Service Area · University Park, Las Alturas & Tellbrook
Landscaping Near NMSU: Rentals, Older Lawns and Acre Lots in University Park and Las Alturas
The neighborhoods around New Mexico State University are a mix: rental houses that turn over every semester, older homes with thirsty lawns and aging sprinklers, and acre lots in Las Alturas with rolling desert and Organ Mountain views. We handle all three, from quick move-out cleanups to full desert redesigns.
Serving University Park, the University District, Las Alturas and Tellbrook in southeast Las Cruces. Free on-site estimate.
Quick answer
What do yards near NMSU usually need?
Near campus, most calls fall into three groups. Landlords and property managers need fast cleanups between tenants and low-maintenance yards that survive renters. Owners of older homes want to replace thirsty lawns and leaky sprinkler systems with low-water landscaping. And Las Alturas owners on an acre or more need a plan for a big lot that doesn’t mean watering all of it.
Typical costs: a rental turnover cleanup runs $150 to $800, a lawn-to-xeriscape conversion $8 to $20 per sq ft, sprinkler repairs $137 to $422, and large-lot care $200 to $500 a month.
What we see around NMSU
Three kinds of yards
Landscaping for rentals, older homes and acre lots
Rentals near campus
Move-out cleanups, weed control between semesters and conversions to rock and tough plants that don’t depend on a tenant remembering to water.
Older homes
Many homes near campus still have their original lawns and sprinkler systems. We repair what’s worth saving and convert the rest to low-water landscaping.
Las Alturas acre lots
Big lots on rolling desert with Organ Mountain views. We landscape the area around the house and leave the rest as clean, natural desert.
Rental properties
Landscaping for landlords and property managers near NMSU
Rental yards near the university take a beating: foot traffic, pets, parking on the edges and months with nobody watering. The goal is a yard that looks good at showing time and needs almost nothing in between.
|
Rental problem |
Low-maintenance fix |
Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
|
Dead lawn after a summer vacancy |
Replace with rock and a few tough plants on drip |
$8 to $20 per sq ft |
|
Weeds and goatheads between tenants |
Seasonal pre-emergent and spot treatments |
$250 to $600 a year |
|
Yard trashed at move-out |
Turnover cleanup and haul-away |
$150 to $800 |
|
Tenants overwatering or not watering |
Drip on a locked smart controller |
$1,500 to $4,500 |
|
Parking ruts along the edge |
Defined gravel parking strip with edging |
$3 to $6 per sq ft |
Tip for landlords
Time it around the semester
The busiest turnover weeks are in May and early August. Book cleanups ahead so the yard is done before showings and move-in day.
Myth vs. fact
“Rock yards are ugly and cheap-looking.”
Fact: with clean edging, a couple of boulders and five or six desert plants, a rock front yard looks cared for year-round, even when nobody’s watering.
Acre lots
How we plan a Las Alturas acre lot
Las Alturas lots often run one acre or more on rolling desert hills. Watering and maintaining all of that isn’t realistic, and it isn’t necessary. We use three zones.
|
Zone |
Where |
What goes there |
Water |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Oasis |
Patio and entry, 10 to 30 ft from the house |
Shade trees, flowering shrubs, a small turf or DG seating area |
Regular drip |
|
Transition |
Between the oasis and the open lot |
Native and adapted shrubs, grasses, rock and boulders |
Drip until established, then little |
|
Native desert |
The rest of the lot |
Existing creosote, mesquite and native grasses, cleaned up and left natural |
Rain only |
This zoned approach follows standard xeriscape planning principles used by NMSU Extension and water utilities across the Southwest.
2026 price guide
Landscaping prices near NMSU
|
Job |
Typical cost |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Rental turnover cleanup |
$150 to $800 |
Overgrown lots $800 to $2,500 |
|
Lawn-to-xeriscape conversion |
$8 to $20 per sq ft |
500 sq ft: about $4,000 to $10,000 |
|
Sprinkler repair |
$137 to $422 |
Typical call about $278 |
|
Drip conversion for an older yard |
$1,500 to $4,500 |
Depends on zones |
|
Seasonal weed control plan |
$250 to $600 a year |
Visits $50 to $150 |
|
Acre-lot brush and weed clearing |
Quoted on site |
Depends on density and haul-away |
|
Large-lot maintenance |
$200 to $500 a month |
Monthly or seasonal |
Ranges match our Las Cruces service pages and 2026 cost data. Your quote is written and itemized before any work starts.
How it works
How we work around NMSU
1
Walk the property
With you, or with your property manager or a lockbox code if you’re out of town.
2
Written price
An itemized estimate by email, with photos of what we found.
3
Schedule around tenants
We work around move-out dates, showings and tenants still living there.
4
Do the work
Cleanup, repairs or a full conversion, with all debris hauled away.
5
Photo report
Before and after photos, so you can see the result without driving over.
Local know-how
What we’ve learned in the university area
Old sprinkler systems leak underground
Decades-old lines under rock and trees often leak without showing. A pressure check finds them before the water bill does.
Keep the big trees alive
When a lawn goes, the trees it watered can suffer. We add drip rings to mature shade trees during every conversion.
Goatheads love rentals
Gravel driveways and bare side yards near campus are prime goathead ground. Late-winter pre-emergent stops most of them.
Views to the east
Las Alturas lots face the Organ Mountains. We keep plantings low on the view side and put shade on the west.
A typical rental side yard before a turnover cleanup.
Nearby
Serving the NMSU area and southeast Las Cruces
We work in University Park, the University District near University Avenue and Solano, Las Alturas, Tellbrook, and out toward Talavera, plus the rest of Las Cruces, Mesilla and Doña Ana County.
Popular services near NMSU
Landscaping near NMSU FAQs
Get a free estimate for your property near NMSU
Whether it’s one rental, your own home or an acre in Las Alturas, tell us what you need. We’ll give you a written, itemized price.
Las Cruces Landscaping Group
1921 Santa Ines Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88011
(575) 270-0676. Mon to Sat, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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