. Every property is different — block size, grass type, access, and how recently it was last mowed all affect the price. Check out our price guide for a rough guide, or contact us for a free on-site quote with no obligation.

We accept:

• Cash
• Direct deposit via internet or phone banking
• Branch deposit (NAB)

For new customers we strongly prefer cash. If paying electronically we will need to see a receipt before we commence work. For regular customers we can invoice you, but we require payment on the day (or preferably the day before). We are not a bank and do not provide credit — clients who don't pay on time may be refused service in the future.

Our prices are based on fortnightly mowing in peak season. If you need to put the mow off beyond 2 weeks during the growing season, an additional charge applies at half your normal rate per week.

For example: if your normal rate is $50 per fortnight and you need to leave it 3 weeks, it will cost $75. Four weeks costs $100. And so on.

We do understand that things come up. In those cases we would much rather mow on schedule and arrange payment later. All we ask is that you give us prior notice so we can work something out before we start. Special arrangements are only available, at our discretion, to clients we have been servicing regularly for a minimum of 3 months.

No problem. We accept direct deposit via internet banking or any NAB branch. If you can't be home, you can pay directly into our account or leave cash in a safe location.

If you're in St Clair, Colyton, Erskine Park or South St Marys, we may even be able to come by and pick up cash after hours on occasion.

Yes. And we'll appreciate a little extra to cover our fuel and time when you do. 😊