Posts Tagged lawn care

Does Lawn Care Make You Smarter?

Apr 5

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, lawn care business, lawn chemicals | No Comments

“Where’s my lawn mower? Has anyone seen my weedeater? What day is it?”
These are three questions you will rarely hear from lawn care business operators.

If you think of yourself as having better memory than your peers, you might have your lawn care business to thank. Scientists at the University of Brisbane in Australia have discovered the scent of cut grass helps boost memory. Chemicals that are emitted from freshly cut grass work to stimulate the emotional and memory centers of the brain known as the amygdala and the hippocampus.

Cut Grass Helps Boost Memory

In this blog, we often discuss how a lawn care business can strengthen your physical and financial health. It’s also good to know that the aroma of cut grass might also be helping your mental health.

The benefits of owning a lawn care business are endless.

If you want to improve your memory and start your own business at the same time, maybe you should take a look at our lawn care business guidebook, video training guides, and estimating software business package. You can read all about it on our website: Start A Lawn Care Business . com

Tags: business, cutting grass, health, lawn care, memory

Nitrogen Fixation from White Clover

Apr 4

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, fertilizer, lawn chemicals, weeding | 1 Comment

As expected, I heard from a few organic lawn care experts after my “what to do for your lawn care business in April 2010” video.

In that video, I mentioned that clover is a problem this time a year. Many lawn care customers want their clover problem dealt with yet they are unwilling to accept an organic approach to dealing with clover in their grass. Little do they know that they are their own worst enemies. Clover this year is often caused by improper cutting methods last year. Cutting grass too short damages the grass and allows sunshine to penetrate the grass canopy germinating weeds on the ground’s surface. Bare patches beget clover growth in subsequent years.

How can you deal with the problem without using chemicals like pre-emergent and post-emergent weed killers? One of the best methods of having a healthy stand of grass is by raising your lawn mower’s blade to the correct mowing height for the type of grass.

Besides, clover has many benefits for the average suburban lawn. Clover fixes nitrogen in your soil. Naturally occurring nitrogen is beneficial to turf grasses because it raises the nitrogen level in the ground without affecting the pH level. Many organic gardeners recommend a 5% clover dispersal in a typical lawn to nurish the turf grass while reducing the need for fertilizer application.

Tags: april, business, clover, grass height, lawn care, nitrogen fixation, organic gardening

What to do for your Lawn Care Business in April, 2010

Apr 1

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, environment, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising, Lawn Care Business Taxes, start a lawn care business, taxes | 1 Comment

This video was made on April 1, 2010.

Right now is a great time to get started with your lawn care business if you haven’t gotten started already. If you have already started and you are not getting the customers you need or making the money you want to make then right now is a great time to ramp up your business. April is not too late to get started. There are still lots and lots of customers who haven’t signed up for lawn care service this year. Likewise, there are many business contracts that still haven’t been bid. So, you still have time to get brand new customers on you roster.

Spring is already getting hot. Our temperatures are forecast to be over 80 degrees this coming weekend. Some of the northern states are still cool but Spring is here and the weather is really going to warm up over the next several weeks. Summer is right around the corner.

April 4, 2010 is Easter. You can pound the pavement this weekend to drum up customers who want their lawns tidied up so they will look nice for family Easter celebrations. Since it is a 3-day weekend, many of your potential customers will be working in their lawns. They will need help and if you can visit them at the right time they may hire you to perform general spring cleanup jobs and grass cutting services.

Clover is an issue this time of year. For lawn care companies with applicator’s licenses you might not be too late to apply post-emergent selective herbicide. A better alternative is to select a taller cutting height for your lawn mower blades. A taller, thicker stand of grass will shade out clover reducing the need for chemical application.

April 15, 2010 is tax day. If you haven’t done your taxes yet, get started early. Organize last years receipts and get your tax forms completed early. Like it or not we are obligated to pay our fair share of taxes. If you have doubts about doing your own taxes, consider hiring a CPA. A qualified CPA who understands small business needs can be invaluable to you.

Wild Garlic or Wild Onion are sprouting in yards this month. Take a few minutes to call your customers to mention about the wild garlic that is sprouting in their lawn. Cutting it down will make their grass look so much better.

April 22, 2010 is Earth Day Your customers are becoming increasingly conscious about taking care of their environment. I believe the lawn care industry should be sensitive to the fact that we should not pollute our planet. There are ways to operate an environmentally conscious lawn care company. Many of our readers and viewers of our blog run their lawn care companies with an environmental slant to their businesses. Propane lawn equipment is becoming increasingly popular. Human powered reel mowers are also becoming the norm again in many communities with very small lawns. Operate an environmentally company and let your customers know how you are being aware in 2010.

Spring Stick Cleanup. April is a month when many pine cones and pine twigs have fallen in lawns across the country. Even if your customers don’t need their grass cut yet, they still need their lawns picked up. On an environmental note, you don’t have to haul all these sticks away or burn them or leave them for the garbage men. Offer your customers the opportunity to have a “natural area” in their lawns. Piling the brush in an unused area give habitat to the birds and other wildlife. It is great fun to watch Cardinals and Robins playing in the twigs. Also, many birds use this material to build their nests. A natural area is a great way to save your customers money while helping their environment.

Once again, if you are trying to Start A Lawn Care Business this year or if you currently own a lawn care business that just isn’t bringing in the money it should, visit our website. We have developed a great lawn care business package that will help you with your lawn care business.

www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: 2010, april, earthday, easter, how to make money with lawn care, lawn care, lawn mowing, lawn mowing business, make money, springtime, taxes

Does moss grow on the north side of trees?

Mar 27

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, lawn care business | No Comments

I remember watching TV when I was a kid. The show was probably a rerun of Davey Crockett or some other nature-type program. One particular episode caught my attention. They were probably tracking Indians or trying to find their way out of the woods and the remark was made that moss always grows on the north side of a tree.

At first, I thought this to be a bit of folklore. Seriously, why would moss only grow on the north side of a tree. That makes no sense. Moss doesn’t have a compass. Moss doesn’t carry a map in it’s non-existent glove box. At the time, Mapquest and Google Earth did not exist. But still, moss doesn’t know how to turn on a computer or operate a GPS.
Alright, that’s silly but it is what I thought at the time.

It wasn’t until several years later that I finally realized moss does, indeed, tend to grow on the north side of trees. Moss does not only grow on the north side of trees, it also grows on the north side of rocks, garbage cans, and telephone poles.

You can see moss growing on the north side of this telephone poll.

Moss grows well in environments that are damp, cool, and shady. In a thick forest with full coverage of shade, moss will grow on all sides of a tree. However, if there is a break in the tree coverage where the sun penetrates, moss will find the sunny side of the tree inhospitable. Therefore it won’t grow where there is sunshine.

Think about the sun’s orientation in the northern hemisphere’s sky. During winter, the sun is well south of the equator. Since the sun is in the southern part of our sky, all shadows are cast north. During our summer, the sun reaches its azimuth on or about June 21. On this day, it is just barely directly overhead. Therefore, the north side of almost any object is still partially shaded. Moss, which loves the shade, is still protected from sunlight and continues to thrive.

I’ve always believed running a lawn care business gives us a higher sense of nature than most people understand. We learn how things grow by understanding their habitats and how they react with nature.

Tags: business, habitat, lawn care, moss, nature

Today is the first day of spring.

Mar 20

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising, start a lawn care business | No Comments

Start A Lawn Care Business

Today is the first day of spring. For astronomers, the vernal equinox is the day in the earth’s orbit around the sun when the sun appears to creep back over the equator into the northern hemisphere. For lawn care companies, the first day of spring means warmer weather, vigorous grass growth, and new lawn care customers.

I took a drive through a few local neighborhoods at the crack of dawn this morning. The sunrise was magnificient. Once the weather warms, I like to get an early start. It makes me feel like I have a jump on the rest of the world. Already, I saw several homeowners working their yards and tending their gardens. As early as it was, they had a jump on me.

If you are starting your own lawn care company this year or if you are hoping to expand a lawn care business you owned last year, you can still get an early start in acquiring new customers and lawn care contracts. Right now is the PRIME time of year to go after new customers. Homeowners and business owners want their yards to look great for sping. By self-promoting your business this week, you should be able to fill a few holes in your schedule. Customers are motivated to hire competent lawn care people this time of year.

Getting customers early means you will have them all year long and you will be able to upsell them on many services. Spring cleanup is one of the first add on services you can sell to your customers. Even if your customers’ lawns are in decent shape from last year, you can sell them on a “Spring Cleanup Special.” Spend extra time raking leaves out of their flowerbeds, pickup fallen twigs and limbs, and offer to remulch flower and shrub beds.

If you’re like most lawn care companies, the extra income is needed in the spring after such a long winter. Spring cleanup is only one of the many add ons you can offer.

Tags: business, customers, grass, lawn care, money, spring, vernal equinox

Chemical Application – Additional Regulations

Mar 8

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, fertilizer, lawn care training, lawn chemicals | No Comments

After yesterday’s blog posting on new lawn care business owners’ need to carefully consider applicator’s licenses before applying chemicals to their customers’ lawns, we received several emails from large national lawn care companies.

At first, we thought the emails were going to complain that we were overly cautious in telling new lawn care businesses to be cautious about risking stepping afoul of applicator’s guidelines. To the contrary, the overwhelming majority applauded the fact that we told new companies of the risks they take when applying chemicals without proper permits. In fact, a few emailers said we didn’t go far enough in warning of the perils of operating an illegitimate chemical application business. They wanted us to mention a few additional regulations. We will mention them below.

Before you think we’re siding with the large lawn care companies, we’re not. This blog is dedicated to the small-time lawn care operator. We are all for the guys who are starting small and trying to grow their businesses customer-by-customer. It’s a tough business but it you do it right you can make a lot of money cutting grass and doing small landscaping job. We have to give the big guys credit though. When it comes to chemical application, regulations are designed to protect the environment, your customers, and yourselves from improper use of lawn care chemicals.

In the process of obtaining your applicator’s license you will learn a tremendous amount about proper mixture, storage, transportation, and application of chemicals. You will learn to protect yourself and your customers (and their children and pets) from dangerous chemicals. Not-the-least you will learn proper application techniques.

Anyone reading this who does not have an applicator’s license should make a goal of speaking to their local county extension office and making plans to start their course work.

Before I end this blog, I wanted to share a couple ancillary items lawn care companies must consider when handling chemicals. Though I was aware of these items, a couple readers wanted me to point them out specifically.

1) Many states (Illinois included) have containment regulations. “These regulations are designed to prevent environmental contamination from pesticides and/or fertilizers. Illinois law mandates that a containment area must be used for the loading of lawn-care products for distribution to a customer. The purpose of the containment area is to intercept, retain, recover, and reuse pesticide spills, wash water, and rinse water from application equipment or other items used for the storage, handling, preparation for use, transport, or application of pesticides to turf areas. Any application or handling of fertilizers only, application to trees and shrubs only, land areas located within a public or private rights-of-way, or land areas utilized for turf research or commercial turf production are exempt from these regulations.” http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ipr/i4147_829.html

2) Do you know (quite honestly we were not aware of this) that in many states (Massachusetts included) it is against the law for a homeowner to hire an unlicensed applicator “even if it is a well known over-the-counter product that anyone can purchase?” In states where this statute exists not only will you get in trouble but the homeowner who hires you will get in trouble too. That can’t be good for public relations and word-of-mouth advertising. http://www.malcp.org/faqs.htm

Okay guys; take care of yourselves and make sure you are properly licensed. We’ve upset a good many people who thought they weren’t doing anything wrong applying Monsanto’s Round-Up to their customers’ lawns.

This blog has taken a serious turn the last few days. We’ve got some fun stuff coming up for you later this week so be sure to subscribe and check back with us.

Take care:

Start A Lawn Care Business

Tags: applicator's license, business, chemical, lawn care, regulations, round-up

Do I need a license to spray lawn chemicals.

Mar 8

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, lawn chemicals, start a lawn care business | 2 Comments

We are commonly asked by lawn care business owners if they need a license to spray chemicals on their customers’ lawns. Unfortunately, this is a complicated question for us to answer specifically since chemical application is governed, at least in part, at the state level. Every state has different laws.

For new and small lawn care business owners, the question of proper licensing often arises as to the use of over-the-counter products such as Monsanto’s Round-Up herbicide. If you are a new or small lawn care business owner, do not be lulled into complacency by the fact that you are using a general purpose store-bought chemical. The regulatory agencies in most states make little distinction between general use chemicals and restricted use chemicals when they are applied by a commercial operation.

If you are reading this blog, you obviously want to grow your lawn care business and make the best money possible from your customers. It is difficult to turn down a customers who want you to spray round up on the weeds in the cracks of their driveways. However, before you touch that spray bottle (or even begin to consider applying any chemical) you owe it to yourself to check your local laws and follow guidelines within the licensing regulations of your state and community.

Seriously, guys; if you think that enforcement agents are too busy to worry about one person lawn care operators or small lawn care companies then you need to think again. There were a bunch of cases in our area last year where lawn care operators were given $5,000 fines for violating applicator’s licensing requirements. A $5,000 fine is enough to put many small lawn care companies out of business. I would hate that to happen to you.

For more information and help starting (and expanding) your lawn care business, check out our main website at: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: chemicals, lawn care, license, money, round-up, spray

How To Properly Name Your Lawn Care Business

Feb 23

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, Lawn Care Advertising | 1 Comment

Within the pages of the Start A Lawn Care Business guidebooks, we spend several pages discussing proper names for lawn care businesses. More than simply telling you which names are “good” and which names are “bad”, we spend considerable time discussing business theory and customer psychology. DON’T YAWN!!! I know these subjects may seem boring to you but when you are naming your business you MUST consider your potential customers’ reactions to your business name. If they don’t like your name, you may find yourself getting fewer customers than if you choose a better name.

I recently came across an advertisement for a lawn care company. I am perplexed by their choice of business name. I want to show you the advertisement and I want you to let me know what you think about this business name.

If you’re too young to remember, a lawn dart was a children’s toy many years ago. Children placed rings in their yards, stepped several feet away, then threw large weighted darts trying to land them in the ring. It was great fun until the inevitable happened and kids started showing up in emergency rooms with giant weighted darts sticking out of their foreheads or lodged under their eyelids.

Unless you were the one penetrated by a lawn dart, it was a pretty fun game and made for some funny jokes talking about people with darts protruding from various body parts. A common joke was to stick your index finger to your forehead and scream “LAWNDART.”

Okay, enough of the history. Let’s get back to the company’s name.

I think the name “LawnDart Lawn Care” is funny. It is memorable and it made me laugh.

However, from a business standpoint, I have to take exception with the name. It is not a professional name and it will not instill confidence in its potential clientele. Though the name might not deter a young homeowner (and maybe that’s who this company is targeting). Would a homeowner with a large, expensive home really trust its finely manicured grass to someone who might not take it seriously? Would an owner of a large industrial complex contract with someone who makes light of a serious and potentially dangerous situation where children are at risk?

Let’s not miss the point here. The owners of this company are probably having a laugh and I fully realize that. However, here’s a tip; sure, you can take a stab at different business names but if you are looking for long-term professional viability (and the most money possible) for your lawn care business, choose a name that speaks professionalism.

Once again, business theory and customer psychology are not the most exciting topics but if you want to learn how to choose a name that will increase your profits this year, take a look at our lawn care business guidebooks. The section on naming your business is great and you will learn how to properly name your business. I promise, you won’t be bored.

You can learn more about the lawn care business guidebooks and software package at our website:

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: business name, customers, lawn care, professionalism, psychology

Lawn Care In California

Feb 17

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care business, maintenance, start a lawn care business | 1 Comment

I was very blessed in January to escape the deep freeze that gripped the American Southeast by traveling to Los Angeles, California to meet with a manufacturer of Propane Powered lawn care equipment.

During my journey, I took opportunity to learn more about the culture of the Lawn Care industry in California. Turbulent weather in Los Angeles treated me to an area of lawn care maintenance we don’t experience much in Tennessee.

The storms were unprecedented and unanticipated as I arrived at LAX in Los Angeles. Torrential downpours did not affect the arrival of my flight other than to make it more bumpy than a traditional west coast landing. The bus ride into Santa Monica, on the other hand, was detoured countless times as the driver navigated around flooded streets and skirted intersections where traffic lights malfunctioned due to heavy winds and falling palm fronds. During the storm, I was able to observe flooded irrigation canals channeling water into the pacific ocean.

When we have a storm back east, leaves blow and branches tumble. Our storms create great opportunity for lawn care companies. After-storm cleanup is a great service to offer your customers for additional money.

In California, these palm fronds were everywhere. As I watched cleanup crews pick each 8′ to 10′ section of palm frond by hand, I could only think about the amounts of money a dedicated lawn care company could make with on-the-spot after-storm clean up contracts.

It doesn’t matter if you are in California, Tennessee, or any of the other 50 states. There is a ton of money to be made in the lawn care industry this year. It’s been a tough winter but spring is on its way. The high winds that spring often induces will, sure enough, bring lots of opportunity for after-storm cleanup jobs.

If you want to learn how to get customers and correctly price your after-storm cleanup contracts, take a look at our main website. You will learn how to acquire great customers and price your services effectively so you can make the best money possible in 2010.

We have a sale price on our lawn care business package right now. Order soon because this price won’t last long.

Our website address is: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: business, california, lawn care, money, palm fronds, storm cleanup

Start A Lawn Care Business

Make money with a lawn care and landscaping business.

Posts Tagged lawn care

Does Lawn Care Make You Smarter?

Nitrogen Fixation from White Clover

What to do for your Lawn Care Business in April, 2010

Does moss grow on the north side of trees?

Today is the first day of spring.

More lawn mower racing videos.

Chemical Application – Additional Regulations

Do I need a license to spray lawn chemicals.

How To Properly Name Your Lawn Care Business

Lawn Care In California

Leaf Raking Business for Money

How to Start A Lawn Care Business

Lawn Care Articles

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