How do you cut your grass?

[blakehodges83]

I was just wondering how most of you commercial guys dispose of your clippings? Do you usually mulch w/ all of your equipment throughout all seasons? It has boggling my head for the last few days as i see people doing it all differently. And i know customer demand plays alot of the role. But how do you make $$$ on a $25 residential yard if you bag? And what do you do w/ them if you do bag? Or your leaves? Dump? I am currently a student at night in agri-landscape classes at a comm. college, but my future goal is landscape architecture. I know to get started lawn care would be a nice compliment. Right now I am working inside an oilfield connector manufacturing plant and just can't stand it, I need to be outside and using my hands, so I am seriously considering getting a start in this and to follow through as an architect. Thanks in advance for your input, hope i won't get too much newbie bashing towards me.

[grower]

bagging

most of us don't bag. you're certainly not going to make any money if you bag a $25 and haul the clippings around town. The price to bag a lawn should always be 4x so for a 25 you should get 100 all the cost is in the disposal. By the time you walk back and fourth and empty the bagger about 4 or whatever number of times then have to drive to the dump and empty your truck it would have taken you at least 4x as long. Unless they have a spot on the property that you can dump it then maby only charge 2x. Beware they might try to con you into putting it in those yard waste bags you can buy at home depot, screw that tell them if they want it in those bags it'll be $120.

[BCLS]

I don't bag!! If a customer wants their lawn bagged then it's additional charge to the lawn maintenance.

When a new customer inquires about lawn service I explain to them very clearly that, for example, $30 dollars is strictly only the cut, edging, trim., and blowing. If they want me to bag leaves/clippings, it's a seperate charge, which usually does not go over well. So, what I have done is installed mulch kits on my machines. This eliminates any discussion about bagging. I explain to my customers how the mulchers work and that there is nothing to bag afterwards.

If the lawn has a lot of leafs I blow them out of the corners, flowerbeds and onto the lawn where the machines completely chew everything up with no evidence of leafs, and my customers are pleased because the charge for this is minimal, or less than if we had to bag everything.

Eduardo
Bayou City Lawn Services

[lawn hopper]

Word
Screw bagging because of whats said above.
Get into business and enjoy it.

[BCLS]

As for the bags of leafs or clippings. I also explain to my customers that I don't haul clippings away. And that I will bag if I have to and leave the bag there, however, not so heavy so they can place out for pick up on trash day.
Just be tactful in your manner and most customer are understanding.

I don't have the room, nor the time to be going and dumping trash bags of clippings at the dump or carrying them around all day. No way!!

Eduardo
Bayou City Lawn Services

[lawnrangeralaska]

I bag 100 percent of the time!!! I make money that way. More time = more money, less clippings on lawn gives better look and then since you bag you get to fertilize = more time = more money. I have a mix sometimes i haul clippings , or leave in there trash can or i throw the clippings in the back in a pile in the woods, some people make compost. But since i live on one acre i just dump the clippings in huge holes. Serious guy if your customers want bagging you give it too them. what ever they want you should find a way to make them happy. by saying o we willnt haul them off is bull crap your just too lazy. My future depends on reputation so i do everything under the sun for my customers and thats why i can charge more for my services. i give high quality. unlike lots of untrained scrubs. i like to double blade with my bagging machines so that the clippings are smaller so that it takes long to fill up my bags, also it helps to keep from cloggin in wet times. peace out

[Sammy]

Bag ? Only bag you need is for that 2 o'clock saturday night closeing time girl.

[blakehodges83]

Lmao!

haha, well, that is what I was thinking. Reason for asking is that I mulch my own yard here in Texas in the spring and early fall, but in the middle of summer the dead grass that is buried down shows and really makes a difference in the color of my lawn. I used to work for John Deere/Exmark/Stihl dealer and I know the power and precision of most of the machines you all use daily. Just wondering if you all have had that problem? I used to be "the kid down the street" that mowed lawns for peanuts in the summer when i was 14, but never took it any further. Now if I can get my wife out of college, one more year, I can get out of the corporate #$$@ and give up the benefits. So i am relatively a while away from starting a biz, but don't want to be competing with "scrubs". I want a reputation in whatever I am doing. Hmm... maybe all those business classes I took a few years ago will come in handy after all You guys are awesome, look forward to talking to you again, Thanks everyone!