By Amber Guetebier | Updated Jul 7, 2022 10:52 AM
Making sure the grass is always greener isn’t always easy. From figuring out the best lawn fertilizer for your needs to knowing when to apply it, achieving a healthy lawn is the result of a long process and many steps. Problems like dead grass, damaging pet messes, and weeds can make knowing how to treat your lawn even more complicated. Applying chemicals may seem like a quick fix, but this has long-term repercussions for the environment and can negatively impact the health of children and pets living in the home.
Enter Sunday Lawn Care, a subscription service designed to streamline the entire lawn-care process by providing users with a customized treatment plan made up of eco-friendly ingredients—all delivered precisely when your lawn needs them.
Although I’m fairly knowledgeable about lawn care (meaning I know what the steps are to maintain a lawn), I’ve never quite managed to get my front lawn looking great. I decided to put Sunday Lawn Care to the test. I ordered the Smart Lawn Plan including grass seed. Here’s what happened to my lawn.
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Our Verdict: Sunday Lawn Care’s top offering, the Smart Lawn Plan, is a convenient lawn-care subscription box that provides customers with a customized lawn-care plan based on factors such as location, climate, and soil quality. The boxes are delivered seasonally right to the customer’s doorstep, so it’s easy to know when it’s time to use the products. The Smart Lawn Plan subscription primarily offers liquid nutrient pouches (along with the sprayer attachment to use with your own hose) formulated to address a customer’s lawn-specific needs, based on a soil sample as well as climate. All of Sunday’s products are pet- and child-safe and focus on improving soil to sustain a lawn’s health without the use of chemicals. It is a worthwhile purchase for someone who wants to maintain a beautiful lawn but doesn’t have the knowledge or time to get the right products at the right time. Sunday also carries products such as fertilizers and nutrients, grass seed, weed killers, and pet spot treatments in addition to a variety of tools and garden accessories.
Sunday Lawn Care claims to take the guesswork out of lawn care by providing customers with a care plan tailored to their lawn’s needs. The products, including application tools, arrive shortly before the optimal time to apply them. Sunday’s lawn care products are intended to help improve the soil, thereby improving the lawn’s longevity and health and ultimately making lawn care easier for the customer. Sunday’s plan can also help troubleshoot common problems, such as pet spots and weeds, and offer solutions and products to reduce or repair the damage.
Additionally, Sunday can deliver plants and trees suited to a customer’s climate zone, gardening tools and accessories, and pest-control products. The company also offers an extensive online database of tips and tricks for healthy lawn and garden.
Bob Vila has partnered with Sunday to get your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive. Free Lawn Analysis
Sunday offers an easy way to maintain a healthy lawn by sending customers exactly what they need, when they need it. Customers who want to test out the service are asked to sign up for an online account. This allows them to take a short diagnostic quiz and enter information, including their street address. Sunday uses this survey along with historical weather data, known climate trends, and satellite imagery of a customer’s home to determine what type and how much fertilizer and seed to send. The first delivery contains a pre-addressed soil sample kit, which customers send back to Sunday. The next customized box will provide products that address any nutrient deprivation determined from the sample.
Because it’s a subscription model, the box arrives when the customer should use the products. There are instructions that come with the box that provide a window for application (a customer can access this information in their online account as well). A customer’s online account also displays pertinent information, such as the suggested window of time for application.
Sunday also suggests relevant add-ons, such as weed killer, additional seed, applicators, and gardening accessories that can either be added to an order or delivered separately. They can also deliver live plants that have been specially selected for the customer’s climate.
Sunday’s yearly Smart Lawn Plan includes what a customer needs to care for their lawn for the year. These products come in four shipments.
Sunday also offers live plants, including trees and shrubs selected based on the customer’s USDA growing zone. These plants are delivered to the customer at the right time for planting, making it easier for customers to know what to plant when. Growing tips and expert advice are available on the website. Additionally, customers can shop for gardening supplies including plant food, gardening tools such as spades and pruners, and even mowers and hedge trimmers.
Sunday was founded by two brothers who wanted to make effective lawn-care products while minimizing environmental impact. Sunday’s products are all environmentally friendly, pet-safe, and kid-safe. They are made with “transparent, bio-based formulas” with ingredients such as seaweed, molasses, soy protein, and beetroot juice. Sunday even provides a list of commonly found toxic ingredients that Sunday states they will never use in their products, such as malathion and pendimethalin. The company’s aim is to create healthy soil and create a sustainable lawn using nontoxic fertilizers that requires less water and that is ultimately more eco-friendly.
After taking the diagnostic quiz and entering their name and email address, a customer is able to see the pricing for their yearly subscription, which includes four shipments. The pricing starts at $119 for the year and includes tools such as a hose-end sprayer (though the customer needs their own hose), a soil test kit, lawn-nutrient pouches, printed directions, access to the online database of expert advice and tips, and responsive customer service throughout. Cost can go up considerably if a lawn is larger and requires more than one nutrient pouch for coverage or if a customer requires seed. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that Sunday periodically has seasonal sales which can reduce costs for new customers and that searching for “get sunday cost” may not yield accurate answers.
Additional items, such as seed for reseeding, can be added to the yearly subscription. All pricing is clearly marked, and a subscription can be canceled at any time. Customers also receive a discount for renewing their subscription for the following year.
Bob Vila has partnered with Sunday to get your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive. Free Lawn Analysis
Sunday offers a guarantee that it can improve your lawn health, and it stands behind its products. This means that if the customer does not achieve favorable results they can contact Sunday for a replacement product or a way to help resolve the issue. If any product is damaged, Sunday will replace it. In addition to an extensive online resource section, including frequently asked questions, the company offers responsive customer service 7 days a week during business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST). Outside of business hours, the typical response time is within 24 hours.
Although I was initially skeptical, overall, I have been really happy with the results of using Sunday’s Smart Lawn Care plan so far. Apart from a minor shipping delay and somewhat confusing instructions, once I understood how to use the products I found the process easy and quite effective. My grass definitely looks greener and healthier!
I am an avid gardener and formerly owned my own landscaping business, but I don’t actually have a lot of experience with turf since my business was based in a heavily populated urban area where relatively few people had lawns. I moved to an entirely new climate several years ago, so what worked on my grass along the California coast doesn’t seem to work for my suburban Midwestern lawn. My lawn has had dry spots, snow mold, pet spots, partial shade, and weeds. Plus, I have pets and kids on my lawn frequently, so using products that contain chemicals, even some of the best weed and feed, has never been an option for me. The fact that Sunday’s products are made with ingredients that aren’t toxic to the environment and my family was appealing to me.
The sign-up process for Sunday’s lawn care subscription was incredibly user-friendly: I simply answered a few questions about the state of my lawn and what my trouble spots were and entered my address. The satellite image of my home was used to give an estimate as to how many square feet of lawn I had—this was the basis for a recommendation for how much product I needed. I was able to adjust it based on my own knowledge (for example, one section of what looks like my lawn in the image is actually maintained by my neighbor). Sunday then recommended a specific Smart Lawn Plan for me. I opted to upgrade to include a bag of seed to fill in the larger patches in my lawn, and Sunday calculated the Fescue Rescue (the lawn seed) for my northern climate.
Within a couple of days of ordering the plan, Sunday let me know that, though items ideally ship together, because of existing supply chain issues, my seed may come later. The company sent numerous updates about where and when to expect my shipment.
I ordered my Smart Lawn Plan on May 4 and received everything by May 17.
The first box in my Smart Lawn Plan subscription had everything I needed to use the nutrient pouches and take a soil sample.
The process for taking and sending the soil sample really couldn’t be easier. You simply take the little provided tool and take samples from at least three different sections of your yard. You may need to do it several times to fill the bag up enough. There’s a provided pre-addressed box for the pouch, so all I needed to do was send it off. I was worried the box would split open, so I added some extra packing tape to seal it, but it was probably unnecessary. I sent the soil sample in on May 23 and the results came back May 31, just over a week later. Of note, Sunday’s predicted soil composition based on the initial survey was nearly identical to the soil sample results. The soil samples do help to customize future Sunday lawn fertilizer nutrient packs to address any nutrient gaps.
To start, one of the relatively few issues I had with Sunday overall was that the included literature was incredibly minimal, which led to some confusion over what I should do first. Because I needed to overseed, I wasn’t sure how long after seeding I could apply the nutrient pouch or if I was meant to spray it as a first step (some lawn-care professionals would recommend adding fertilizer to the soil before seeding).
Sunday encourages customers to scan a QR code for directions or go online to get further details, but when I am outside doing yard work I’d prefer to have a written step-by-step guide to refer to, rather than needing to log on to a website or look at a screen in the sun. When I contacted customer service for clarification, they were incredibly responsive and less than 24 hours later had provided me with instructions, an explanation of how to find the information on their site, and additional literature I could print at home. All in all, this is a minor complaint; many won’t have an issue consulting their phones or have trouble remembering instructions before using the products. After all, the steps are quite easy to follow.
Bob Vila has partnered with Sunday to get your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive. Free Lawn Analysis
Ultimately, Sunday’s customer service encouraged me to seed first if possible. That’s where I ran into the only other issue I had. The directions for the seeding process were too basic and really minimized the labor involved in the process. The Fescue Rescue directions were simply “weed, rake, apply seed evenly, and keep watered.” I know from past experience that there are many other steps involved in seeding, including mowing, aeration, and dethatching (and I probably should have done all the prep prior to the seed arrival). My lawn is over 4,000 square feet, so this was a lot of work. If you are unable to perform this labor yourself, you may need to enlist or hire help.
Items you may need for reseeding that aren’t included in the box are:
Many customers may not need to seed their lawn at all. Sunday states that its products will help existing grass grow, so smaller patches where you’ve removed weeds, for example, will likely just fill in from the stimulated growth of the existing grass. However, if you have larger areas to cover like I did, you’ll want to seed them.
The grass seed was high quality and once I did all the prep work—which I’ll admit wasn’t that thorough since it was getting late in the season and I wanted to get the grass sprouted before the hot weather arrived—I kept the grass well watered. I noticed sprouting after about a week and a half. There were a few spots that didn’t come in as successfully, but I honestly attribute that to my imperfect use of the product and not the quality of the seed.
Once the grass had grown in enough (about 2 weeks after seeding) I applied the nutrient pouch. This was without a doubt the easiest application of lawn fertilizer I’ve ever used. All you need is a hose and a few minutes. You simply take off the top of the pouch, screw on the provided hose applicator, and then attach it to the hose and spray. The only thing you need to be sure of is to apply it evenly. The entire endeavor took less than 15 minutes for the front section of my lawn, and about the same for the back area. In case customers are truly clueless on how to use this product, Sunday also provides a handy quick video for how to apply the nutrients using the nutrient pouches.
Other than that, you simply wait and water your lawn according to the weather. I watered my lawn on an average regular schedule (we have water restrictions here) watering every 3 days or so until it started getting in the 80s or higher. Then I watered my lawn at night, every other night, running the sprinkler for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Though my grass seemed to be lusher, at first I wasn’t entirely convinced it was due to Sunday’s products: The warmer weather and early summer rains definitely helped the grass grow.
It wasn’t until I referenced my “before” pictures that I became a believer that Sunday’s nutrient pouch had made a difference. The grass was not just thicker, but definitely greener. My verdict? My grass is healthier than it’s been in years.
Because this is a subscription box, your online account provides you with a schedule of what to expect in your next three shipments. Each item is tied to an optimal window for application, but if you can’t make that window or your shipment is late for some reason, you can contact customer service to find out if it’s still OK to apply. You can also shop on Sunday for any additional items you may need, such as weed control products. If you don’t agree with the plan the company is providing for any reason, you can contact customer service to have it dialed in to your liking, but for most people, Sunday’s expertise will give them what they need.
Sunday encourages you to replenish the soil with nutrients optimal for growing grass, which means, like with all gardening, patience is a virtue. Although you won’t see overnight results, I saw steady results during the first phase and I am definitely looking forward to watching my grass improve throughout the growing season.
Overall, my experience with Sunday’s Smart Lawn Plan was very positive, and I look forward to following the next steps to improve the long-term health of my lawn. My thoughts and main takeaways are:
Bob Vila has partnered with Sunday to get your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive. Free Lawn Analysis
Even though every lawn will have its own specific needs, overall Sunday Lawn Care reviews are consistently favorable (searching for specific queries such as “sunday fertilizer reviews” and “sunday grass review” would cover specific products). The most common themes across positive reviewer recommendations are the convenience of having items shipped right to your door, the ease of use of the nutrient pouches, and the fact that Sunday’s lawn-care products are safe for both kids and pets. Most users that have had a chance to apply the products and see results offer positive comments regarding the appearance of their lawn after just 1 or 2 months of use. On Sunday’s own website, the products receive an average rating of 4.5 stars across 3,859 reviews. Trustpilot gives Sunday 5 stars, though that’s based on only one review.
Criticisms of note focus less on the products and more on the process. These critiques include the lack of instructions with the first box, the cost ultimately adding up to be higher than the cost of buying each item oneself, shipping delays, and the website being confusing to navigate when trying to add products to a shipment. For example, one Reddit review of Sunday Lawn Care complained that Sunday failed to send two of their shipments entirely and that they never actually got their soil test results back. They also noted the plastic hose-attachment sprayer broke by the time the last shipment came. Another wished the soil test kit was the first step so that you could send that in before the first application. Currently, shipping delays are an issue the company acknowledges with all new customers that sign up.
Sunday Lawn Care is truly in a league of its own: it’s the newest and perhaps the most comprehensive DIY-focused service on the market. There is no clear competition in this regard. Typically, a customer could either opt for a professional service to take care of their lawn from start to finish, or they could purchase all items individually without the level of customization based on their lawn’s specific needs. Sunday merges the best of both methods to become an excellent choice for the handy homeowner who wants to spend a little time on lawn care but doesn’t want to dedicate an entire afternoon—and who doesn’t necessarily know what exactly they need to do. Between the online tutorials and the simple-to-use products, Sunday is a great investment for people with average-size lawns. The amount of fertilizer needed is perhaps the biggest guessing game homeowners play, especially when they don’t know their soil composition. In this regard, Sunday offers a big advantage.
Sunday Lawn Care provides nearly everything one would need to revive and maintain a healthy lawn, but potential customers still may be doubtful. Individuals are encouraged to consider the following to determine if Sunday Lawn Care is right for them:
Sunday is likely a great fit for lawn-care newbies with a “decent-looking” lawn. Not much more than a hose is needed to apply the nutrient pouches—the core product of Sunday’s Lawn Care subscription. More broadly, Sunday is a great fit for a moderate-size lawn that needs primarily regular fertilization, such as for spring and fall maintenance. Even if a lawn has a few brown spots from pets, Sunday’s products will prove effective in helping the lawn thrive. Because the products are nontoxic, homes with pets and children that use the lawn will likely find Sunday’s products to be a good fit, too.
When it comes to weeds, Sunday’s products spot-treat, which means there is no large-scale grass-safe treatment to apply. If a lawn has just a few weeds, you can use Sunday’s spot treatments effectively. However, if turf is heavy with weeds, most of the weeds need to be removed by hand, resulting in a lot of empty patches that will likely require reseeding. For some, it may be easier to apply a weed-and-feed in either the spring or the fall and opt for Sunday’s products for the next season. For example, if turf is overgrown with weeds in the fall, apply a weed-and-feed and buy Sunday’s subscription the following spring to bolster healthy soil and turf.
If grass covers more than 13,500 square feet (which is a fairly enormous residential lawn), Sunday’s Smart Lawn products won’t be very useful, according to Sunday’s own website. Lawns of this side benefit from a commercial-size application rather than a hose-end sprayer.
While Sunday takes a lot of the guesswork out of lawn care, especially in terms of scheduling regular seeding, it doesn’t take the actual physical work out of repairing and restoring a lawn. If a lawn requires it, there are several steps to prep a lawn for overseeding, including dethatching and aeration. Sunday provides customers with online instructions, but customers should know the process does require a level of physical labor that may not be possible for everyone. In addition, more tools will be required, such as an aerator and a seed spreader for even seed distribution. If a lawn is more than 50 percent dead, it typically means that completely reseeding is necessary. This involves removing all of the dead grass and prepping the soil. Customers may prefer a professional lawn care service for more extensive work.
Regardless of some of the limitations of Sunday’s subscription service, it’s still a wonderful DIY solution for many people. It can certainly help empower home lawn-care enthusiasts and encourage them to take matters into their own hands one easily digestible step at a time, with products that keep both families and the environment safe.
Bob Vila has partnered with Sunday to get your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive. Free Lawn Analysis
We independently reviewed this service by weighing the company’s claims against first-hand experience with its products. However, due to factors such as franchising, human error, and more, please note that experiences with this company may vary.
Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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