Lawn Care and Landscaping in Ames, Iowa: Costs, Licensed Companies, and When to Hire
We list 15 lawn care and landscaping companies serving Ames. Mowing here typically runs $36 to $55 a visit and crews bill about $48 an hour for everything else, on a cool-season calendar that puts seeding and aeration in a narrow window each year.
What lawn care costs in Ames
Bands rather than averages, because a real quote depends on lot size, slope, and how far the crew drives.
| Service | Typical price | Unit | What drives the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawn mowing | $36 to $55 | per visit | Weekly through the growing season on an average quarter-acre lot. |
| Edging and trimming | $10 to $16 | per visit | Usually bundled into a mowing visit rather than billed alone. |
| Fertilizer application | $12 to $18 | per 1,000 sq ft | Slow-release blend, three to five rounds a year. |
| Weed control | $8 to $12 | per 1,000 sq ft | Pre-emergent in spring, post-emergent as broadleaf weeds show. |
| Core aeration | $11 to $17 | per 1,000 sq ft | Once a year, priced higher on compacted clay soil. |
| Overseeding | $19 to $29 | per 1,000 sq ft | Nearly always quoted together with aeration. |
| Grub and insect control | $9 to $14 | per 1,000 sq ft | One preventive round covers most of the season. |
| Dethatching | $9 to $13 | per 1,000 sq ft | Only needed when thatch is over half an inch thick. |
Priced for a city of 66,427 in Story County, outside the major metros.
Compare against national lawn care costs or price your own lawn on the lawn cost estimator.
Services in Ames
Lawn care companies in Ames
Ames Story Tree & Lawn.
5.0on Google (7)Ames, IA
Ames Story Tree & Lawn. is a lawn care company in Ames, Iowa, offering lawn care and tree service, with Google reviews going back to 2022, and a published phone number and website.
Go Green Lawn Care
5.0on Google (8)Ames, IA
Listed in Ames, Iowa, Go Green Lawn Care offers lawn care, with Google reviews going back to 2016, and a published phone number.
Lawn care(515) 232-0055Kingdom Keepers
5.0on Google (12)Ames, IA
A Ames lawn care company, Kingdom Keepers lists lawn care, rated 5.0 by 12 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2026, Saturday hours listed, and a published phone number and website.
Purple Cow Lawn Care
4.9on Google (144)Ames, IA
Listed in Ames, Iowa, Purple Cow Lawn Care offers lawn care, rated 4.9 by 144 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2025, and a published phone number and website.
All American Turf Beauty, Inc.
4.8on Google (32)Gilbert, IA
All American Turf Beauty, Inc. works on properties in Gilbert, Iowa, handling lawn care, rated 4.8 by 32 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2024, and a published phone number and website.
D & E Outside Services
4.8on Google (53)Ames, IA
Based in Ames, Iowa, D & E Outside Services covers lawn care, rated 4.8 by 53 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2018, Saturday hours listed, and a published phone number and website.
Boersma Lawn Care (Ankeny & Ames)
4.6on Google (28)Ames, IA
Boersma Lawn Care (Ankeny & Ames) works on properties in Ames, Iowa, handling lawn care, rated 4.6 by 28 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2015, and a published phone number and website.
Kuberski Brothers Lawn Care
4.6on Google (36)Ames, IA
A Ames lawn care company, Kuberski Brothers Lawn Care lists lawn care, rated 4.6 by 36 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2024, and a published phone number and website.
Service Unlimited Lawncare
4.5on Google (10)Story City, IA
Service Unlimited Lawncare works on properties in Story City, Iowa, handling lawn care, rated 4.5 by 10 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2019, and a published phone number and website.
Pitts Lawn & Tree Service
4.4on Google (325)Huxley, IA
Based in Huxley, Iowa, Pitts Lawn & Tree Service covers lawn care and tree service, rated 4.4 by 325 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2026, Saturday hours listed, and a published phone number and website.
Central Iowa Lawn & Home Care, Inc.
4.2on Google (31)Ames, IA
Central Iowa Lawn & Home Care, Inc. works on properties in Ames, Iowa, handling lawn care, rated 4.2 by 31 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2023, and a published phone number and website.
JM Lawn & Landscape
3.9on Google (25)Ames, IA
A Ames lawn care company, JM Lawn & Landscape lists lawn care and landscaping, rated 3.9 by 25 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2020, and a published phone number and website.
Dan's Custom Landscapes
3.7on Google (40)Ames, IA
A Ames lawn care company, Dan's Custom Landscapes lists lawn care and landscaping, rated 3.7 by 40 Google reviewers, with Google reviews going back to 2021, and a published phone number and website.
Ames Lawn Care & Maintenance
3.0on Google (8)Ames, IA
A Ames lawn care company, Ames Lawn Care & Maintenance lists lawn care, with Google reviews going back to 2018, and a published phone number.
Lawn care(515) 291-8074Quality Lawn Care LLC
Ames, IA
Quality Lawn Care LLC serves Ames and the surrounding Iowa area with lawn care, with Saturday hours listed, and a published phone number and website.
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Where these companies are
When to do the work in Ames
Ames sits in the Upper Midwest climate region, which runs cool-season lawns. Last frost usually falls May 1-15 and first frost September 1-15, and that pair sets every date below.
Grasses that do well here
- Kentucky Bluegrass
- Fine Fescue
- Tall Fescue
- Perennial Ryegrass
| Task | Local window | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Seed or overseed | Mid August to late September | Soil is still warm enough to germinate seed while air temperatures drop. |
| Fertilize | April, June, September, and early November | The September and November rounds do most of the work on a cool-season lawn. |
| Core aerate | Late August to October | Paired with overseeding so the seed drops into open holes. |
| Pre-emergent for crabgrass | April 15 - May 15 | Go by soil temperature: apply before it holds 55 degrees. |
Problems local crews deal with most: Extremely short season, winter damage, snow mold.
Want the exact soil temperature before you book pre-emergent? Check your ZIP on the soil temperature tracker.
How we verify these companies
- Ratings and review counts come from the platform named
- Hours, ratings, and photos come from public listings and can go stale
Lawn care in Ames: common questions
How much does lawn care cost in Ames?
A single mowing visit in Ames typically runs $36 to $55 for an average quarter-acre lot, and crews bill around $48 an hour for work outside a routine cut. Treatments are quoted per 1,000 square feet: fertilizer and weed control land in the single-digit to low-teens dollars, while core aeration and overseeding cost more because they are once-a-year jobs. Full-season contracts almost always beat per-visit pricing.
Which lawn care company in Ames should I hire?
Compare the attributed Google and Yelp ratings rather than any single score, check the company actually offers the service you need, and get two quotes for the same scope rather than one. For spray work, ask for the company's pesticide applicator licence number directly: Iowa requires one for anyone applying herbicide or insecticide for payment, and we have no public register for this state to check it against for you.
Does a lawn care company need a licence in Iowa?
Yes, for pesticide work. Applying herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides on someone else's property for payment requires a commercial pesticide applicator licence issued by Iowa, and the licence carries a number and an expiry date. Plain mowing and trimming generally do not require that licence, so a company can be perfectly legitimate for mowing and still not be licensed to spray. Ask which one you are hiring for.
When should I hire a lawn care company in Ames?
Book before the season starts rather than during it. Ames runs cool-season lawns, so the calendar that matters is the timing table on this page: pre-emergent goes down off soil temperature in spring, and the seeding and aeration window is the single busiest stretch of the year for local crews. Calling two to three weeks ahead of a window is the difference between getting your date and getting whatever is left.
Is a lawn care service worth it in Ames?
It depends on which jobs you hand over. Mowing is the easiest thing to do yourself and the most expensive thing to buy repeatedly. Pesticide application is the opposite: it is the job where a licensed applicator with calibrated equipment and the right product beats a homeowner with a hose-end sprayer. Many people in Ames split it, mowing themselves and buying the treatment rounds.