ideas?

[Bravura]

hello everyone,

well i'm new to the biz, me and a bud started a lawn and landscape service company about 3 months ago just for some part time cash and have about 40 properties that built up out of nowhere. we get a new job about once every week without advertising. now since all the properties apeard we work about 6-9 hours during the day. and off to our night jobs. [:p] well to start i love the site very very helpful and alot of very good info out there(just happen to come across the site by accedent)[] so good job on the set up. second, i saw a post on good services to provide to the customers but lost it and was looking for some good ideas to increase my offer of services, if you know of the thread or some ideas it would much appreciated, right now all we do is weedeed mow blow edge(bladed)cleanup. we offer mulching planting and replantine deweeding flowerbeds and tree and shrub trimming. just if you can think of something else. thanks for your time

[grasshopper]

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You should think about aerification and reseeding in the early spring and fall. Dethatching is also another money-maker, but has a lot to cleanup. If you can offer everythign you do now plus aerification, dethatching, and reseeding, the only thing left to consider yourself a full-service would be fertilizing and pesticide applicaitons. That may be a little harder to get into though with the legal matters it involves. Good luck!

[Bill645]

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How about pressure washing... I'm going to be adding that next season. Can be very proffitable!

[Bravura]

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thanks for the ideas, but have a few questions. i know of the words but what does the job actually detail in duty. like dethatching, never heard of that, but aerification, heard of but don't know what it is exactly, can you elaborate pls. thanks

[G-Man]

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Brav,

Dethatching is something some people want to remove the layer of thatch that results from cutting your lawn and leaving the clippings when it's too long.

I advise all of my small number of clients to let me leave the clippings as they are beneficial to the lawn. However, if a fescue lawn (any lawn) but especially fescue is let go too long, mowed, and the clippings are left, they can actually kill the lawn over time.

Bluebird makes a "verti-cutter" - there are other manufacturers. I own a Bluebird P-18 slit seeder - which is also a "verti-cutter" with a seed hopper.

I've only been doing aeration and slit seeding for one season, so I'm not an expert - but I will tell you this - the new machinery I bought this year (the p-18 and a bluebird 24" aerator 0 about 4,000.00 for both new) paid for themselves in this past season. I can't say that about any other two pieces of equipment I own.

Depending on your area I suppose results will differ. I live in Raleigh NC - and here Fescue is king - we are considered a "transitional" area and Fescue is almost an "annual" grass here - especiall this year with the drought. Couple our climate with the fact that cool season grasses don't like heat without water, and you have a booming market for these services.

If I had it to do over, I'd skip buying the P-18 as it's not really needed for an established lawn. Just aerate and over-seed is good.

For new lawns, or bare lawns, then the slit seeder (P-18) is the ticket. However, I've got several customers who insist on having their lawns slit seeded - even though it's kinda rough on the lawn.

Like I said - Fescue is king in my area - I've never done a bermuda/centipede/zoysia lawn - and I'm not sure I'd unleash a verti-cutter/slit seeder loose on these types of lawns - considering the way they grow.

Also, aeration is actually better than dethatching - is breaks up the thatch layer, punchs holes into the yard and thereby promotes the rapid decomposing of the thatch layer. If you dethatch you're robbing the soil of an important nutrient source as well as causing yourself one major cleanup job of all that dead grass laying on top of the lawn - which MUST be removed.

Hope this helps....Gary

[Bravura]

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thanks for the info gary, although i kinda got lost i think i got what you meant. fescue, is a type of grass right, well i live in s.e. texas and we have augustine grass. and the mower taht we use is a high mulcher so we don't have much grass laying on top. if it does clump for some reason we use a special rake that will spread it as you sweep with the rake so you still have the mulched grass there and the nutrients are not taken away. aeration? you punch holes into the ground? is that right. what does that do. and slit seeded what does that mean? like planting more grass by seed? thanks

[lawrence stone]

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Thatch is a natural occurrence especially in KYB do to the nature of the way the species reproduces.

Some thatch is actually a good thing especially in the maintenance of sports fields for it will help cushion the "fall".

The "control" of thatch will help the clippings decay more rapidly via soil contact and will aid in the application of insecticides so the material does not get hung up in the thatch and get to the soil surface where it can control surface and root feeding insects.