Snow Plowing and Lawn Care Tips
When the seasons change we need to adjust with them. Some simple actions we take at the beginning or end of a season can save potential headaches and money. These are some simple tips for each season to refresh our memories.
Lawn Care Tips
Spring
There are several actions you can take to improve the overall appeal of your property.
- Spread granular, slow-acting fertilizer
- Water your lawn frequently, especially if there has been a break in precipitation
Grass needs 1 to 2 inches of water (including rainfall) each week to thrive. The more hydrated your lawn is, the better the root growth will be. Leave grass clippings on lawn as they will decompose leaving nutrients such as nitrogen to the soil.
Summer
- Lawn mowing the turf around 3″, during warmer temperatures
- Treat weeds and bare spots as soon as you see them
- Maintain a well hydrated lawn ladybugs can provide a chemical-free way to reduce the pest population of harmful, plant-eating insects
Autumn
- Water trees and shrubs thoroughly and mulch before the first frost
- Cutting the grass a bit shorter just before winter will prevent matting under snow
- Fall lawn care; remove all debris from turf, such as leaves and sticks
- Core aerate turf every year!
Snow Plowing Tips
Winter
- Putting markers at the edge of your lawn will help you avoid damaging it when you’re shoveling, snow blowing or snow plowing
- If you can see the turf when the snow is still presence, avoid walking on it as much as possible.
- When a snow event is prominent, make sure to get plenty of rest
Ring Lawn Care is all about service. We provide weekly lawn care and snow plowing services to residential and commercial clients. In this industry it is hard to just focus on one aspect of client. We still have 15 of the 20 customers since conception in 2002.
Take a look at this residential home after we completed the mowing. No this is not a golf course or Photoshopped. My son cut this to perfection, at first glance his verbalization was “All I see is a golf course.”
Having commercial accounts does help us get through the tough MinneSnowta winters, but we rely on both residential and commercial clients throughout the growing season. (more…)
One Time Lawn Mowing
There are occasions established lawn care providers will take on “one time lawn mowing” jobs. Most hate to refuse work, but there are times they just have to. Newer lawn care providers may take on these type’s of requests in order to build-up a base of accounts, but soon will realize that they will have a hard time relying on a weekly lawn mowing income.
One time lawn mowing customers may be unaware of a lawn care provider list. List of factors may look like this:
- Wear & tear on equipment
Weekly Lawn Mower Maintenance
- Client location
- Maintenance of equipment
- Scheduling
- Customer service
- Fuel
- Hourly wages
- Insurance
With a demanding weekly schedule and not losing sight of your beginnings, you have learned from your mistakes. With this in mind, when a potential client should call for a “One time lawn mowing“, you need to let them know that your schedule is set up for weekly lawn care.
Owning A Lawn Mowing Business
Being your own boss comes with much responsibility. There are many aspects that were not thought of in the very beginning. Landscape provider’s must watch the bottom line more accurately and wisely as the cost of living continues to rise.
Basic costs a lawn mowing business cannot overlook:
- Insurance
- Workmen Compensation
- Fuel per month
- Hourly wages
- Part and labor costs
- Taxes
- Advertising/Marketing
- Annual D.O.T. inspection
These are only a few of the most over-looked aspects of this industry.
If you have lost the passion or love for your lawn mowing business don’t just hang it up or quit. Take a step back and start over, YES I said start over. Reevaluate your commitment to yourself, employees and customers.
Operating a lawn mowing business can be scary in any economy. Having the right people in place for your operation will create time for you to market and promote weekly services. If you think your lawn business will run itself after it has grown, forget it. The landscape industry is demanding. Only hard-working and committed individuals will succeed.