What you're producing
Edging is the line where your mow meets a hard surface or garden bed. Soft edging (string trimmer, vertical) is included in every mow. Hard edging (a deeper trench cut with a blade edger) is a separate, billable add-on. Mow first, to set your reference line.
What good looks like
String trimmer, vertical, on established lines — every mowing visit during the growing season, for soft edging. Blade edger only for hard edging — billed separately, to reset an overgrown or lost line. Half-moon edger for bed curves. Garden beds: every 2–4 weeks, per the service plan. Never reshape or extend an edge line without asking first. Blow clippings off hard surfaces before leaving — mandatory.
Common mistakes
Skipping edging, and reshaping a bed without permission, are common dispute reasons. Clippings on hard surfaces read as incomplete, even if the mow was great. A customer wanting a deeper edge gets a separate quote — never free.
Check your work
Before you call it done:
- Mowed first.
- Edged hard surfaces, string trimmer vertical.
- Followed the existing bed line.
- Blade or line vertical, 1–3" deep — tilt out looks angled, tilt in risks scalping.
- Blown clippings off hard surfaces.
Get this right and you're covered on disputes, hard edging billed as the add-on it is.
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