My new landscaper, period!! I wish I had before pics, but you'll just have to trust me--where I once had a weed river, there's now a clean river bed. Overgrowth had taken over pretty much everywhere. With little to no direction, they jumped right in and tackled the biggest problem areas first. Next time, we'll focus on getting my grass green again and working on some planting ideas--that call will be with Randy, who's a total plant guru. Huge thanks for getting us back on track! read more

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Randy and Hector and their team were amazing. We had a big project at hand and they went above and beyond to address any concern or input I had along the way. My patio was a dangerous jungle and together we turned it into a 5 star resort for my family to enjoy for decades to come. The hardscape install was incredibly thoughtful, was not rushed and really impressive to watch come together. It was a large concrete pour with multiple elevations and staircases. I was very present to ensure my vision came through but I trusted Randy's team's expertise and they not only accommodated my vision but exceeded my expectations. Randy was very transparent along the way with statements and invoices. He is reasonable to negotiate with, and the total cost absolutely reflected the quality and scope of work. It's also just immensely valuable to work with someone locally in Spring Valley, Randy was able to be on site often and I think that there is a big benefit to working with contractors in your area and community. I'll definitely recommend The Grass Doctor and look forward to working with them again. read more

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Grass Doctor Landscape, Inc. Spring Valley, CA August 2025 A huge thank you to Randy Rivers and his Team @ Grass Doctor Landscape of Spring Valley. We were undecided on how to update our front yard area. We had a few ideas and wanted minimal water use and mostly maintenance free. My wife Emiko called Randy for an evaluation and estimate. Randy has 45 years of experience and a wealth of knowledge. He returned two days later with a well thought out plan with a number of ideas and an estimate. No pressure sales pitch, easy conversation, pleasant interaction, estimate was fair and reasonable. We went with Randy's plan of action. The next day Randy and his Team arrived and started their magic. Trees and unwanted shrubs removed, stumps grinded, ground leveled, decomposed granite put down, fence installed, new plants, drip system and accent rocks strategically laid out. We are over the moon delighted!! The front yard is now our piece of paradise. Throughout the day, I find myself going outside to enjoy the views and the bees and the butterflies. We are extremely happy with the outstanding craftsmanship that Randy developed and his Team implemented. A special thank you to Obdulio. Ob made sure we were pleased with the final phase and did follow-up touches to perfection. Thank you Ob!! We highly recommend Grass Doctor Landscape of Spring Valley. Thank you Randy and your outstanding Team!! read more

Take Photos & Video. You may need it if issues arise. My adventures with the Grass Doctor Landscape started in May, when the first lawn was installed, Long Fescue. Marathon on the estimate but a Long Fescue ( Not Marathon ) Grass selection was made by Randy because that company delivered. Location of job: Pine Valley. 25 minutes due east of El Cajon, 4,000' Shady yard. Lawn Install 1,149 sq ft, small yard, semi-rectangular. Job: pull up old lawn and amend, level, and put down sod. Pro's: Randy, Company Owner, is friendly & outgoing - you want to trust him. Company offers a 90 Day Warranty. Document the work, my advice. Previous lawn grass pull up & removal uneventful. First Day Amendment in - they did hit some heads but fixed. Con's: Sod was laid by Hector & an elderly man, helper. Same two men to unload and lay the sod. It was elderly man loading, unloading, Hector laying sod. 1) Sod was laid 'up chain link fencing" vertical, in long extended runs. Not trimmed. ......yes 'up the fence'. Sod laid over ground level PVC Pipe. 2) Sod was laid behind the 180 sprinkler heads... how is that going to get watered? 3) Sod was laid over five sprinkler heads - yes over, covering, blocking the heads. ***No checking or alighment of all heads, and of system done to catch this. We gave them a diagram of the heads. Small yard. 4) Sod was laid over pre-existing flower beds. Yes, over the creeping flower beds on three sides, covering the plants, by 2 feet. 5) Sod was laid in completely different odd placements. Not even runs. Cut and miss, sideways, vertical. 6) Sod had extended 2" gaps between the sod rolls, was NOT tightly fitted, in several areas. Uneven along the flower beds they did not cover up, big uneven cuts. All of above and more is documented by photos and videos sent to GRASS DOCTOR ON SATURDAY THE DAY AFTER INSTALL. I was a tad pissed. ______________________________________________________ Randy reply: they would be out on Monday, hand water three times a day until they made it out. Getting warm in Pine Valley. *Monday...no team, I called in, was told the team member "OB" who was supposed to come up and pull up all the sod, fix heads was off & he would be out next day. *Tuesday....no "OB" - called in and was told "truck broke down". They would be out later in the week. Friday, no contact, no word, I call in. *I am told they would be out on Monday, "keep hand watering". *Ten Days later - Monday, Truck fixed, OB comes out to fix lawn. He pulls up entire sod lawn that was laid 10 days ago. He re-lays, fixes all the issues. Takes him, by himself all day. OB is perfection. Can only say good things about him. _______________________________________ 10 days post re-install, long fescue sod had some yellowing sick areas - just a few. Called Randy he advises watering less. We do that. At 1.5 months after 1st install... Lawn now has 50 circles of death, small circles, that look like dog peed on it, & larger areas of dead grass. Yes, sprinklers had 100% coverage. No dogs on the lawn. Period. This was a lot of money, we have fencing to prevent a dog visiting lawn. Called into office, was told it was "Racoons", other animal coming on lawn at night. **We HAVE 5-6" chain link fencing secured at bottom, with CAMERAS & auto flood lights ON THE LAWN, no animals on lawn cameras. Circles of death continue to multiple, now 94 dead areas, yes I counted them. Called Randy again. July. I dig up the circles of deaths looking for bugs, none. Randy Reply: Let it die & he would 'seed it' in September. Non-starter for us...Paid for sod, & wanted sod. Poor past results with seeding on this lawn. During this ENTIRE TIME, the whole summer, Randy came up twice, once on day of job to pick up check, and once to see the circles of death damage -no other time. In August, after many calls to GRASS DOCTOR LANDSCAPING, a new lawn scheduled to be put down in September 2025. September comes...and you guessed it, "Truck is Broken Down" another delay, week later old sod pulled up & new sod put down. Second lawn: Randy selects Southland Farms Creeping Red Fescue, or what they call Greenwave. It grows at different heights & well in shade. Southland is a premier sod company - I do recommend them for your sod. Team of 4 Grass Doctor guys do it - they were well aware of Hector's work. New Lawn is laid and irrigation system checked thoroughly. What is now suspected: too shady for long fescue, first sod lawn was overly stressed due to: incompetent handling/ install, long runs of 2" stretches between rolls ( dried out ) , completely pulled up / re-laid. Result - the lawn got a fungal disease & was slowly dying. 94+ circles of death. I honestly felt bad for the grass, & our Pine Valley water bill. We don't recommend Grass Doctor Landscaping, Spring Valley, CA. 'No contact' from Grass Doctor Landscaping - after second lawn down - they texted us to contact Southland Customer Service for assist/questions. Period. read more

I have used Grass Doctor Service for not only to landscape my yard but also for to maintain our landscape. As I stated in my 2016 review... They continue to have amazing follow through and knowledge to keep my outdoor environment lovely and inviting. The office staff follows through with requests, The employees and vetted, personable and most importantly consistent. Their employees have stayed with this company for years. I highly recommend hiring Grass Doctor Landscape. read more

We recently took over an 8 unit apartment building which had much deferred maintenance. The landscape was a total mess with most of the plants dead; irrigation and landscape lighting not working. We hired Randy and his crew to create a drought tolerant landscape that would require minimum maintenance; repair existing issues; create drainage; repair parking area; add gravel to alleyways; all while not breaking the bank. Randy accomplished all of this. The tenants love the new clean look with the river rocks and safe walkways that now feature enhanced lighting as well as the removal of ugly edging which had previously created a tripping hazard. I will post more photos as the plants grow in. Our property manager will use Grass Doctor on future projects as well as having them do regular maintenance on our building. read more

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We purchased and renovated a new house and needed landscaping to complete the project. Randy and his team took our barren front yard and turned it into a beautiful landscape with exterior fence, grass, plants, a tree, and irrigation. Randy was easy to work with and offered great ideas for our project. After meeting with multiple landscapers we decided that Randy would offer the best experience for us and the experience was a breath of fresh air. The landscapers cleaned up after each day of the yard installation and the finished product was perfect. Our overall experience was great and I'd highly recommend their service to anyone. read more

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NOT TO BE TRUSTED! A man name Randy from the grass doctor came to my home to diagnosed a drainage problem on my property because I have had some flooding issues. He told me I need a French train to solve the problem and that he would write up an estimate for me and have it to me within 2 days via email. This man assured me that he would follow through And that I would have this estimate within 2 days of the latest. But I never heard from him until weeks later! I called the grass doctor repeatedly and left messages and got no phone call back. Not once did anyone pick up my phone call and I got nothing but an answering machine, nor did I ever get any kind of a call back! So I contacted them via email online repeatedly because I wanted an explanation! I was persistent. Finally, several weeks later after many phone calls and emails I got a short text message from Randy. He told me he didn't respond because he was just "too busy to do a .... small job" like mine! He clearly did not feel he owed me the courtesy of a phone call at an earlier date or feel any obligation to keep his word and certainly didn't have any problem with this kind of disrespect and cherry picking clients simply because he felt he could get away with it! A company that never answers their phone and cannot be reached and employ individuals who show this kind of disrespect from the get-go two clients certainly should not be trusted with any kind of significant responsibility! These are the kind of people who leave you hanging in the middle of a job and don't finish what they start simply because they think they can get away with it then cannot be found or reached! I think I dodged a bullet And you should too! Unfortunately far too many tradesmen today who are benefiting from the boom in their industry feel entitled to behave in this highly unprofessional, disrespectful and untrustworthy manner simply because their business is booming right now. Do not do business with these people. Do not to reward dishonest people like this! Support and do business with tradesmen who are honest and reliable, not schmucks like this! They sort of people give the trades a bad name. Big red flag! NOT TO BE TRUSTED! read more

Had a contract that stated all they would do every visit. Initial clean up was fantastic, but the maintenance was awful. Weed whacking and using a leaf blower to blow the debris back into the back yard was all they ever did. Occasionally debris would be removed if they were bigger than cuttings. Weeding was never done (and needed to be) except for using a weed whacker when the contract stated hand weeding or chemical use. The front yard was never never done from what I could tell except for blowing debris off the driveway. Multiple reach outs to the company to help solve these issues were talked about and then never done. read more

We cannot give a good review nor recommend Grass Doctor Landscape. Although the crew was very personable and the work was completed on schedule, Grass Doctor Landscape had extremely poor follow up and did not keep promised, contractual commitments. The reason we hired and paid a substantial amount for a professional company to re-landscape our yard was for their knowledge of plants, correct planting, and irrigation installation. However, we were disappointed with the results. Here are some examples of what went wrong after the job was completed: * The entire lawn on one side of the driveway began to die within 30 days, though we followed the watering and care instructions. It completely died shortly thereafter. Many other plants also began to die soon after planting. Our regular gardener said he had never seen that happen so quickly, and said the soils and holes probably weren't prepared and planted correctly. There ended up being almost a dozen bushes that died. Only 4 were eventually replanted. 3 of those 4 are again dying. * Several of the trees planted were diseased and in poor shape (they promised to replace them, but did not). * Even though a landscape design plan was provided, actual placement by the workers was poor--we had to ask more than once that plants be moved so they were spaced better for growth or not hanging over the lawn (and we are not professionals). * We told them they could use the old sprinkler system that was already in place, but asked them to add a few more heads to ensure 100% coverage--we pointed the areas out specifically that needed additional heads. Randy told us they would put in a whole new system with 100% coverage. However, the result was still one area without a sprinkler head. We pointed that out to them after installation and they had to come back and install the additional head, tearing up our new lawn. There were also other issues with the irrigation system that were not done correctly. * My husband was told he needed a new controller for the irrigation system and they wanted to charge $250 for it. He insisted there was nothing wrong with it. When he got home from work and checked, he found they had wired it wrong. He ended up rewiring it himself and got it working. He said the Grass Doctor's splice job was the worst he had ever seen. * When someone finally came out to look at the dead plant materials, promises were made to replace them under the 90-day warranty, but they were not kept. We continued to patiently follow up for many months, understanding that Randy had a busy schedule over the summer. However, it has been a full six months and the Grass Doctor has done nothing. * We had to get online and learn about plants, and have redone the drip system so it is appropriate to each plant and tree (something the Grass Doctor said they did but failed to do). We have also worked in our yard ourselves and removed most of the dead material, but have not yet replanted anything. In summary, the selection of quality trees and plants, placement, preparation, and planting was not done well. Warrantied follow-up did not happen. Phone calls and texts were not returned, and we are now facing replacing things ourselves out of our own pocket, beyond what we already paid the Grass Doctor. At this point, we have no hope that the Grass Doctor will ever contact us (return the calls, texts, and emails), fix the problems, and keep their word. That is why we are posting this review. We are very patient and understanding people, generally not complainers. It took us this long to write this review because we don't like saying negative things about others, especially businesses, because we've been in business. We like to give others the benefit of the doubt. However, we do feel a responsibility to warn others that the Grass Doctor doesn't have the integrity to honor the 90-day guarantee window, and their post-job communication is extremely poor. We hope others will be aware of this before you hire the Grass Doctor Landscape Company. read more

Grass Doctor and Randy landscaped my entire house..1/2 acre.....It came out beautiful earlier this year.....some plants failed and he replaced them at no charge....I now have Grass Doctors as my bi-monthly service as well to maintain the work. He and his crew are great to work with. J. Johnson read more

We received horrible service from the Grass Dr. We hired them to landscape our 6 acre horse ranch. Our former landscaper had left, and we had a disease that killed many of our trees, and our banks were overrun with weeds. Randy came out and agreed that the weeds needed to be pulled by hand, and then pre emergent weed killer needed to be used, which would prevent the weeds from returning. We interviewed 3 different landscaping companies and The Grass Dr. was actually the highest bid (over $4000 total), but we went with him as the other 2 just said they would send in a crew with weed whackers to eliminate the weeds. We told Randy we went with him as he was the only one recommending the hand weeding and per emergent (and we knew that the weed wacker method would simply cause the weeds to return even worse than before). Well Randy sent a crew in with weed whackers and they did exactly what we were trying to prevent. He had numerous workers who trampled our iceplant banks, and they weed whacked everything, which just scattered seeds everywhere. I called Randy and complained and he told me to communicate with his foreman. I tried but they kept doing the weed whacking. Just a month after the I paid the Grass Dr. over $4000 for my clean up project, the weeds returned even worse than before. I told Randy how unhappy we were, but he did nothing to make things right. I even filed a dispute with my credit card company but Randy sent them time cards of his workers, proving they had shown up to do the work, and the credit card company said there was nothing else they could do. I mean he spent all that time sending records to the company and he could have easily just made our job right, but he refused. Never, Never ever use the Grass Dr!!!! Thank God for YELP as I can finally tell my story about the horrible service. Update: No Randy, I do not have you mixed up with someone else. You did the landscaping job for us. I have receipts and all the correspondence you sent my credit card company about this issue. When I called to complain that the work had not been done as we discussed you dismissed me and charged my credit card for the balance (50% was required up front with the balance when the job was done). I had even called American Express and requested that they not authorize the 2nd payment, but they said they could not but that I could then dispute the transaction. I did this and you sent AMEX all your guys time cards which just showed that you had shown up to do the work, so AMEX said they were unable to reverse the charge as you had "proven" the work had been done. All that time you spent to avoid a charge back and you could have just fixed the issue. Sorry Randy, Karma is a blank. read more

Awesome company. Did our landscape and now maintains it. No problems over the last three years of business. I've referred them to friends and they've been happy too. Highly recommend! DO, Point Loma read more

We had our front yard done with a drought tolerant landcape. It was very costly. The drip irragation has not worked corectly since it was installed causing several plants to die. We contacted Randy he sent one of his workers out who still did not fix it. Now we will probably have to have another company replace it who knows what they are doing.. I would not recomend this company. read more

These folks were hired to do my mother in law's landscape, and did a great job. The price was reasonable, and the work thorough and prompt. I would recommend them to anyone. read more